Bernard Shandon Rodey (March 1, 1856 – March 10, 1927) was an Irish-born American politician who was a Delegate from the New Mexico Territory and later a federal judge in

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...

.United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico-Bernard Shandon Rodey (1856-1927)
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Early life

Rodey was born in County Mayo,

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. He emigrated with his parents in 1862 to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, and was educated in

Sherbrooke Sherbrooke ( ; ) is a city in southern Quebec, Canada. It is at the confluence of the Saint-François and Magog rivers in the heart of the Estrie administrative region. Sherbrooke is also the name of a territory equivalent to a regional cou ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

. After leaving Canada, he went to

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

where he studied law at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

. Rodey moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1881 where he became employed as a private secretary for the

Atlantic and Pacific Railroad The Atlantic and Pacific Railroad was a U.S. railroad that owned or operated two disjointed segments, one connecting St. Louis, Missouri with Tulsa, Oklahoma, and the other connecting Albuquerque, New Mexico with Needles in Southern Californi ...

Company. He left the railroad to practice law and was admitted to the bar in 1883. Active in politics from a young age, Bernard was elected to the territorial senate representing

Bernalillo County Bernalillo County () is the most populous county in the U.S. state of New Mexico.Bernalillo ...

in 1889. He introduced legislation to create the

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; es, Universidad de Nuevo México) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 1889, it is the state's flagship academic institution and the largest by enrollment, with over 25,400 ...

. The bill detailed the acquisition of funds and land for the institution, locating its construction in New Albuquerque. Passage of the bill on February 28, 1889 earned Rodey the title "Father of the University" and Rodey Hall was named in his honor.

Congressional seat

In 1900 Rodey 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 ...

to the

U.S. 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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

as a Delegate from the New Mexico Territory. During his two terms in office, he was best known for his unrelenting fight to gain statehood not only for

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ke ...

, but

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

and Oklahoma as well. He fought against a consortium of Eastern senators led by

Albert J. Beveridge Albert Jeremiah Beveridge (October 6, 1862 – April 27, 1927) was an American historian and US senator from Indiana. He was an intellectual leader of the Progressive Era and a biographer of Chief Justice John Marshall and President Abraham Linco ...

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

that was threatened by the admission of Western territories as states. Rodey was defeated in a primary fight against

William Henry Andrews William Henry "Bull" Andrews (January 14, 1846 – January 16, 1919) was an American politician who served as a Republican representative in the Pennsylvania General Assembly and as a delegate from the New Mexico Territory. Andrews was born ...

in 1904.

Judicial tenure

After his terms in Congress, 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 ...

appointed Rodey as federal judge for the

United States District Court The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district, which each cover one U.S. state or, in some cases, a portion of a state. Each district co ...

for

in 1906. Rodey's tenure on the bench was controversial and he became involved in the political dispute that culminated in adoption of the

Olmsted Amendment The Olmsted Amendment was a modification to the Foraker Act of 1900, and became law on July 16, 1909. The law was designed to modify several perceived weaknesses in Puerto Rico's government at the request of President William Howard Taft and Govern ...

and led some prominent Puerto Rican attorneys to unsuccessfully advocate for the abolition of the federal court in Puerto Rico or severely limit its jurisdiction. Rodey left the bench in 1910 and was succeeded by John J. Jenkins. At the 1908 Republican National Convention, Rodey was one of several Republicans who convinced Taft to promise statehood for New Mexico and Arizona in his election campaign. Rodey was appointed by President

William Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) was the 27th president of the United States (1909–1913) and the tenth chief justice of the United States (1921–1930), the only person to have held both offices. Taft was elected pr ...

as a federal government attorney in the

Territory of Alaska The Territory of Alaska or Alaska Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States from August 24, 1912, until Alaska was granted statehood on January 3, 1959. The territory was previously Russian America, 1784–1867; the ...

, and then helped investigate a coal scandal in Alaska in 1913. He returned to Albuquerque to found the law firm of Rodey and Rodey, which ultimately grew into the present-day firm of Rodey, Dickason, Sloan, Akin & Robb.

Private life

Although President

Warren Harding Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) was the 29th president of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death in 1923. A member of the Republican Party, he was one of the most popular sitting U.S. presidents. A ...

attempted to persuade Rodey back into politics, he never sought another public office. He died in Albuquerque in 1927 at the age of 71.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rodey, Bernard Shandon 1856 births 1927 deaths Politicians from Albuquerque, New Mexico Harvard University alumni Members of the New Mexico Territorial Legislature Delegates to the United States House of Representatives from New Mexico Territory Irish emigrants to the United States (before 1923) Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico United States Article I federal judges appointed by Theodore Roosevelt 20th-century American judges New Mexico Republicans Republican Party (Puerto Rico) politicians