Warner Walton Cope (January 31, 1824 – January 17, 1903), also known as W. W. Cope, was the sixth

Chief Justice of California The Supreme Court of California is the highest and final court of appeals in the courts of the U.S. state of California. It is headquartered in San Francisco at the Earl Warren Building, but it regularly holds sessions in Los Angeles and Sacra ...

Biography

Born in

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

, Cope came to California in 1850 and tried mining, but found little success. In 1853 he resumed work as an attorney, first in

El Dorado County El Dorado County (), officially the County of El Dorado, is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 191,185. The county seat is Placerville. The County is part of the Sacramento- Roseville-A ...

and the next year in

Jackson Jackson may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jackson (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Q ...

Amador County Amador County () is a county located in the U.S. state of California, in the Sierra Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,474. The county seat is Jackson. Amador County, located within California's Gold Country, is known as "The ...

. In October 1858, he was elected to the

California State Assembly The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature, the upper house being the California State Senate. The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The A ...

from Amador as a Democrat. In June 1859 he was nominated by

Alvinza Hayward Alvinza Hayward (1821 – February 14, 1904) was an American mine-owner, capitalist, businessman, and financier. He was a well-known gold mining millionaire who made his fortune in during the California Gold Rush. He lived in the San Francisco Bay ...

, also of Amador County, to be the candidate of the Democratic Lecompton Party for associate justice of the

Supreme Court of California The Supreme Court of California is the highest and final court of appeals in the courts of the U.S. state of California. It is headquartered in San Francisco at the Earl Warren Building, but it regularly holds sessions in Los Angeles and Sacra ...

. In September 1859, he was elected, but before his term was to begin he was appointed by Governor

John B. Weller John B. Weller (February 22, 1812August 17, 1875) was the fifth governor of California from January 8, 1858 to January 9, 1860 who earlier had served as a congressman from Ohio and a U.S. senator from California, and minister to Mexico. Lif ...

to fill a vacancy on the court starting September 20, 1859, when

David S. Terry David Smith Terry (March 8, 1823 – August 14, 1889) was an American politician and jurist who served as the fourth chief justice of the Supreme Court of California; he was an author of the state's 1879 Constitution. Terry won a duel aga ...

resigned to fight a duel.The Bay of San Francisco: The Metropolis of the Pacific Coast, and Its Suburban Cities. A History
Lewis Publishing Co., 1892. Google Books. Retrieved July 8, 2017 (Stating term start date of September 15, 1859). He became Chief Justice on March 11, 1863, filling the vacancy after

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

appointed

Stephen J. Field Stephen Johnson Field (November 4, 1816 – April 9, 1899) was an American jurist. He was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court from May 20, 1863, to December 1, 1897, the second longest tenure of any justice. Prior to this ap ...

to the

U.S. Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

. Cope himself left the court at the end of that year when a constitutional amendment required new judicial elections. In 1877, Cope was a judge on the Fourth District Court. In 1880, he was a delegate to the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

state convention. In 1883, Cope became the

California Reporter of Decisions The California Reporter of Decisions is a reporter of decisions supervised by the Supreme Court of California responsible for editing and publishing the published opinions of the judiciary of California. The Supreme Court's decisions are published ...

, and in March 1885 was appointed to a four-year term as commissioner of the Supreme Court. After leaving the court, Cope returned to private practice until about 1893, when he retired to

Contra Costa County ) of the San Francisco Bay , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1 = State , subdivision_name1 = California , subdivision_type2 ...

, where he raised nuts and fruit. He died in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

on January 17, 1903.

Bar activities

From 1880 to 1885, Cope was president of the San Francisco Bar Association.

Personal life

On April 19, 1845, Cope married Martha Ann Neal in

Shelby County, Kentucky Shelby County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 48,065. Its county seat is Shelbyville. The county was founded in 1792 and named for Isaac Shelby, the first Governor of Kentucky. Shelb ...

. He traveled to California in 1850, and his wife followed in 1856. They had three sons and three daughters. One of his sons, Walter B. Cope, was a Santa Barbara County Superior Court judge and a prominent California lawyer in the firm of Morrison, Cope & Brobeck."Judge W. B. Cope Called by Death, Former Superior Judge of Santa Barbara County and Well-Known Lawyer Dies"
''San Francisco Call'' 107(6), 6 December 1909. p. 3. California Historical Newspaper Collection. Retrieved July 8, 2017. Like his father, Walter also served as president of the San Francisco Bar Association, from 1906 to 1909.BASF Past Presidents
Retrieved July 8, 2017.

References

External links

*
In Memoriam W. W. Cope
140 Cal. Rpts. 714 (1904). California Supreme Court Historical Society. Retrieved July 18, 2017.

California State Courts. Retrieved July 19, 2017.

Biography

Bar activities

Personal life

References

External links

See also