List of federal judges appointed by Abraham Lincoln

Following is a list of all Article III United States federal judges appointed by President Abraham Lincoln during his presidency.[1] In total Lincoln appointed 32 Article III federal judges, including 4 Associate Justices and 1 Chief Justice to the Supreme Court of the United States, and 27 judges to the United States district courts. Lincoln appointed no judges to the United States circuit courts during his time in office.

Abraham Lincoln.

In 1863, the United States Circuit Court for the District of Columbia, which had existed since 1801, was abolished. The Supreme Court of the District of Columbia (now the United States District Court for the District of Columbia) was established in its place with 1 Chief Justice and 3 Associate Justices, all 4 positions being filled by Lincoln. These 4 positions are included in the 27 District Judges appointed by Lincoln.

Lincoln appointed 4 judges to the United States Court of Claims, an Article I tribunal. He later laterally reappointed 1 of those judges as Chief Justice of the same court.

United States Supreme Court justices

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# Justice Seat State Former justice Nomination
date
Confirmation
date
Began
active service
Ended
active service
1 Noah Haynes Swayne 6 Ohio John McLean January 21, 1862 January 24, 1862 January 24, 1862 January 24, 1881
2 Samuel Freeman Miller 4 Iowa Peter Vivian Daniel July 16, 1862 July 16, 1862 July 16, 1862 October 13, 1890
3 David Davis 8 Illinois John Archibald Campbell December 1, 1862 December 8, 1862 October 17, 1862[2] March 4, 1877
4 Stephen Johnson Field 9 California Seat established March 6, 1863 March 10, 1863 March 10, 1863 December 1, 1897
5 Salmon P. Chase Chief Ohio Roger B. Taney December 6, 1864 December 6, 1864 December 6, 1864 May 7, 1873

District courts

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# Judge Court
[Note 1]
Nomination
date
Confirmation
date
Began active
service
Ended active
service
1 Archibald Williams D. Kan. March 8, 1861 March 12, 1861 March 12, 1861 September 21, 1863
2 George Washington Lane M.D. Ala.
N.D. Ala.
S.D. Ala.
March 26, 1861 March 28, 1861 March 28, 1861 November 12, 1863
3 John Jay Jackson Jr. W.D. Va./D. W.Va./
N.D. W. Va.
July 26, 1861 August 3, 1861 August 3, 1861 March 15, 1905[3]
4 Fletcher Mathews Haight S.D. Cal. August 5, 1861 August 5, 1861 August 5, 1861 February 23, 1866
5 Bland Ballard D. Ky. December 9, 1861 January 22, 1862 October 16, 1861[4] July 29, 1879
6 Philip Fraser N.D. Fla. June 14, 1862 July 17, 1862 July 17, 1862 July 26, 1876
7 Connally Findlay Trigg E.D. Tenn.
M.D. Tenn.
W.D. Tenn.
July 16, 1862 July 17, 1862 July 17, 1862 April 25, 1880
April 25, 1880
June 14, 1878[5]
8 Caleb Blood Smith D. Ind. December 16, 1862 December 22, 1862 December 22, 1862 January 7, 1864
9 Richard Stockton Field D.N.J. January 14, 1863 January 14, 1863 January 14, 1863 April 25, 1870
10 David Kellogg Cartter D.D.C. March 10, 1863 March 11, 1863 March 11, 1863[6] April 16, 1887
11 George P. Fisher D.D.C. March 10, 1863 March 11, 1863 March 11, 1863[7] May 1, 1870
12 Abram B. Olin D.D.C. March 10, 1863 March 11, 1863 March 11, 1863[7] January 13, 1879
13 Solomon Lewis Withey W.D. Mich. February 26, 1863[Rn 1] March 11, 1863 March 11, 1863 April 25, 1886
14 Andrew Wylie D.D.C. March 18, 1863[Rn 2] January 20, 1864 March 18, 1863[8][7] May 1, 1885
15 John Curtiss Underwood E.D. Va./D. Va. January 5, 1864 January 25, 1864 March 27, 1863[9] December 7, 1873[3]
16 Edward Henry Durell E.D. La./D. La. January 5, 1864[Rn 3] February 17, 1864 May 20, 1863[10] December 4, 1874[11]
17 Mark W. Delahay D. Kan. December 14, 1863 March 15, 1864 October 6, 1863[12] December 12, 1873
18 Thomas Jefferson Boynton S.D. Fla. January 5, 1864 January 20, 1864 October 19, 1863[8] January 1, 1870
19 Richard Busteed M.D. Ala.
N.D. Ala.
S.D. Ala.
January 5, 1864 January 20, 1864 November 17, 1863[8] October 20, 1874
20 Albert Smith White D. Ind. January 14, 1864 January 18, 1864 January 18, 1864 September 4, 1864
21 Henry Clay Caldwell E.D. Ark.
W.D. Ark.
May 2, 1864 May 28, 1864 June 20, 1864 March 13, 1890
March 3, 1871[13]
22 David McDonald D. Ind. December 12, 1864 December 13, 1864 December 13, 1864 August 25, 1869
23 J. Russell Bullock D.R.I. February 9, 1865 February 11, 1865 February 11, 1865 September 15, 1869
24 Charles L. Benedict E.D.N.Y. March 6, 1865 March 9, 1865 March 9, 1865 January 1, 1897
25 Arnold Krekel W.D. Mo. March 6, 1865 March 9, 1865 March 9, 1865 June 9, 1888
26 Alexander W. Baldwin D. Nev. March 10, 1865 March 11, 1865 March 11, 1865 November 14, 1869
27 John Lowell D. Mass. March 11, 1865 March 11, 1865 March 11, 1865 January 9, 1879[14]

Specialty courts (Article I)

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United States Court of Claims

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# Judge Nomination
date
Confirmation
date
Began active
service
Ended active
service
1 Joseph Casey July 9, 1861 July 22, 1861 May 23, 1861[15] March 13, 1863[16]
1.1 Joseph Casey March 12, 1863 March 13, 1863 March 13, 1863[17] December 1, 1870
2 Ebenezer Peck March 6, 1863 March 10, 1863 March 10, 1863 May 1, 1878
3 David Wilmot March 6, 1863 March 7, 1863 March 7, 1863 March 16, 1868
4 Charles C. Nott February 21, 1865 February 22, 1865 February 22, 1865 November 23, 1896[18]

Notes

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Renominations
  1. ^ Renominated on March 10, 1863.
  2. ^ Originally nominated on March 10, 1863. Confirmed on March 12, 1863. Senate voted to reconsider nomination on March 13, 1863. Renominated on January 5, 1864.
  3. ^ Originally nominated on January 5, 1864. Nomination returned on February 3, 1864. Renominated on February 8, 1864.

References

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General
  • "Judges of the United States Courts". Biographical Directory of Federal Judges. Federal Judicial Center. Archived from the original on 2016-07-30. Retrieved 2009-04-03.
Specific
  1. ^ All information on the names, terms of service, and details of appointment of federal judges is derived from the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public-domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
  2. ^ Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 1, 1862, confirmed by the United States Senate on December 8, 1862, and received commission on December 8, 1862.
  3. ^ a b Early in the course of the American Civil War, the western portion of Virginia rejected Virginia's secession from the United States, and itself seceded from Virginia. This area largely coincided with the existing Western District of Virginia. The portion of Virginia remaining loyal to the Union became the state of West Virginia, which was admitted as a state on June 20, 1863. On June 11, 1864, by 13 Stat. 124, the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia became the United States District Court for the District of West Virginia, and those parts of the Western District that were not part of West Virginia were combined with what had previously been the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia to again form a single United States District Court for the District of Virginia. John Jay Jackson, who had been appointed to the Western District of Virginia, was reassigned by operation of law to the newly formed District of West Virginia. At the same time, John Curtiss Underwood, who had been appointed to the Eastern District of Virginia, was reassigned by operation of law to the newly formed District of Virginia. On February 3, 1871, the District of Virginia was again subdivided into Eastern and Western Districts, and Underwood was reassigned to the Eastern District, until his death. On July 1, 1901, the District of West Virginia was subdivided into the United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia and the United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia; Jackson was reassigned to the Northern District, until his retirement.
  4. ^ Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 9, 1861, confirmed by the United States Senate on January 22, 1862, and received commission on January 22, 1862.
  5. ^ Trigg was appointed to the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of Tennessee; after June 14, 1878, his service in the Western District was discontinued, though he served in the Eastern and Middle Districts until his death.
  6. ^ Appointed as Chief Justice of the court.
  7. ^ a b c Appointed as Associate Justice of the court.
  8. ^ a b c Recess appointment; formally nominated on January 5, 1864, confirmed by the United States Senate on January 20, 1864, and received commission on January 20, 1864.
  9. ^ Recess appointment; formally nominated on January 5, 1864, confirmed by the United States Senate on January 25, 1864, and received commission on January 25, 1864.
  10. ^ Recess appointment; formally nominated on February 8, 1864, confirmed by the United States Senate on February 17, 1864, and received commission on February 17, 1864.
  11. ^ On July 27, 1866, the two Districts of Louisiana then existing were reunited into a single United States District Court for the District of Louisiana by 14 Stat. 300, and Durell was reassigned to this court by operation of law.
  12. ^ Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 14, 1863, confirmed by the United States Senate on March 15, 1864, and received commission on March 15, 1864.
  13. ^ Caldwell was appointed to both the Eastern and Western Districts of Arkansas; after March 3, 1871, his service in the Western District was discontinued, though he served in the Eastern District until March 13, 1890, when he was elevated to the United States Circuit Court for the Eighth Circuit.
  14. ^ Elevated
  15. ^ Recess appointment; formally nominated on July 9, 1861, confirmed by the United States Senate on July 22, 1861, and received commission on July 22, 1861.
  16. ^ Laterally appointed as Chief Justice of the same court on March 13, 1863.
  17. ^ Laterally appointed as Chief Justice after previously serving as Judge of the same court.
  18. ^ Laterally appointed Chief Justice of the same court on November 23, 1896.

Sources

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