James Helmick Beatty (May 8, 1836 – October 21, 1927) was a politician and jurist who served as

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the United States federal judiciary, U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each United States federal judicial district, federal judicial district, which each cover o ...

of the

United States District Court for the District of Idaho United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two fi ...

Education and career

Born in Lancaster,

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, Beatty received an

Artium Baccalaureus Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree from

Ohio Wesleyan University Ohio Wesleyan University (OWU) is a private liberal arts college in Delaware, Ohio. It was founded in 1842 by methodist leaders and Central Ohio residents as a nonsectarian institution, and is a member of the Ohio Five – a consortium ...

in 1858 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 ...

to enter the bar in 1862. He was superintendent of

Jackson Public Schools The Jackson Public School District (JPSD) or Jackson Public Schools (JPS) is a public school district serving the majority of Jackson, the state capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Mississippi. Established in 1888, it is the second l ...

in Jackson,

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

, from 1858 to 1861, and was in the

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during 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 th ...

, serving as

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a s ...

of the Fourth Iowa Battery from 1863 to 1865. Beatty married Mary J. Caldwell, of

Hamilton, Ohio Hamilton is a city in and the county seat of Butler County, Ohio, United States. Located north of Cincinnati, Hamilton is the second largest city in the Greater Cincinnati area and the 10th largest city in Ohio. The population was 63,399 at th ...

, on December 13, 1870. She would go on to be a suffragette, and, as president of the Boise Equal Suffrage Club, hosted the Idaho state suffrage convention at their residence in 1895. Following the war, Beatty was in private practice in

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

at Lexington from 1865 to 1872, also serving as a register in

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during that time. He was an

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, Utah Territory, from 1872 to 1882. Beatty returned to private practice in the

Idaho Territory The Territory of Idaho was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 3, 1863, until July 3, 1890, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as Idaho. History 1860s The territory w ...

from 1882 to 1889 at Hailey, and in 1886 was elected as a Republican to the Idaho Territorial Council, representing Alturas County. Beatty served as a delegate to the Idaho Constitutional Convention for Alturas County in 1889. On November 21, 1889, Beatty received a recess appointment from President Benjamin Harrison as Chief Justice of the Idaho Territorial Supreme Court. He was formally nominated by Harrison on December 16, 1889, and confirmed by the senate on January 16, 1890. Following Idaho's statehood, per the

Idaho Constitution Idaho ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Monta ...

, he remained in office until the state's supreme court justices were elected in October 1890.

Federal judicial service

Beatty was nominated to the United States District Court for the District of Idaho on February 10, 1891, but the United States Senate never voted on his nomination, which expired with the sine die adjournment of the Senate on March 3, 1891. Beatty received another recess appointment from President Harrison on March 7, 1891, to the

, to a new seat authorized by 26 Stat. 215. He was nominated to the same position by President Harrison on December 10, 1891. 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 4, 1892, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on March 1, 1907, due to his retirement.

Opposition

Beatty's appointment was originally held up by Idaho's two

United States Senators 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 power ...

William J. McConnell William John McConnell (September 18, 1839March 30, 1925) was the third governor of Idaho from 1893 until 1897. He had previously represented the new state as one of its first United States Senators; Idaho achieved statehood in July 1890. Early ...

and George L. Shoup, leading to the failure of his first nomination and a delay in confirmation on his second nomination, but ultimately they abandoned their efforts to stop his appointment.

Death

Beatty lived another twenty years and died at age 91, on October 21, 1927, in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

, California.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Beatty, James H. 1836 births 1927 deaths 19th-century American judges 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century American legislators Chief justices of the Idaho Territorial Supreme Court Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Idaho Members of the Idaho Territorial Council Ohio Wesleyan University alumni Politicians from Jackson, Mississippi People from Lancaster, Ohio People of Iowa in the American Civil War People of Ohio in the American Civil War Politicians from Salt Lake City United States federal judges appointed by Benjamin Harrison United States Army officers Missouri lawyers Lawyers from Salt Lake City Idaho lawyers United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law Assistant United States Attorneys Members of the Idaho Constitutional Convention 19th-century Idaho politicians