Ferdinand N. Shurtleff (April 4, 1837 – April 6, 1903) was a Member of the

Board of General Appraisers The United States Court of International Trade (case citations: Int'l Trade or Intl. Trade) is a U.S. federal court that adjudicates civil actions arising out of U.S. customs and international trade laws. Seated in New York City, it exercises ...

Education and career

Shurtleff was born April 4, 1837, in Hartland, New York. He entered private practice in

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

. He served as commissary for the Grande Ronde Indian Reservation in Oregon from 1864 to 1869. He served as deputy collector of customs and customs collector in Portland from 1870 to 1880. He served as Superior Officer for the collector of customs in Portland from 1880 to 1890.

Federal judicial service

Shurtleff was nominated by President

Benjamin Harrison Benjamin Harrison (August 20, 1833March 13, 1901) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 23rd president of the United States from 1889 to 1893. He was a member of the Harrison family of Virginia–a grandson of the ninth pr ...

on July 17, 1890, to the

, to a new seat created by 26 Stat. 131. 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 July 18, 1890, and received his commission on July 22, 1890. His service terminated on May 12, 1899, due to his removal from office by President

William McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until his assassination in 1901. As a politician he led a realignment that made his Republican Party largely dominant in ...

. He was succeeded on the board by

Israel F. Fischer Israel Frederick Fischer (August 17, 1858 – March 16, 1940) was a United States representative from New York, a judge and Presiding Judge of the United States Customs Court and a member and President of the Board of General Appraisers. Educ ...

Circumstances of his removal from office

In early 1899, Shurtleff received a request from the Treasury Department to resign from the Board, but declined to do so. It is believed partisan political pressure was behind the request. On May 3, 1899, President McKinley wrote Shurtleff, informing him that he was being removed from office, effective upon the appointment and qualification of his successor, which occurred on May 12, 1899. McKinley gave no cause for Shurtleff's removal and Shurtleff was not given the opportunity to defend himself before a commission. Shurtleff challenged his dismissal as unlawful in the Court of Claims which ruled against him, upon which he appealed to the

United States 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 ...

. In the case ''Shurtleff vs. United States'' the Supreme Court ruled that barring a specific prohibition in the statute creating an office, the President of the United States may remove any officer without cause, thus denying Shurtleff's petition.

Death

Shurtleff died on April 6, 1903, in Portland, Oregon, ironically on the very day on which ''Shurtleff vs. United States'' was decided by the Supreme Court.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Shurtleff, Ferdinand N. 1837 births 1903 deaths People from Hartland, New York Members of the Board of General Appraisers Lawyers from Portland, Oregon Oregon lawyers United States Article I federal judges appointed by Benjamin Harrison 19th-century American judges