Edward Henry Durell (July 14, 1810 – March 29, 1887) was the 25th Mayor of

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

and a

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of the

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and the

United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana (in case citations, E.D. La.) is a United States federal court based in New Orleans. Appeals from the Eastern District of Louisiana are taken to the United States Court of Ap ...

Education and career

Born on July 14, 1810, in the Governor Wentworth House in

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

,Metcalf, Henry H. "Hon. Edward Henry Durell." The Granite Monthly New Hampshire Magazine: Devoted to Literature, History, and State Progress. 1888: 117–129. Print. Durell attended

Phillips Exeter Academy (not for oneself) la, Finis Origine Pendet (The End Depends Upon the Beginning) gr, Χάριτι Θεοῦ (By the Grace of God) , location = 20 Main Street , city = Exeter, New Hampshire , zipcode ...

, then graduated from

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in 1831, and

read law Reading law was the method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship under the ...

in 1834. He was fluent in

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and

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."District Judge Edward Henry Durell." LAED US Courts. United States District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana, n.d. Web. 4 April 2013. He entered private practice in Pittsburg,

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and

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

from 1835 to 1854. He was a member of the New Orleans City Council in 1854. He resumed private practice in New Orleans. He was President of the Bureau of Finance in New Orleans from 1862 to 1863. He was the 25th Mayor of New Orleans in 1863. Durell was a member of the Republican Party.

Federal judicial service

Durell was nominated by President Lincoln to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana on January 5, 1864. The Senate returned the nomination to the President on February 3, 1864. Durell received a

recess appointment In the United States, a recess appointment is an appointment by the president of a federal official when the U.S. Senate is in recess. Under the U.S. Constitution's Appointments Clause, the President is empowered to nominate, and with the advi ...

from President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

on May 20, 1863, to a seat on the

vacated by Judge

Theodore Howard McCaleb Theodore Howard McCaleb (February 10, 1810 – April 29, 1864) was a United States federal judge, United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Louisiana, the United States District Court for the Eastern Di ...

. He was nominated to the same position by President Lincoln on February 8, 1864. He was confirmed by the

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on February 17, 1864, and received his commission the same day. Durell was reassigned by

operation of law The phrase "by operation of law" is a legal term that indicates that a right or liability has been created for a party, irrespective of the intent of that party, because it is dictated by existing legal principles. For example, if a person dies wi ...

to the

on July 27, 1866, to a new seat authorized by 14 Stat. 300. His service terminated on December 4, 1874, due to his resignation.

Circumstances of his resignation

Durell resigned after the

United States House Committee on the Judiciary The U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary, also called the House Judiciary Committee, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is charged with overseeing the administration of justice within the federal courts, a ...

voted to recommend to the full

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that he be impeached for misconduct. Durell had been accused of irregularities in bankruptcy proceedings, corruption and drunkenness.

Later career and death

Following his resignation from the federal bench, Durell returned to private practice in Newburgh and Schoharie,

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from 1875 to 1877. He died on March 29, 1887, in Schoharie. He was interred in Pine Hill Cemetery in

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, New Hampshire. He attempted to write a history of the South which was never completed.

Personal

After moving to New York, Durell married a widow, Mary Seitz Gebhart.

Books

In 1845, Durell's book, ''New Orleans as I Found It'', was published under the pen name H. Didimus. The book deals with Durell's experience when arriving at New Orleans and how things are different from other places in the United States. Published in 1867, Durell participated in the formation of ''Rules, Orders and Regulations in Bankruptcy : Adopted by the Hon. Edward H. Durell, Judge of the District Court of the United States, for the District of Louisiana, July 15, 1867.'' This book consists of 24 adopted rules that deal with bankruptcy.Durell, Edward H, United States. Rules, orders and regulations in bankruptcy : adopted by the Hon. Edward H. Durell, Judge of the District Court of the United States, for the District of Louisiana, July 15, 1867. New Orleans: The Republican. 1867. Web.

References

Sources

External links

*
Edward H. Durell Papers
a
New-York Historical Society Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Durell, Edward Henry 1810 births 1887 deaths Mayors of New Orleans Harvard College alumni Judges of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Louisiana United States federal judges appointed by Abraham Lincoln 19th-century American judges Politicians from Portsmouth, New Hampshire Phillips Exeter Academy alumni New Orleans City Council members Louisiana lawyers 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century American politicians United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law Louisiana politicians convicted of crimes