Seth Shepard (April 23, 1847 – December 3, 1917) was an Associate Justice and Chief Justice of the Court of Appeals of the District of Columbia.

Education and career

Born in

Brenham, Texas Brenham ( ) is a city in east-central Texas in Washington County, United States, with a population of 17,369 according to the 2020 U.S. census. It is the county seat of Washington County. Washington County is known as the "Birthplace of Texas, ...

, Shepard was a private in 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 ...

from 1864 to 1865. 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 ...

from Washington College (now Washington and Lee University School of Law) in 1868 and entered private practice in Brenham. He was a member of the Texas Senate from 1874 to 1875, thereafter returning to private practice in Galveston, Texas until 1886, and then in

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

, Texas from 1886 to 1893.

Federal judicial service

Shepard was nominated by President

Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in American ...

on April 14, 1893, to the Court of Appeals of the District of Columbia (now the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit), to a new Associate Justice seat authorized by 27 Stat. 434. 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 April 15, 1893, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on January 19, 1905, due to his elevation to be Chief Justice of the same court. Shepard was nominated by 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 December 16, 1904, to the Chief Justice seat on the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia (now the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit) vacated by Chief Justice

Richard H. Alvey Richard Henry Alvey (March 26, 1826 – September 14, 1906), frequently known as R. H. Alvey, was an American jurist who served as chief judge of the supreme court of the State of Maryland, the Maryland Court of Appeals and subsequently served as ...

. He was confirmed by the Senate on January 5, 1905, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on September 30, 1917, due to his retirement.

Other service

Concurrent with his federal judicial service, Shepard was a lecturer in 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 ...

from 1895 to 1910.

Death

Shepard died on December 3, 1917, aged 70, 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, ...

References

Sources

* \ {{DEFAULTSORT:Shepard, Seth 1847 births 1917 deaths Texas state senators Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit United States federal judges appointed by Grover Cleveland 19th-century American judges United States court of appeals judges appointed by Theodore Roosevelt 20th-century American judges Confederate States Army soldiers 19th-century American politicians Washington and Lee University School of Law alumni Texas lawyers Lawyers from Galveston, Texas Lawyers from Dallas