William F. Fitzgerald: Difference between revisions

{{Infobox Judgeofficeholder

| term_start = MarchApril 107, 1884

| term_end = NovemberOctober 931, 1885

| office3 = 17th [[California Attorney General of California]]

'''William Francis Fitzgerald''' (February 7, 1846 – May 12, 1903) was an [[United States|American]] jurist who served on the [[Federal bench]] as an Associateassociate Justicejustice onof the [[Arizona Territorial Supreme Court]], as well as at the state level as an Associateassociate Justicejustice onof the [[California Supreme Court]]. Other positions he held include [[California Attorney General]] and judge of the [[Superior Court of Los Angeles County]].

Fitzgerald was born February 7, 1846, in [[Jackson, Mississippi]].{{sfn|Shuck|1901|p=688}} He was educated in his hometown's public schools until the age of 12 when his work as a newsboy prompted a patron to sponsor him into [[St. Mary's College (Kentucky)]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Johnson|first1=J. Edward|title=History of the California Supreme Court: The Justices 1850-1900, vol 1|date=1963|publisher=Bender Moss Co|location=San Francisco, CA|pages=190-193190–193|url=http://library.courtinfo.ca.gov/included/docs/SCJC_Vol_1.pdf|accessdateaccess-date=August 14, 2017}}</ref> Fitzgerald attended the Kentucky school from late 1858 till the start of the [[American Civil War]].{{sfn|Goff|1975|p=97}}

On March 3, 1884, following the death of Justice [[A. W. Sheldon]], President Arthur nominated Fitzgerald for a seat on the Arizona Territorial Supreme Court.<ref>{{cite news|title=Nominations|url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=DAC18840304.2.37&srpos=1&e=------188-en--20--1--txt-txIN-%22William+F.+Fitzgerald%22-------1|accessdateaccess-date=October 1, 2017|work=Daily Alta California|issue=36 (12375)|publisher=California Digital Newspaper Collection|date=4 March 1884|volume = 36|page=5|quote=William F. Fitzgerald of Mississippi for Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Arizona}}</ref> [[Senate confirmation]] occurred a week later.{{sfn|Goff|1975|p=98}}<ref>{{cite news|title=Judge Fitzgerald|url=http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83025459/1884-04-03/ed-1/seq-2/#date1=1857&sort=date&date2=1925&searchType=advanced&language=&sequence=0&index=3&words=F+Fitzgerald+William&proxdistance=5&rows=20&ortext=&proxtext=&phrasetext=william+f.+fitzgerald&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1|accessdateaccess-date=October 1, 2017|work=Weekly Phoenix herald|publisher=Library of Congress Historic Newspapers|date=April 3, 1884|page=2}}</ref> He took his oath of office on April 7, 1884.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/107854751/arizona-daily-star/|title=The District Court|work=Arizona Daily Star|date=April 8, 1884}}</ref> Fitzgerald was assigned to judicial district one, consisting initially of [[Graham County, Arizona|Graham]], [[Pima County, Arizona|Pima]] and [[Pinal County, Arizona|Pinal]] counties and changed to [[Cochise County, Arizona|Cochise]], Graham, and Pima counties in 1885, and made his home in [[Tucson, Arizona|Tucson, Arizona Territory]].{{sfn|Goff|1975|p=98}} Only a single ruling survives from his time on the Arizona bench, ''Smith v. County of Mohave'', (1885) 2 Arizona 27.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=oLOZAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA160&lpg=PA160&dq=Smith+v.+County+of+Mohave,%2C+(1885)%281885%29+2+Arizona+27.&sourcepg=bl&ots=vFnCxjSnSa&sig=V7iJgFk2GhQskRMuWTnMlzwmuaU&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjN5_Kx09DWAhXDxlQKHUfLDRgQ6AEIODAE#v=onepage&q=Smith%20v.%20County%20of%20Mohave%2C%20(1885)%202%20Arizona%2027.&f=falsePA160 ''Smith v. County of Mohave''], (1885) 2 Arizona 27.</ref> The one-page ruling determined that an 1881 act by the legislature did not remove the right to file [[lawsuit|suit]] against an Arizona county.{{sfn|Goff|1975|p=98}}

The inauguration of [[Grover Cleveland]] in 1885 signaled the end of Fitzgerald's time on the Arizona bench. The judge was popular among the territorial population and protest meetings were organized to fight the expected removal.{{sfn|Goff|1975|p=98}} Despite these efforts, President Cleveland named Fitzgerald's replacement, [[William H. Barnes (jurist)|William H. Barnes]], on October 23, 1885.{{sfn|Goff|1975|p=98}}<ref>{{cite news|url=http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1885-10-23/ed-1/seq-1/#words=Arizona+William+Barnes&proxtext=william+barnes+arizona|title=Changes in Offices|date=October 23, 1885|work=Evening Star|page=1|location=Washington D.C.}}</ref> Fitzgerald administered the oath of office to his successor on October 31, 1885.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/107818698/the-clifton-clarion/|title=Judge W. H. Barnes|work=The Clifton Clarion|date=November 4, 1885}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/107818702/arizona-daily-star/|title=District Court Reopened|work=Arizona Daily Star|date=November 1, 1885}}</ref>

Fitzgerald moved to [[Los Angeles, California]], in early 1886. There he worked briefly with [[Charles Silent]] at the legal firm of Silent, Wade, and Fitzgerald before joining the firm of Anderson, Fitzgerald, and Anderson.{{sfn|Rodman|1909|p=262}}{{sfn|Goff|1975|p=98-9}} During this time he was active in the local legal community, helping perform an 1888 reorganization of the Los Angeles Bar Association.{{sfn|Goff|1975|p=99}} Outside his legal career, Fitzgerald served as chairman of the board for the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, director of the California Sewer Pipe Company, and was active in the state Republican party, being elected chairman of the party's central committee in 1892.{{sfn|Shuck|1901|p=688}}<ref>{{cite news|title=The Fight Growing Warm|url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=SFC18920816.2.36&srpos=27&e=------189-en--20--21--txt-txIN-%22William+F.+Fitzgerald%22-------1|accessdateaccess-date=October 1, 2017|work=San Francisco Call|issue=72 (77)|publisher=California Digital Newspaper Collection|date=16 August 1892|volume = 72|page=2}}</ref>

In 1891, Fitzgerald became a Supreme Court Commissioner.{{sfn|Rodman|1909|p=262}} He held the position until his resignation in May 1892 when he joined the [[San Francisco, California|San Francisco]] legal firm of Estes, Fitzgerald, & Miller.{{sfn|Goff|1975|p=99}} On February 2, 1893, Governor [[Henry Markham]] appointed Fitzgerald to fill the seat on the [[California Supreme Court]] left empty by the death of Justice [[John Sharpstein]].{{sfn|Shuck|1901|p=691}}<ref>{{cite news|title=Justice Sharpstein's Shoes, Judge W. F. Fitzgerald Fills Them|url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=LAH18930203.2.9&srpos=5&e=------189-en--20--1--txt-txIN-%22William+F.+Fitzgerald%22-------1|accessdateaccess-date=October 1, 2017|work=Los Angeles Herald|issue=39 (115)|publisher=California Digital Newspaper Collection|date=3 February 1893|volume = 39|page=2}}</ref> During the two years he served on the court, Fitzgerald authored thirty-two opinions.{{sfn|Goff|1975|p=99}}

Instead of running for reelection to the California Supreme Court, Fitzgerald became the Republican nominee for [[California Attorney General]] in 1884.<ref>{{cite news|title=Party Candidates|url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=CM18941025.2.36&srpos=13&e=------189-en--20--1--txt-txIN-%22William+F.+Fitzgerald%22-------1|accessdateaccess-date=October 1, 2017|work=Coronado Mercury|issue=24|publisher=California Digital Newspaper Collection|date=25 October 1894|page=4|quote=Attorney General, William F. Fitzgerald, Republican}}</ref> He won the election and began a four-year term on January 7, 1895.{{sfn|Shuck|1901|p=691}} As his term was set to expire, Fitzgerald ran on the Republican ticket and lost a close race for San Francisco [[city attorney]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Hon. Charles L. Patton Nominated by Republicans, Great Progress in the Selection of the Candidates for Municipal Offices|url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=SFC18980929.2.2.1&srpos=23&e=------189-en--20--21--txt-txIN-%22William+F.+Fitzgerald%22-------1|accessdateaccess-date=October 1, 2017|work=San Francisco Call|issue=84 (121)|publisher=California Digital Newspaper Collection|date=29 September 1898|volume = 84|page=1}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Republican Municipal Ticket Now Complete|url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=SFC18981001.2.11&srpos=26&e=------189-en--20--21--txt-txIN-%22William+F.+Fitzgerald%22-------1|accessdateaccess-date=October 1, 2017|work=San Francisco Call|issue=84 (123)|publisher=California Digital Newspaper Collection|date=1 October 1898|volume = 84|page=1}}</ref> When he left office, Fitzgerald returned to his legal practice in San Francisco.{{sfn|Goff|1975|p=99}}

In late 1899, Governor [[Henry Gage]] appointed Fitzgerald to the [[Superior Court of Los Angeles County]] to fulfill the remaining term of a deceased judge.{{sfn|Shuck|1901|p=691}} He held the position for two years, failing to win renomination for the 1902 elections.{{sfn|Goff|1975|p=99}} In April 1903, Fitzgerald traveled to [[Butte, Montana]], to visit his daughter and son-in-law. There, on May 12, 1903, he died of heart failure. Fitzgerald was buried in Butte's Holy Cross Cemetery.{{sfn|Goff|1975|p=99}}

*{{cite book |last=Goff|ref=harv |first=John S. |title=Arizona Territorial Officials Volume I: The Supreme Court Justices 1863-1912 |publisher=Black Mountain Press|location=Cave Creek, Arizona |year=1975 | oclc = 1622668 }}

*{{cite book |last=Rodman|ref=harv |first=Willoughby |title=History of the bench and bar of southern California |publisher=W. J. Porter|location=Los Angeles |year=1909 | oclc = 4408734|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wv88AAAAYAAJ&pg=PA262&lpg=PA262}}

*{{cite book |last=Shuck |ref=harv |first=Oscar Tully |title=History of the Bench and Bar of California |publisher=Commercial Printing House|location=Los Angeles |year=1901 | oclc = 1725351 |url=https://booksarchive.google.comorg/books?iddetails/benchandbarofcal00shuc|page=t-lYAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA688&lpg=PA688[https://archive.org/details/benchandbarofcal00shuc/page/688 688] }}

* [[List of Justicesjustices of the Supreme Court of California]]

[[Category:Justices of the Arizona TerritoryTerritorial Supreme judgesCourt]]

[[Category:CaliforniaJustices of the Supreme Court justicesof California]]

[[Category:California Attorneysattorneys Generalgeneral]]