David Moffatt Furches (April 2, 1832 – June 7, 1908) was an American

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

and jurist who served as an associate justice (1895–1901) and chief justice (1901–1903) of the

North Carolina Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of North Carolina is the state of North Carolina's highest appellate court. Until the creation of the North Carolina Court of Appeals in the 1960s, it was the state's only appellate court. The Supreme Court consists ...

Biography

David M. Furches was born in

Davie County, North Carolina Davie County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 42,712. Its county seat is Mocksville. Davie County is included in the Winston-Salem, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is ...

in 1832. He read law under Chief Justice Richmond M. Pearson at the

Richmond Hill Law School Richmond Hill Law School is a historic home and law school building located near Richmond Hill, Yadkin County, North Carolina. It was built in 1848, and is a two-story, three bay, "T"-plan, brick building. It has a low hipped roof and deep ove ...

and served in the state constitutional convention in 1865, representing Davie County. Furches practiced law in Davie and later

Iredell County, North Carolina Iredell County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 186,693. Its county seat is Statesville, and its largest town is Mooresville. The county was formed in 1788, subtracted from R ...

and became a prominent member of the North Carolina Republican Party. In 1875, he was appointed a state superior court judge, a position he held until 1879. He lost two races for 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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

, one in 1872 and the other in 1880, and was his party's nominee for Governor of North Carolina in 1892, losing to Elias Carr. In 1894, Furches was elected to the state Supreme Court. In 1900 the justices, by a vote of four to one, declared unconstitutional important legislation enacted by the North Carolina General Assembly of 1899-1900, which was controlled by Democrats. When Chief Justice William T. Faircloth died in December 1900, fellow Republican Gov. Daniel L. Russell appointed Furches to the post. He married twice, to Eliza Bingham and Lula Corpening. He died at his home in Statesville on June 7, 1908.

Impeachment

On February 18, 1901, the North Carolina House of Representatives (again controlled by Democrats) impeached Furches and Associate Justice Robert M. Douglas (who was also a Republican). The charges involved an obscure case in which the justices ordered the

North Carolina State Treasurer The North Carolina State Treasurer is a statewide elected office in the U.S. state of North Carolina responsible for overseeing the financial operations of state government. The current state treasurer is Dale Folwell. The office of state treasur ...

to pay the salary of the state Shell Fish Inspector (a Republican), against the wishes of the General Assembly. A two-thirds majority was required to remove the justices, and none of the five

articles of impeachment Impeachment in the United States is the process by which a legislature may bring charges against an officeholder for misconduct alleged to have been committed with a penalty of removal. Impeachment may also occur at the state level if the sta ...

attracted even a majority of the

North Carolina Senate The North Carolina Senate is the upper chamber of the North Carolina General Assembly, which along with the North Carolina House of Representatives—the lower chamber—comprises the state legislature of North Carolina. The term of office for e ...

in his

impeachment trial An impeachment trial is a trial that functions as a component of an impeachment. Several governments utilize impeachment trials as a part of their processes for impeachment, but differ as to when in the impeachment process trials take place and how ...

. Yes-no votes on the five articles were 23-27, 24-26, 24-26, 25-25 and 16-34. Among the lawyers defending Furches in the impeachment proceedings was former Gov. Thomas J. Jarvis, a Democrat. Furches lost in his bid for election as chief justice in 1902. As of 1906, he was a member of the state Republican Party's executive committee.Republican Hand-Book, 1906
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References

by John H. Wheeler
North Carolina Manual of 1913

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Furches, David 1832 births 1908 deaths North Carolina Republicans North Carolina lawyers Chief Justices of the North Carolina Supreme Court U.S. state supreme court judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law 19th-century American judges United States judges impeached by state or territorial governments