Case Name: David James ads. Sarah Cox
Court: New Jersey Supreme Court
Jurisdiction: New Jersey
Decision Date: 1827-11
Citations: 9 N.J.L. 335
Docket Number: 
Parties: *335] *David James ads. Sarah Cox.
Judges: 
Reporter: New Jersey Law Reports
Volume: 9
Pages: 416–416

Head Matter:
*335] *David James ads. Sarah Cox.
IN DOWER.
A general authority to an attorney to sign the sheriff’s name, will not authorize him to appoint a deputy to serve process.
W. Halsted
moved to quash the writ of dower which had been served in this case by a person, not the sheriff of the county, by virtue of a special deputation, endorsed upon the writ by the attorney of the plaintiff, he having a general authority from the sheriff to make such deputations, and sign the sheriff’s name thereto; and he contended that the attorney could not, by virtue of this general power, appoint a deputy to serve process ; that the maxim of the law was that “ a delegated power could not be delegated.”
Wall, contra.

Opinion:
Ford, J.,
delivered the opinion of the court, that a general deputation to an attorney was insufficient to enable him to authorize a person to serve process, and that he could not transfer his authority to another.
Service of the writ quashed.