Charles E. Wolverton

Charles Edwin Wolverton
Charles Edwin Wolverton
	Wolverton c. 1910
Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Oregon
	In office; November 20, 1905 –September 21, 1926
Appointed by	Theodore Roosevelt
Preceded by	Charles B. Bellinger
Succeeded by	John Hugh McNary
18th Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court
	In office; 1898 –1900, 1905
Preceded by	Frank A. Moore
Succeeded by	Robert S. Bean
Personal details
Born	Charles Edwin Wolverton; May 16, 1851; Des Moines County, Iowa
Died	September 21, 1926 (aged 75); Gearhart, Oregon
Spouse(s)	Clara Ellen Price
Alma mater	Christian College B.S. ; Christian College A.B. ; University of Kentucky College of Law J.D.
Occupation	Attorney
Profession	Jurist

Last updated March 19, 2019

Charles Edwin Wolverton (May 16, 1851 – September 21, 1926) was an American state and federal judge in the state of Oregon. He was the 18th Chief Justice on the Oregon Supreme Court. He served as the chief twice during his eleven years on Oregon's highest court, followed by 21 years on the bench of Oregon's sole federal court.

The United States of America (USA), commonly known as the United States or America, is a country composed of 50 states, a federal district, five major self-governing territories, and various possessions. At 3.8 million square miles, the United States is the world's third or fourth largest country by total area and is slightly smaller than the entire continent of Europe's 3.9 million square miles. With a population of over 327 million people, the U.S. is the third most populous country. The capital is Washington, D.C., and the largest city by population is New York City. Forty-eight states and the capital's federal district are contiguous in North America between Canada and Mexico. The State of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east and across the Bering Strait from Russia to the west. The State of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U.S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, stretching across nine official time zones. The extremely diverse geography, climate, and wildlife of the United States make it one of the world's 17 megadiverse countries.

Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region on the West Coast of the United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. The parallel 42° north delineates the southern boundary with California and Nevada. Oregon is one of only three states of the contiguous United States to have a coastline on the Pacific Ocean.

Oregon Supreme Court the highest court in the U.S. state of Oregon

The Oregon Supreme Court (OSC) is the highest state court in the U.S. state of Oregon. The only court that may reverse or modify a decision of the Oregon Supreme Court is the Supreme Court of the United States. The OSC holds court at the Oregon Supreme Court Building in Salem, Oregon, near the capitol building on State Street. The building was finished in 1914 and also houses the state's law library, while the courtroom is also used by the Oregon Court of Appeals.

Early life

Charles Wolverton was born on May 16, 1851, in Des Moines County, Iowa, to John Wolverton and his wife the former Mary Jane Nealy.^[1] In 1853 the family immigrated to the Oregon Territory.^[1] There Charles received an education at Christian College in Monmouth, Oregon, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in 1871.^[1] The following year he earned an Artium Baccalaureus from the same school.^[2] Wolverton then returned east and earned a Juris Doctor from the University of Kentucky College of Law in 1874.^[2]

Des Moines County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2010 census, the population was 40,325. The county seat is Burlington. It is one of Iowa's two original counties along with Dubuque County; both were organized by the Michigan Territorial legislature in 1834.

Iowa is a state in the Midwestern United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states; Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the east, Missouri to the south, Nebraska to the west, South Dakota to the northwest and Minnesota to the north.

The Territory of Oregon was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 14, 1848, until February 14, 1859, when the southwestern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Oregon. Originally claimed by several countries, the region was divided between the UK and US in 1846. When established, the territory encompassed an area that included the current states of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, as well as parts of Wyoming and Montana. The capital of the territory was first Oregon City, then Salem, followed briefly by Corvallis, then back to Salem, which became the state capital upon Oregon's admission to the Union.

Legal career

Following law school Charles returned to Oregon where he began private practice in Albany, Oregon from 1874 until 1894.^[2] During this time he was the attorney for the Linn County School Board from 1878 to 1881.^[1] Also while in private practice Wolverton married Clara Ellen Price in 1878, a marriage from which there would be no children.^[1]

A law school is an institution specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for becoming a lawyer within a given jurisdiction.

Albany is the county seat of Linn County, and the 11th largest city in the State of Oregon. Albany is located in the Willamette Valley at the confluence of the Calapooia River and the Willamette River in both Linn and Benton counties, just east of Corvallis and south of Salem. It is predominantly a farming and manufacturing city that settlers founded around 1848. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population of Albany was 50,158. Its population was estimated by the Portland Research Center to be 51,583 in 2013.

Linn County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 census, the population was 116,672. The county seat is Albany. The county is named in honor of Lewis F. Linn, a U.S. Senator from Missouri who advocated the American settlement of the Oregon Country.

Judicial career

In 1894 Wolverton was elected to the Oregon Supreme Court to replace William Paine Lord.^[3] He won re-election for a second six-year term in 1900.^[3] During his time on the court he served as chief justice twice from 1898 to 1900 and then again in 1905 until he resigned on December 4, 1905.^[3] Thomas G. Hailey was appointed by Oregon Governor George Earle Chamberlain to finish Wolverton's term.^[3] While on the court he received an honorary law degree from Willamette University College of Law in 1900.^[1]

William Paine Lord, was a Republican politician who served as the ninth Governor of Oregon from 1895 to 1899. The Delaware native previously served as the 27th associate justice of the Oregon Supreme Court, including three times as the Chief Justice of that court. After serving as governor he was appointed as an ambassador to Argentina in South America and later helped to codify Oregon's laws.

Thomas G. Hailey (1865–1908) was an American attorney and judge in Oregon. He was the 35th Associate Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court in the United States. Prior to appointment to Oregon’s high court he served as a district attorney in Eastern Oregon and as mayor of Pendleton, Oregon.

George Earle Chamberlain American politician

George Earle Chamberlain Sr. was an American attorney, politician, and public official in Oregon. A native of Mississippi and member of the Democratic Party, Chamberlain's political achievements included appointment followed by election as the first Attorney General of Oregon, a stint as the state's 11th Governor, and two terms in the United States Senate in Washington, DC.

Wolverton resigned from the Oregon Supreme Court in order to accept the position of federal judge for the United States District Court for the District of Oregon. President Theodore Roosevelt appointed Wolverton to the position on November 20, 1905 during a recess in Congress to replace Charles B. Bellinger who had died in office.^[2] Roosevelt sent his nominations to the Senate on December 5, 1905 and he was subsequently confirmed by the Senate on January 10, 1906, and received his commission the same day.^[2] Wolverton would serve on the federal bench until his death on September 21, 1926 in Gearhart, Oregon.^[2]

The United States District Court for the District of Oregon is the Federal district court whose jurisdiction comprises the state of Oregon. It was created in 1859 when the state was admitted to the Union. Appellate jurisdiction belongs to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Matthew P. Deady served as its first judge. Michael W. Mosman is the current chief judge.

Theodore Roosevelt Jr. was an American statesman, sportsman, conservationist and writer who served as the 26th president of the United States from 1901 to 1909. He previously served as the 25th vice president of the United States from March to September 1901 and as the 33rd governor of New York from 1899 to 1900. As a leader of the Republican Party during this time, he became a driving force for the Progressive Era in the United States in the early 20th century. His face is depicted on Mount Rushmore, alongside those of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln. In polls of historians and political scientists, Roosevelt is generally ranked as one of the five best presidents.

Charles Byron Bellinger was a federal district court judge in Portland, Oregon, United States. A native of Illinois, he also served as a state circuit court judge in Oregon, fought in the Modoc War in 1873, and was a newspaper editor. Politically, he previously served in the Oregon Legislative Assembly and as clerk to the Oregon Supreme Court.

After each stint as chief justice on the Oregon court he was followed by Robert S. Bean.^[3] Bean would then join Wolverton on the federal court in 1909 when Congress added an additional judgeship to the Oregon district.^[4]

Robert Sharp Bean was an American attorney and judge in the state of Oregon. He was the 16th Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court, serving as chief justice three different times. Bean was on the state’ highest court from 1890 to 1909 when he was appointed as a judge for the United States District Court for the District of Oregon. An Oregon native, he was part of the first graduating class of the University of Oregon.

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References

1 2 3 4 5 6 Corning, Howard M. Dictionary of Oregon History. Binfords & Mort Publishing, 1956.
1 2 3 4 5 6 Charles Edwin Wolverton at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges , a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center .
1 2 3 4 5 Oregon Blue Book: Earliest Authorities in Oregon. Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved on January 10, 2008.
↑ Robert Sharp Bean at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges , a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center .

External links

Works by or about Charles E. Wolverton at Internet Archive

Legal offices
Preceded by Charles B. Bellinger	Judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon January 10, 1906 – September 21, 1926	Succeeded by John Hugh McNary

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[Oregon-1] 1 2 3 4 5 6 Corning, Howard M. Dictionary of Oregon History. Binfords & Mort Publishing, 1956.

[fed-2] 1 2 3 4 5 6 Charles Edwin Wolverton at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges , a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center .

[OSC-3] 1 2 3 4 5 Oregon Blue Book: Earliest Authorities in Oregon. Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved on January 10, 2008.

[fed2-4] Robert Sharp Bean at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges , a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center .