The Politics of the Appointment of Justice Edward Terry Sanford

89 Pages·2016·1.21 MB·English

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Masters Theses Graduate School
8-1990
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AAppppooiinnttmmeenntt ooff JJuussttiiccee EEddwwaarrdd TTeerrrryy SSaannffoorrdd
John H. A. Maguire
University of Tennessee - Knoxville
Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes
Part of the History Commons
RReeccoommmmeennddeedd CCiittaattiioonn
Maguire, John H. A., "The Supreme Court Justice from Knoxville: The Politics of the Appointment of
Justice Edward Terry Sanford. " Master's Thesis, University of Tennessee, 1990.
https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes/2069
This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at TRACE: Tennessee Research and
Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses by an authorized administrator of TRACE:
Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected].
To the Graduate Council:
I am submitting herewith a thesis written by John H. A. Maguire entitled "The Supreme Court
Justice from Knoxville: The Politics of the Appointment of Justice Edward Terry Sanford." I have
examined the final electronic copy of this thesis for form and content and recommend that it be
accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts, with a major
in History.
W. Bruce Wheeler, Major Professor
We have read this thesis and recommend its acceptance:
Milton M. Klein, Otis H. Stephens
Accepted for the Council:
Carolyn R. Hodges
Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School
(Original signatures are on file with official student records.)
To theG raduaCtoeu ncil:
I am submitthienrge wiat thh eswirsi ttbeynJ ohnH .A .M aguireen tit"lTehde S upreme
CourtJ ustifrcoem KnoxvilThlee :P olitoifct sh eA ppointmenotfJ ustiEcdew ardT erry
SanfordI.r "e commentdh aittbe acceptienpd art ial fulfillomfte hnetr equiremfeonrtt hse
degreoef M asteorf Arts , witha majoirn H istory.
W. BruceW heeleMra,j orP rofessor
We haver eadt hitsh esainsd
recommenidt asc ceptance:
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Acceptfeodr t heC ouncil:
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THE SUPREMEC OURTJ USTICFER OM KNOXVILLE:
THE POLITICOSF THE APPOINTMENOTF
JUSTICEED WARDT ERRYS ANFORD
A Thesis
Presenftoerdt he
Masteorf A rts
Degree
TheU niversoiftT ye nnessKeneo,x ville
JohnH .A .M aguire
Augus1t99 0
ii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Whilteh ea uthoarss umetsh er esponsifboirla intydy e ficientchiametas y e xist
int hiwso rka, p roducotf t hiksi nids o nlmya dep ossitbhlreo utghhe c ontributioofn s
otheirn dividuDarl.Ws i:l liaBmr uce Wheetlheedr i,r ectoofrt het hesifso,rh is
immeasuraabdlvei caen da ssistaDnrc.Me i;l toMn. Klefionrh, i sg uidanDcre.;O tis
H. Stephefnosrh isw illingtnoei smsp arth ise normouksn owledogfet hew orkinogf
theS upremCeo uratn dt hes electpiroocne sosf S upremCeo urjtu sticLeiss;aL .
Williafmosr,h erg uidantcher outghhe A rchivoefst heU niversoiftT ye nnessaened
painstakpirnogo rfe adionfg s everdraaflts ; andA nn Lacavaf,o rh ers ignificant
encourageamnednh te lp.
111
ABSTRACT
Thearti clesw rittoennJ ustiEcdew ardT erry Sanfoarrde l imitiensd cope and
contain sienvaecrcaulr aWchiielsh.ei se arly life choavse rbetedhe,en rh ea sn otb een
a greadte aolf attepnatiitdoo nt hep olitiocfsh isa ppointmteotn hte S upremCeo urt.
Ith asb eent hep urpoosfet hisst udtyop reseannta nalyosfit sh ec ircumstances
surrounditnhgea ppointmoefnE td warTde rrSya nfotrodt heU niteSdt atSeusp reme
Courwti tahn e xaminatoifto hne r olpel ayebdy S anforfdo'rsm elra wp artnJearm,e s
A.F owleirn,i nfluentchiein ngd ividcuhaalrsg weidt mha kintgh ea ppointment.
Accorditnocg r itesrpieal loeudtb yB laustaenidnM erskyS,a nfowrads t ypical
oft hej ustiwcheosh aveb eena ppointtoet dh eS upremCeo urtT.h em ajoritoyft he
justicwehso h aveg aineadd mittatnotc hei esx altpeods itifoinat p articulmaorl dT.h ey
havef,o rt hem ostp artc,o mefr om familoifeas bo vea verafignea ncimaela nsw,h o
haveb eeni nvolviendp olitoircp su blisce rvicaen dw hosee conomciicr cumstances
havep rovidceudl tuarnadle ducatiaodnvaaln taagveasi latbolm ei ddlaen du ppecrl ass
individuals.
Court
Mosto ft hem emberosf t he havec omef romre ligiownist "hh ighs"o cial
statPurse-s-byteErpiiasnc,o pCaoln,gre gationaaln,dU nitariWahni.l teh eC onstitution
does notp rescrainbyep articeudluacra ticorniatle ar nioam inemeu stm eett og ain
appointmteont th eC ourta,l la ppointheaevse b y custobme enl awyersA.l most
seventy-pfievrcee notf thea ppointweeesr ee ducatiend b etteirn stitutions--with
lV
HarvardY,a lea ndC olumbbieai ntgh osmeo stf requenretplrye sentehda-v-reoe rc eived
theilre gatrla initnhgr ourgeh adinlagw u ndefirr st-rlaatwey earnsd ju dges.
Sanfortdh,ep roducto fa ne conomicaadlvlayn taegnevdi ronmeednutc,a taetd
Harvarda,n E piscopalainadn ,e xtremealcyti vien c ommuniatfyf aifirtst ,h em olodf
thes uccessful scuopurertam pep ointTheee .p ointto b ec onsideirendt hisst udiys
whyS anfowrads s elecotveedor t heerq ualclayp abclaen didates.
v
TABLE OCFO NTENTS
INTRODUCTION 1
CHAPTERI 7
KNOXVILLET IES 7
KnoxvilEllei te 8
A NewG eneration 11
CHAPTERI I 16
THE EARLYY EARS 16
FamilHyi story 16
Education 19
CHAPTERI II 24
LEGAL CAREER 24
AdmittteoBd ar 24
AttorneaytL aw 26
PolitAicctailv ities 31
CommuniSteyr vice 32
CHAPTERI V 36
PUBLICC AREERT O 1923 36
SpeciParlo secutor 36
AssistAatntto rneGye neral 38
U.S .D istriJcutd ge 40
Politoifct sh eA ppointment 41
Procesosf A ppointment 42
Recorda Daiss triCcotu rJtu dge 46
Summaroyf D istriCcotu rPte rformance 48
CHAPTERV 53
SANFORD'SA PPOINTMENTT O THE SUPREMEC OURT 53
Tafatn dH arding 54
TheA ppointmPernocte ss 60
TheK noxviClolnen ection 63
Summaroyf S upremeC ourPte rformance 68
CONCLUSION 72
BffiLIOGRAPHY 75
VITA 81
1
INTRODUCTION
Amidc hargoefsp artispaonl itiRcosb,e rtH .B orkw asd eniecdo nfirmabtiyo n
theS enatfeo ra ppointmetnott h eS upremCeo uritn 1 897T.h ef ailuoreft hinso minee
tob ec onfirmebdyt heS enatweh,i lietc ausead c onsidersatbiilrnet hen atiopnr'ess s,
wasn otu niqueA.tt het imoef B ork'fsai luret ob en ominatteotd h eS upremCeo urt,
twenty-eiogrha tp,p roximaotneeol uyt o fe veryfi ven omineehsa,db eenr ejecotre d
otherwifsaei lteodt akteh eisre atosn theC ourtP.a rtispaonl ithiacvser esulitne d
severcallo se caSlelnsa tvieon t efso rc onfmnatioInn .1 88f1o,re xamplSet,a nley
Matthewwsa sc onfmnedb y a 24-2v3ot eN;a thaCnl iffowrodn c onfmnatiboyn a
margionf 2 6-2in31 85a8n;dL uciuQs. C.L amarw asc onfmnedb ya clos3e2 -28
votien 1 888.1
Thiss tudeyx amintehse p olitoifct sh ea ppointmoefno tn eS upremCeo urt
justicEed,w arTd. S anforadn,dh owh ew asa ppointtoet dh eS upremCeo urtP.o litics,
accordtionA gl pheuTs.M asonh,a sa lwaypsl ayeadni ntegpraarlit n S upremCeo urt
appointmenRtesg.a rdiWnigl liaHmo ward Tafta nd hisi nfluencoen these
appointmenMtass,o nh ass aid:" AsC hieJfu stichee m erelcyo nfmnedt heS upreme
Courtf orw hati tw asa nda lwayhsa db een-p-oal itiicanls tit"u2ti on.
1TheS upremeC ourta ndI tsW ork( WashingDt.oCn.,,C ongressiQounaratle rly Inc.,
1891,)p .1 15.
2AlpheTu.sM asonW,i lliaHmo wardT aftC:h ieJfu sti(cNee,w Y orkS:i mona nd
Schust1e9r,6 5p).7 ,6 .
2
Witht hea pproaocfht hef al1l29 2t ermo ft heS upremeC ourti,ta ppeared
possibtlheast e vervaalc ancies ocwcouurl.Od l iveWre ndelHlo lmewsa se ighty-one
andre coverifrnogm surgerJyo,s epMhc Kennaw as showinsgi gnosf mental
deteriorMaathiloonPn,i tnehya ds ufferae sdtr okaen di tw asn otl ikehleyw oulbde
ablteo r esume his duties.3 JuDsatyiw caes n eWgioltliiaaftmoi ranR gp. o sitiionn
govemmenatn4d J ustiJcoeh nH . Clarke, antabgyoJ nuiszteiMdcc eR eynolrdest,i red
unexpect.se dly
Thiss ituatidoins turCbheide Jfu stiTcaef wth ow asw orrieadb oustt artitnhge
newt erm oft heC ourwti thoau tf ulclo mplemeonfta bljeu sticTeasf.nt o tetdh at
Pitnweya sa bseanntd w as" nolti ketloyr eturnp ermanentHloyl,m"e hsa d" combea ck
ina weakenecdo nditaifotnes ru rgerayn"dT afdti dnk'nto wh owl ongh e[ Holmes]
woul"df eesltr onegn ougtho c ontien".u Tafwta sh avinag d iffitciumlietn ducitnhge
3f'reLd. I srae"Mla,h loPni tney,T"hieJn u sticoefst heU niteSdt atSeusp remCeo urt,
187919-69I,II p,.2 009T;a ftto R illeSse,p temb9e,1r 92T2a;f tto D augherAtuyg,u st
211,29 2;T afPta perMsi.c rofilimnt heU niversoiftT ye nnessLeieb rar(yh,e reafter
citeadsT afPta pers).
4JustDiacye hadb eeni lmlo sto ft hep revioutse rm.H e retirefrdo m theC ourt
Novembe1r3 1,9 22an,d a cceptaend a ppointmetnots ervoen theM ixedC laims
Commissiwohni chw ass etu p tos ettcllea imrse mainifrnogm WorldW arI . The
SupremCeo uratn dI tWso rkp,p .1 65-57.
5ln retpoPl rye sidWeinlts oni'nsq uicroyn cernitnhger easofnosr rheitsi remCelnatr,k e
saiidn p art":M cReynoldassy, o uk nowi,s t hem ostr eactiojnuadryg oen t heC ourt.
Therwee rem anyo thetrh isn wghichha dbe ttenro tbe setd owni nb lacakn dw hite
whichm adet hes ituatitoo nm e deploraabnldeh arassitnogs ucha degreteh aIt
thougmhyts elnfo tc alloendt os acrificweh ato fh ealanthd strengtIh m ayh avel eft
ina futisltreu ggalgea inisntc reasodidnsg. SometimeIs s houlldi kteo t elylo uo fi t
allI.t w asi ns omer espeacstd si sillusiao cnhianpgta esrW ashingtcoonu ladf ford­
-Iam sureI needn ots aym oret hatnh itso o new hoh ass uffereidnt hep asats y ou
haveL.e"t tfreorm Clartko W oodrow WilsoSne,p temb9e,1r 292c,i teidnM asonp,p .
1561-76.