Louis Emory McComas (October 28, 1846 – November 10, 1907) was an American attorney, politician, and jurist who served as a member of both branches of the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

and as an associate 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 ...

Early life and education

Born on October 28, 1846, in

Washington County, Maryland Washington County is located in the western part of the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 census, the population was 154,705. Its county seat is Hagerstown. Washington County was the first county in the United States to be named for the ...

near Hagerstown, McComas attended St. James College (now St. James School) in Maryland, then graduated from

Dickinson College , mottoeng = Freedom is made safe through character and learning , established = , type = Private liberal arts college , endowment = $645.5 million (2022) , president = J ...

Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from xcb, Caer Luel) is a city that lies within the Northern England, Northern English county of Cumbria, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, Scottish border at the confluence of the rivers River Eden, Cumbria, Eden, River C ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

in 1866 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 1868. He was admitted to the bar and entered private practice in Hagerstown from 1868 to 1892.

Career

Congressional service

McComas was an unsuccessful Republican candidate for election in 1876 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, ...

. He was elected as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

from

Maryland's 6th congressional district Maryland's 6th congressional district elects a representative to the United States House of Representatives from the northwest part of the state. The district comprises all of Garrett County, Maryland, Garrett, Allegany County, Maryland, Allegany ...

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

48th United States Congress The 48th 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, 1883, ...

and to the three succeeding Congresses, serving from March 4, 1883 to March 3, 1891. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1890 to the

52nd United States Congress The 52nd 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, 1891, ...

. He was the secretary of the

Republican National Committee The Republican National Committee (RNC) is a U.S. political committee that assists the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican brand and political platform, as well as assisting in fu ...

in 1892.

Private practice

During the period after his departure from the United States House of Representatives until his federal judicial appointment, McComas resumed private practice in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, Maryland. He also was a professor of international law at

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 ...

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, ...

Supreme Court of the District of Columbia service

McComas 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

Benjamin Harrison Benjamin Harrison (August 20, 1833March 13, 1901) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 23rd president of the United States from 1889 to 1893. He was a member of the Harrison family of Virginia–a grandson of the ninth pr ...

on November 17, 1892, to an Associate 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 Associate Justice Martin V. Montgomery. He was nominated to the same position by President Harrison on December 6, 1892. 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 January 25, 1893, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on March 3, 1899, due to his resignation.

Senate service

McComas was elected as a Republican to the

from Maryland and served from March 4, 1899, until March 3, 1905. He was Chairman of the Committee on Organization, Conduct, and Expenditures of Executive Departments for the

56th United States Congress The 56th 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, 1899, ...

and Chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor for the 57th and

58th United States Congress The 58th 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, DC, from March 4, 1903, to ...

es.

Court of Appeals of the District of Columbia service

McComas received a

from President

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

on June 26, 1905, to an Associate Justice seat on the Court of Appeals of the District of Columbia (now the

United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (in case citations, D.C. Cir.) is one of the thirteen United States Courts of Appeals. It has the smallest geographical jurisdiction of any of the U.S. federal appellate cou ...

) vacated by Associate Justice Martin Ferdinand Morris. He was nominated to the same position by President Roosevelt on December 5, 1905. He was confirmed by the

on December 6, 1905, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on November 10, 1907, due to his death in Washington, D.C. He was interred in Rose Hill Cemetery in Hagerstown.

Personal life

McComas's granddaughter, Katharine Byron, and great-grandson,

Goodloe Byron Goodloe Edgar Byron (June 22, 1929 – October 11, 1978), a Democrat, was a U.S. Congressman who represented the 6th congressional district of Maryland from January 3, 1971, until his death from a heart attack on October 11, 1978. He was ...

, also represented Maryland in the United States House of Representatives, both from the same seat held by McComas.

References

Sources

* *

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:McComas, Louis E. 1846 births 1907 deaths People from Washington County, Maryland Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Maryland Republican Party United States senators from Maryland 19th-century American politicians Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia United States court of appeals judges appointed by Theodore Roosevelt United States federal judges appointed by Benjamin Harrison 19th-century American judges 20th-century American judges Georgetown University faculty Burials at Rose Hill Cemetery (Hagerstown, Maryland)