James Harry Covington (May 3, 1870 – February 4, 1942) 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

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

and Chief Justice of the

Supreme Court of the District of Columbia The United States District Court for the District of Columbia (in case citations, D.D.C.) is a federal district court in the District of Columbia. It also occasionally handles (jointly with the United States District Court for the District of ...

. He founded the major

law firm A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients (individuals or corporations) about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to r ...

Covington & Burling Covington & Burling LLP is an American multinational law firm. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the firm advises clients on transactional, litigation, regulatory, and public policy matters. In 2021, Vault.com ranked Covington & Burling as th ...

Education and career

Born on May 3, 1870, in Easton, Talbot County,

, Covington received academic training in the public schools of Talbot County and the Maryland Military Academy at

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

. He received a

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

in 1894 from the

University of Pennsylvania Law School The University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School (also known as Penn Law or Penn Carey Law) is the law school of the University of Pennsylvania, a private research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is among the most selective and olde ...

. He entered private practice in Easton starting in 1894. He was an unsuccessful Democratic nominee for the

Maryland Senate The Maryland Senate, sometimes referred to as the Maryland State Senate, is the upper house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. Composed of 47 senators elected from an equal number of constituent single- ...

in 1901. He was state's attorney for Talbot County from 1903 to 1908.

Congressional service

Covington was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

from

Maryland's 1st congressional district Maryland's 1st congressional district encompasses the entire Eastern Shore of Maryland, including Salisbury, Maryland, Salisbury, as well as parts of Baltimore County, Maryland, Baltimore, Harford County, Maryland, Harford, and Carroll County, M ...

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 house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

of the 61st, 62nd and

63rd United States Congress The 63rd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1913, to ...

es and served from March 4, 1909, until his resignation on September 30, 1914, to accept a judicial position.

Federal judicial service

Covington was nominated by President

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...

on June 8, 1914, to the Chief Justice seat on the

(now the

United States District Court for the District of Columbia The United States District Court for the District of Columbia (in case citations, D.D.C.) is a federal district court in the District of Columbia. It also occasionally handles (jointly with the United States District Court for the District of ...

) vacated by Chief Justice Harry M. Clabaugh. 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 June 15, 1914, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on May 31, 1918, due to his resignation.

Special investigation

Covington was well regarded by President Wilson, who in 1917 gave him charge of an investigation of the radical

trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

the

Industrial Workers of the World The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), members of which are commonly termed "Wobblies", is an international labor union that was founded in Chicago in 1905. The origin of the nickname "Wobblies" is uncertain. IWW ideology combines genera ...

(IWW)."Government Suppresses 'Reds' in Many Cities: Headquarters of Socialists and Other Organizations Preaching Sedition Raided Simultaneously," ''Los Angeles Times,'' Sept. 6, 1917, pg. 1. The investigation lasted several weeks and preceded coordinated mass raids by the

United States Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United State ...

against the IWW on September 5, 1917.

Later career and death

Covington returned to private practice in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

from 1918 to 1942. He was a Professor of Law for

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

from 1914 to 1919. He was a member of the Railway Wage Commission in 1918. He died on February 4, 1942, in Washington, D.C. He was interred in Spring Hill Cemetery in Easton.

Covington & Burling

Covington and

Edward B. Burling Edward Burnham Burling (February 1, 1870 – September 3, 1966) was a prominent American lawyer and the named partner of the Washington, D.C.-based law firm of Covington & Burling. Biography He grew up in Eldora, Iowa, and worked in a grocery ...

established the

on January 1, 1919.Fletcher Hall
"Eastern Shore Footnote: The Seeds of Law Firm Giant Covington Burling,"
''Chestertown Spy,'' Dec. 19, 2012. Nine decades later Covington & Burling remained the oldest law firm in Washington, D.C., maintaining a staff of more than 1,000 attorneys and operating regional offices in New York, Los Angeles, Palo Alto, and San Francisco as well as international offices in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

, Germany, South Africa and Dubai.

Other service

Covington served as Worthy Grand Master on the Supreme Executive Committee of the

Kappa Sigma Kappa Sigma (), commonly known as Kappa Sig, is an American collegiate social fraternity founded at the University of Virginia in 1869. Kappa Sigma is one of the five largest international fraternities with currently 318 active chapters and colo ...

fraternity from 1892 to 1894.

References

Sources

* *

External links

*
James Harry Covington- Fraternal Bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Covington, James Harry 1870 births 1942 deaths District of Columbia judges Georgetown University Law Center faculty Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia People from Easton, Maryland United States district court judges appointed by Woodrow Wilson 20th-century American judges University of Pennsylvania Law School alumni Railway Wage Commission Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Maryland People associated with Covington & Burling