Melville C. Brown Frontier Lawyer and Jurist by Kim Viner

economy grew rapidly while Fuller served as chief justice. In 1899, Fuller arbitrated a boundary dispute between Venezuela and British Guyana. That international organization, comprising jurists from various countries, ruled on world disputes. Fuller was an energetic jurist who also served on the Permanent Court of Arbitration, at The Hague, Netherlands. At the end of his own legal career, Holmes ranked Fuller as the best chief justice under whom he had served. thought highly of Fuller's ability to maintain collegiality. Fuller 1996, 109).įuller's 22-year term as chief justice was distinguished by his skillful handling of often contentious Court conferences. Others were more unkind, dubbing him 'the fifth best lawyer from the City of Chicago' (review of The Chief Justiceship of Melville W. At the time, the press described Fuller as 'the most obscure man ever appointed Chief Justice' (Baker 1991, 360). Fuller and Cleveland were friends and political colleagues. President GROVER CLEVELAND, a Democrat who believed that it would be essential to win the state of Illinois as part of his re-election bid, nominated Fuller as chief justice to replace MORRISON R. Supreme Court many times.įuller's appointment to the Court in 1888 was driven by presidential politics and his long service to the Democratic Party. Fuller specialized in appellate practice, appearing before the U.S. His law practice thrived because of this family connection, and with his new wealth, he invested in real estate. He attended as a delegate every national Democratic convention between 18.įuller withdrew from day-to-day politics after he married Mary Ellen Coolbaugh, the daughter of a prominent Chicago banker, in 1866. An active member of the DEMOCRATIC PARTY, he served in the Illinois Constitutional Convention of 1861 and for one term (1862–64) in the state house of representatives. Fuller moved to Chicago in 1856 and established a law practice. Supreme Court to serve with significant academic legal preparation. Even though he did not receive a law degree, he was the first chief justice of the U.S. Following his graduation from Bowdoin College in 1853, he apprenticed in his uncles' law offices and briefly attended Harvard Law School. He grew up in the household of his maternal grandfather, the chief justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court. Fuller was born February 11, 1833, in Augusta, Maine.

Melville C. Brown Frontier Lawyer and Jurist by Kim Viner