Martin Augustine Knapp (November 6, 1843 – February 10, 1923) was a United States circuit judge of the United States Commerce Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, the United States Circuit Courts for the Second Circuit and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

Education and career

Martin Augustine Knapp, William Lee Chambers, and George W

Born in

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, Knapp received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wesleyan University in 1868 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 1869. He entered private practice in

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, New York in 1870, and was counsel for the municipal corporation of Syracuse 1877 to 1883. In 1891, he was appointed to the

Interstate Commerce Commission The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) was a regulatory agency in the United States created by the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887. The agency's original purpose was to regulate railroads (and later trucking) to ensure fair rates, to eliminat ...

by President Benjamin Harrison, reappointed in 1897 by President Grover Cleveland, and again reappointed in 1902 by President Theodore Roosevelt, becoming Chairman of the Commission from 1898, where he served until 1910. Under the Erdman Act as ''

ex officio An ''ex officio'' member is a member of a body (notably a board, committee, council) who is part of it by virtue of holding another office. The term '' ex officio'' is Latin, meaning literally 'from the office', and the sense intended is 'by right ...

'' mediator, he assisted in the work of settlement of numerous disputes between the public and the railroads.

Federal judicial service

Knapp was nominated by President William Howard Taft on December 12, 1910, to the United States Commerce Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and the United States Circuit Courts for the Second Circuit, to a new joint seat authorized by 36 Stat. 539. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on December 20, 1910, and received his commission the same day. On December 31, 1911, the Circuit Courts were abolished and he thereafter served on the Commerce Court and Court of Appeals. On December 13, 1913, the Commerce Court was abolished and he thereafter served only on the Court of Appeals. Knapp was reassigned by operation of law to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit on January 1, 1916, to a new seat authorized by 36 Stat. 539. His service terminated on February 10, 1923, due to his death in Washington, D.C.

Other service and memberships

Knapp was appointed a mediator for two years from March 4, 1911, becoming member of the Board of Mediation and Conciliation under the Newlands Act in 1913, by appointment of President Woodrow Wilson. He was a member of several societies, including the

American Academy of Political and Social Science The American Academy of Political and Social Science (AAPSS) was founded in 1889 to promote progress in the social sciences. Sparked by Professor Edmund J. James and drawing from members of the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania, Swarthmo ...

, the

American Economic Association The American Economic Association (AEA) is a learned society in the field of economics. It publishes several peer-reviewed journals acknowledged in business and academia. There are some 23,000 members. History and Constitution The AEA was esta ...

American Political Science Association The American Political Science Association (APSA) is a professional association of political science students and scholars in the United States. Founded in 1903 in the Tilton Memorial Library (now Tilton Hall) of Tulane University in New Orleans, ...

, and the

National Geographical Society The National Geographic Society (NGS), headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational organizations in the world. Founded in 1888, its interests include geography, archaeology, and ...

References

Sources

External links

Men of Mark in America
Biography , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Knapp, Martin Augustine 1843 births 1923 deaths Judges of the United States Commerce Court Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit People of the Interstate Commerce Commission United States court of appeals judges appointed by William Howard Taft 20th-century American judges Wesleyan University alumni United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law