Emory Speer (September 3, 1848 – December 13, 1918) was a

United States representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

and a

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district, which each cover one U.S. state or, in some cases, a portion of a state. Each district cou ...

of the

United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia The United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia (in case citations, S.D. Ga.) is a federal court in the Eleventh Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appea ...

Education and career

Born on September 3, 1848, in Culloden, Monroe County,

, Speer received an Artium Baccalaureus degree in classical studies in 1869 from the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

and read law. He entered the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

in 1864 at the age of sixteen as a volunteer in the Fifth Kentucky Regiment, Lewis brigade, and remained with that command throughout the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

. He was admitted to the bar and entered private practice in

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

, Georgia from 1869 to 1883. He was Solicitor General for the State of Georgia from 1873 to 1876.

Congressional service

Speer was an unsuccessful candidate for election to the

45th United States Congress The 45th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1877, ...

to fill the unexpired term of

United States Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

Benjamin Harvey Hill Benjamin Harvey Hill (September 14, 1823 – August 16, 1882) was a politician whose career spanned state and national politics, and the Civil War. He served in the Georgia legislature in both houses. Although he had opposed secession, he st ...

. He was elected as an

Independent Democrat In U.S. politics, an independent Democrat is an individual who loosely identifies with the ideals of the Democratic Party but chooses not to be a formal member of the party (chooses to be an independent) or is denied the Democratic nomination ...

from

Georgia's 9th congressional district Georgia's 9th congressional district is a congressional district in the north of the U.S. state of Georgia. The district is represented by Republican Andrew Clyde, who succeeded fellow Republican Doug Collins. The district is mostly rural an ...

to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

of the 46th and 47th United States Congresses, serving from March 4, 1879, to March 3, 1883. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1882.

Later career

Following his departure from Congress, Speer resumed private practice in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, Georgia from 1883 to 1885. He was the

United States Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal ...

for the Northern District of Georgia from 1883 to 1885.

Federal judge and law dean

Speer was nominated by President

Chester A. Arthur Chester Alan Arthur (October 5, 1829 – November 18, 1886) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 21st president of the United States from 1881 to 1885. He previously served as the 20th vice president under President James ...

on January 19, 1885, to a seat on the

vacated by Judge John Erskine. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

on February 18, 1885, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on December 13, 1918, due to his death in Macon, Georgia. He was the last federal judge in active service to have been appointed by President Arthur. He was interred in Riverside Cemetery in Macon. During his tenure, Judge Speer heard civil rights cases, and became unpopular in the white community for holding that federal law permitted protection of African Americans. During his federal judicial service, Speer also served as dean of Mercer University Law School in Macon from 1893 to 1918.

Publications

*''Removal of Causes from State to United States Courts'', 1888. *''Lectures on the Constitution of the United States before the law class of Mercer University'', J.W. Burke Co., 1897. *''Lincoln, Lee, Grant, and other biographical addresses'', 1909.

References

Sources

* *
''History of the University of Georgia'', Thomas Walter Reed, Imprint: Athens, Georgia : University of Georgia, ca. 1949 pp.878-882
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Speer, Emory 1848 births 1918 deaths University of Georgia alumni Georgia (U.S. state) lawyers Georgia (U.S. state) state court judges Confederate States Army soldiers People of Georgia (U.S. state) in the American Civil War Members of the United States House of Representatives from Georgia (U.S. state) United States Attorneys for the Northern District of Georgia Judges of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia United States federal judges appointed by Chester A. Arthur 19th-century American judges Mercer University faculty Deans of law schools in the United States Georgia (U.S. state) Democrats Georgia (U.S. state) Independents Independent Democrat members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century American politicians United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law