Edward Henry Durell
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Edward Henry Durell (July 14, 1810 – March 29, 1887) was the 25th mayor of
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,
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and a
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of the
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and the
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.


Education and career

Born on July 14, 1810, in the Governor Wentworth House in
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...
,
New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...
,Metcalf, Henry H. "Hon. Edward Henry Durell." The Granite Monthly New Hampshire Magazine: Devoted to Literature, History, and State Progress. 1888: 117–129. Print. Durell attended
Phillips Exeter Academy Phillips Exeter Academy (often called Exeter or PEA) is an Independent school, independent, co-educational, college-preparatory school in Exeter, New Hampshire. Established in 1781, it is America's sixth-oldest boarding school and educates an es ...
, then graduated from
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in 1831, and
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in 1834. He was fluent in
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, French and
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."District Judge Edward Henry Durell." LAED US Courts. United States District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana, n.d. Web. 4 April 2013. He entered private practice in
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,
Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...
and
New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
,
Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...
from 1835 to 1854. He was a member of the New Orleans City Council in 1854. He resumed private practice in New Orleans. He was President of the Bureau of Finance in New Orleans from 1862 to 1863. He was the 25th Mayor of New Orleans in 1863. Durell was a member of the Republican Party.


Federal judicial service

Durell was nominated by President Lincoln to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana on January 5, 1864. The Senate returned the nomination to the President on February 3, 1864. Durell received a
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from President
Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...
on May 20, 1863, to a seat on the
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana (in case citations, E.D. La.) is a United States federal court based in New Orleans. Appeals from the Eastern District of Louisiana are taken to the United States Court of A ...
vacated by Judge Theodore Howard McCaleb. He was nominated to the same position by President Lincoln on February 8, 1864. He was confirmed by the
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on February 17, 1864, and received his commission the same day. Durell was reassigned by
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to the
United States District Court for the District of Louisiana The following are former United States district courts, which ceased to exist because they were subdivided into smaller units. With the exception of California, each of these courts initially covered an entire U.S. state, and was subdivided as the ...
on July 27, 1866, to a new seat authorized by 14 Stat. 300. His service terminated on December 4, 1874, due to his resignation.


Circumstances of his resignation

Durell resigned after the
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voted to recommend to the full
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that he be impeached for misconduct. Durell had been accused of irregularities in bankruptcy proceedings, corruption and drunkenness.


Later career and death

Following his resignation from the federal bench, Durell returned to private practice in Newburgh and Schoharie,
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from 1875 to 1877. He died on March 29, 1887, in Schoharie. He was interred in Pine Hill Cemetery in
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, New Hampshire. He attempted to write a history of the South which was never completed.


Personal

After moving to New York, Durell married a widow, Mary Seitz Gebhart.


Books

In 1845, Durell's book, ''New Orleans as I Found It'', was published under the pen name H. Didimus. The book deals with Durell's experience when arriving at New Orleans and how things are different from other places in the United States. Published in 1867, Durell participated in the formation of ''Rules, Orders and Regulations in Bankruptcy : Adopted by the Hon. Edward H. Durell, Judge of the District Court of the United States, for the District of Louisiana, July 15, 1867.'' This book consists of 24 adopted rules that deal with bankruptcy.Durell, Edward H, United States. Rules, orders and regulations in bankruptcy : adopted by the Hon. Edward H. Durell, Judge of the District Court of the United States, for the District of Louisiana, July 15, 1867. New Orleans: The Republican. 1867. Web.


References


Sources

*


External links

*
Edward H. Durell Papers
a
New-York Historical Society Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Durell, Edward Henry 1810 births 1887 deaths 19th-century mayors of places in Louisiana Mayors of New Orleans Harvard College alumni Judges of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Louisiana United States federal judges appointed by Abraham Lincoln Politicians from Portsmouth, New Hampshire Phillips Exeter Academy alumni New Orleans City Council members Louisiana lawyers 19th-century American lawyers United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law Louisiana politicians convicted of crimes