Ogden Hoffman, Jr.
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Ogden Hoffman Jr. (October 16, 1822 – August 9, 1891) was a
United States district judge 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. Each district covers one U.S. state or a portion of a state. There is at least one feder ...
of the
United States District Court for the District of California 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 ...
, the
United States District Court for the Northern District of California The United States District Court for the Northern District of California (in case citations, N.D. Cal.) is the federal United States district court whose jurisdiction comprises the following counties of California: Alameda, Contra Costa, De ...
and the
United States District Court for the Southern District of California The United States District Court for the Southern District of California (in case citations, S.D. Cal.) is a federal court in the Ninth Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are ap ...
.


Early life

Hoffman was born in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
on October 16, 1822. He received an Artium Baccalaureus degree in 1840 from
Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
and a
Bachelor of Laws A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...
from
Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, Harvard Law School is the oldest law school in continuous operation in the United ...
in 1842. He entered private practice in New York City in 1842, and from 1844 to 1850. From 1842 to 1844, he studied in
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
, where he acquired a working knowledge of
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and several other languages. He continued private practice in
San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
,
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
, from 1850 to 1851.


Federal judicial service

Hoffman was nominated by President
Millard Fillmore Millard Fillmore (January 7, 1800 – March 8, 1874) was the 13th president of the United States, serving from 1850 to 1853. He was the last president to be a member of the Whig Party while in the White House, and the last to be neither a De ...
on February 1, 1851, to a new seat on the
United States District Court for the Northern District of California The United States District Court for the Northern District of California (in case citations, N.D. Cal.) is the federal United States district court whose jurisdiction comprises the following counties of California: Alameda, Contra Costa, De ...
authorized by 9 Stat. 521. He was confirmed by the
United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...
on February 27, 1851, and received his commission the same day. He was assigned by
operation of law The phrase "by operation of law" is a legal term that indicates that a right or liability has been created for a party, irrespective of the intent of that party, because it is dictated by existing legal principles. For example, if a person dies wi ...
to additional and concurrent service to a new seat on the
United States District Court for the Southern District of California The United States District Court for the Southern District of California (in case citations, S.D. Cal.) is a federal court in the Ninth Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are ap ...
on August 31, 1852, authorized by 10 Stat. 76. His service in the Southern District terminated on January 18, 1854. On July 27, 1866, Hoffman was reassigned by
operation of law The phrase "by operation of law" is a legal term that indicates that a right or liability has been created for a party, irrespective of the intent of that party, because it is dictated by existing legal principles. For example, if a person dies wi ...
to the
United States District Court for the District of California 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 ...
, confirmed by the U.S. Senate for a new seat authorized by 14 Stat. 300. Hoffman was reassigned by
operation of law The phrase "by operation of law" is a legal term that indicates that a right or liability has been created for a party, irrespective of the intent of that party, because it is dictated by existing legal principles. For example, if a person dies wi ...
to the
United States District Court for the Northern District of California The United States District Court for the Northern District of California (in case citations, N.D. Cal.) is the federal United States district court whose jurisdiction comprises the following counties of California: Alameda, Contra Costa, De ...
on August 5, 1886, to a new seat authorized by 24 Stat. 308. Hoffman's judicial service terminated on August 9, 1891, due to his death in San Francisco. He was succeeded by Judge William W. Morrow. At the time of his death, he was the last federal judge in active service to have been appointed by President Fillmore, and the longest-serving on the bench.


Death and burial

Hoffman died in San Francisco on August 9, 1891. He was interred at
Mount Tamalpais Cemetery Mount Tamalpais Cemetery is located in San Rafael, California. History The cemetery was founded by Dr. Henry A. Dubois, Jr. An ordinance had been passed in the 1870s that prohibited any burials within the towns limits. Dr DuBois attended a tow ...
in San Rafael, California.


Family

Hoffman was son of Ogden Hoffman and Emily (Burrall) Hoffman. He was the grandson of
Josiah Ogden Hoffman Josiah Ogden Hoffman (April 14, 1766 – January 24, 1837) was an American lawyer and politician. He was an esteemed friend of Alexander Hamilton and Washington Irving. Early life Josiah Ogden Hoffman was born on April 14, 1766, in Newark, New J ...
(1766–1837), the
New York Attorney General The attorney general of New York is the chief legal officer of the U.S. state of New York and head of the Department of Law of the state government. The office has existed in various forms since 1626, originally established under the Dutch c ...
from 1795 to 1802. Hoffman never married, and had no children.


See also

*
List of United States federal judges by longevity of service These are lists of Article III United States federal judges by longevity of service. Senate confirmation along with presidential appointment to an Article III court entails a lifelong appointment, unless the judge is impeached, resigns, retires, ...


References


Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hoffman, Ogden Jr. 1822 births 1891 deaths Columbia College (New York) alumni Judges of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California Judges of the United States District Court for the Southern District of California Judges of the United States District Court for the District of California United States federal judges appointed by Millard Fillmore 19th-century American judges Ogden Jr. Harvard Law School alumni 19th-century American politicians