Adolphus Frederic St. Sure
Encyclopedia
Adolphus Frederic St. Sure (March 9, 1869 – February 5, 1949) was an American
judge. He served as a United States District Judge for the United States District Court for the Northern District of California
for 22 years, until June 30, 1947, although he was eligible for retirement in 1939.
, he came to California with his parents when six months old. Judge A. F. St. Sure’s father, Franklin Adolph St. Sure, came to California with his wife Ellen Donohue St. Sure as a merchant late in 1869. Franklin was a Confederate veteran who settled his family in Oroville, California
, where he ran a shop as a druggist catering to the area gold dredging miners. Judge St. Sure’s uncle, Charles Washington St. Sure settled in Oroville as well. Judge St. Sure was thrown into the role as head of the family when his father died in a mysterious drowning. Family circumstances forced young A.F. St. Sure to quit school at 13 to help his mother support the family. His first job was as a printer's devil
at the Oroville Mercury. St. Sure moved to Alameda, California
in 1891. He later worked as a reporter at the San Francisco Examiner, and the San Francisco Chronicle
.
St. Sure entered politics by chance. He lived in Alameda and was nominated for Justice of the Peace
by some friends almost as a prank. He ran as a conservative Democrat in a Republican community and lost. Later when the recorder
of Alameda County
died, St. Sure was appointed to the post. He served in that position from 1893-1899. St. Sure did not have a high school education. Realizing a need to educate himself, he began to 'read' the law; in essence earning a self-taught
legal education. In 1895 he was admitted to the California Bar
.
Later, he was counsel for the Southern Pacific Railroad
in the East Bay. St. Sure joined the firm of Tirey L. Ford
in San Francisco. Following the 1906 San Francisco earthquake
he moved his practice to Oakland. Under the tutelage of prominent Bay Area Republican politician Joseph R. Knowland
, he eventually joined the Republican party.
. He was confirmed by the Senate, and received his commission on February 23, 1925. St. Sure assumed senior status on June 30, 1947.
Upholding the dignity of the court became an obsession with St. Sure, but at the same time, his sense of humor frequently broke loose.
Judge St. Sure insisted during his early days on the bench that women be permitted to sit on Federal juries, explaining he “had two years’ experience with women jurors when I was on the superior court bench in Alameda County and found them conscientious, independent, highly intelligent, and willing to serve”. The barrier banning women jurors in Federal Courts was lifted in 1939.
Cases
In 1939, Lettuce workers in Salinas, California
were blacklisted by employers for their union activities. Attorneys provided by the ILWU brought action and St. Sure, in the first instance of its kind, issued an injunction holding blacklisting to be illegal.
St. Sure was the Federal Judge who signed the order giving the United States Navy
title to Treasure Island, California
after it formally served notice of its unilateral 'declaration' taking ownership on April 17, 1942.
On September 8, 1942, the case of Fred Korematsu, a United States citizen of Japanese ancestry who had evaded authorities to avoid 'Japanese internment
', was heard before Judge A. F. St. Sure in San Francisco. Korematsu's conviction was eventually appealed to the United States Supreme Court and on December 18, 1944, the Court issued its landmark Korematsu v. United States
decision.
Twenty years later, after letting it be known he had no intention of retiring on his full $10,000-a-year salary, Judge St. Sure had the distinction at the time of having served longer than any other Federal Judge in Northern California.
.
He was survived by his wife, the former Ida Laura Pettes, whom he married in Alameda in 1897, and two sons, J. Paul St. Sure, an Oakland Attorney and President of the Pacific Maritime Association
. His son, William P. St. Sure, a Public Relations
Consultant, predeceased him. Judge and Mrs. St. Sure had resided at 492 Straten Avenue in Oakland.
Judge St. Sure was also survived by a brother, Dr. Franklin Augustus St. Sure (born April 25, 1874, at Oroville, California, died June 22, 1948, at Hamakuapoko, Maui) a physician.
.
He adopted the name 'St. Cyr', later anglicized to 'St. Sure'. This is in possible reference to Laurent, Marquis de Gouvion Saint-Cyr
(1764–1830), Marshal of France, whom he admired or perhaps claimed lineage from. His also gave his sons middle names of other famous generals (e.g. Washington
, Bolivar
), Lindsfelt came to America as an early settler of the Pine Lake Settlement known as 'Nya Upsala
' (New Upsala), in Wisconsin, founded by Gustaf Unonius
. Lindsfelt later studied at Rush Medical College
in Chicago and became a medical doctor and a Civil War surgeon in the Union’s 15th Wisconsin Volunteer Regiment
. He was a purveyor of his own patent medicine
. His first of three wives came to America with him; Elisabet Concordia C. von Krassow was the daughter of cavalry captain Carl Vilhelm von Krassow, and Baroness Gustava Eleonora Leijonsköld, and was a member of a noble family originally from Pomerania
and Mecklenburg
. They were married on May 25, 1835 at Nya Skottorp in Skummeslova, Sweden.
The Von Krassow family is listed at numbers 157 and 315 of the Baronial families (Friherrliga ätter) on a List of Swedish noble families. Another list has the name listed under untitled noble family (Adliga Ätten). The Leijonsköld's are listed at number 53.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
judge. He served as a United States District Judge for the United States District Court for the Northern District of California
United States District Court for the Northern District of California
The United States District Court for the Northern District of California is the federal United States district court whose jurisdiction comprises following counties of California: Alameda, Contra Costa, Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Monterey, Napa, San Benito, San Francisco, San...
for 22 years, until June 30, 1947, although he was eligible for retirement in 1939.
History
Born in Sheboygan, WisconsinSheboygan, Wisconsin
-Airport:Sheboygan is served by the Sheboygan County Memorial Airport, which is located several miles from the city.-Roads:Interstate 43 is the primary north-south transportation route into Sheboygan, and forms the west boundary of the city. U.S...
, he came to California with his parents when six months old. Judge A. F. St. Sure’s father, Franklin Adolph St. Sure, came to California with his wife Ellen Donohue St. Sure as a merchant late in 1869. Franklin was a Confederate veteran who settled his family in Oroville, California
Oroville, California
Oroville is the county seat of Butte County, California. The population was 15,506 at the 2010 census, up from 13,004 at the 2000 census...
, where he ran a shop as a druggist catering to the area gold dredging miners. Judge St. Sure’s uncle, Charles Washington St. Sure settled in Oroville as well. Judge St. Sure was thrown into the role as head of the family when his father died in a mysterious drowning. Family circumstances forced young A.F. St. Sure to quit school at 13 to help his mother support the family. His first job was as a printer's devil
Printer's devil
A printer's devil was an apprentice in a printing establishment who performed a number of tasks, such as mixing tubs of ink and fetching type...
at the Oroville Mercury. St. Sure moved to Alameda, California
Alameda, California
Alameda is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. It is located on Alameda Island and Bay Farm Island, and is adjacent to Oakland in the San Francisco Bay. The Bay Farm Island portion of the city is adjacent to the Oakland International Airport. At the 2010 census, the city had a...
in 1891. He later worked as a reporter at the San Francisco Examiner, and the San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
.
St. Sure entered politics by chance. He lived in Alameda and was nominated for Justice of the Peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
by some friends almost as a prank. He ran as a conservative Democrat in a Republican community and lost. Later when the recorder
Recorder of deeds
Recorder of deeds is a government office tasked with maintaining public records and documents, especially records relating to real estate ownership that provide persons other than the owner of a property with real rights over that property.-Background:...
of Alameda County
Alameda County, California
Alameda County is a county in the U.S. state of California. It occupies most of the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 1,510,271, making it the 7th most populous county in the state...
died, St. Sure was appointed to the post. He served in that position from 1893-1899. St. Sure did not have a high school education. Realizing a need to educate himself, he began to 'read' the law; in essence earning a self-taught
Autodidacticism
Autodidacticism is self-education or self-directed learning. In a sense, autodidacticism is "learning on your own" or "by yourself", and an autodidact is a person who teaches him or herself something. The term has its roots in the Ancient Greek words αὐτός and διδακτικός...
legal education. In 1895 he was admitted to the California Bar
State Bar of California
The State Bar of California is California's official bar association. It is responsible for managing the admission of lawyers to the practice of law, investigating complaints of professional misconduct, and prescribing appropriate discipline...
.
Later, he was counsel for the Southern Pacific Railroad
Southern Pacific Railroad
The Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually simply called the Southern Pacific or Espee, was an American railroad....
in the East Bay. St. Sure joined the firm of Tirey L. Ford
Tirey L. Ford
Tirey Lafayette Ford was a successful San Francisco attorney, and Attorney-General of California .-Early life:...
in San Francisco. Following the 1906 San Francisco earthquake
1906 San Francisco earthquake
The San Francisco earthquake of 1906 was a major earthquake that struck San Francisco, California, and the coast of Northern California at 5:12 a.m. on Wednesday, April 18, 1906. The most widely accepted estimate for the magnitude of the earthquake is a moment magnitude of 7.9; however, other...
he moved his practice to Oakland. Under the tutelage of prominent Bay Area Republican politician Joseph R. Knowland
Joseph R. Knowland
Joseph Russell Knowland was an American politician and newspaper publisher. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from California and was owner, editor and publisher of the Oakland Tribune. He was the father of United States Senator William F...
, he eventually joined the Republican party.
Judiciary
In 1915, St. Sure was named Alameda City Attorney and developed the community's first City Manager Charter. He held this post until 1918 when he was elected to a six-year term as a Judge of the Superior Court of Alameda County. He resigned the superior court post on his appointment by Governor William D. Stephens as an Associate Justice of the California Courts of Appeal, for the First District on January 4, 1923. Then, two years later he was appointed to the Federal bench by President Calvin CoolidgeCalvin Coolidge
John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the 30th President of the United States . A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state...
. He was confirmed by the Senate, and received his commission on February 23, 1925. St. Sure assumed senior status on June 30, 1947.
Upholding the dignity of the court became an obsession with St. Sure, but at the same time, his sense of humor frequently broke loose.
Judge St. Sure insisted during his early days on the bench that women be permitted to sit on Federal juries, explaining he “had two years’ experience with women jurors when I was on the superior court bench in Alameda County and found them conscientious, independent, highly intelligent, and willing to serve”. The barrier banning women jurors in Federal Courts was lifted in 1939.
Cases
In 1939, Lettuce workers in Salinas, California
Salinas, California
Salinas is the county seat and the largest municipality of Monterey County, California. Salinas is located east-southeast of the mouth of the Salinas River, at an elevation of about 52 feet above sea level. The population was 150,441 at the 2010 census...
were blacklisted by employers for their union activities. Attorneys provided by the ILWU brought action and St. Sure, in the first instance of its kind, issued an injunction holding blacklisting to be illegal.
St. Sure was the Federal Judge who signed the order giving the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
title to Treasure Island, California
Treasure Island, California
Treasure Island is an artificial island in the San Francisco Bay between San Francisco and Oakland, and an emerging neighborhood of San Francisco....
after it formally served notice of its unilateral 'declaration' taking ownership on April 17, 1942.
On September 8, 1942, the case of Fred Korematsu, a United States citizen of Japanese ancestry who had evaded authorities to avoid 'Japanese internment
Japanese internment
Japanese internment is a term generally used to refer to one or both of the following events:*Japanese American internment, the internment of Japanese Americans in the United States during World War II...
', was heard before Judge A. F. St. Sure in San Francisco. Korematsu's conviction was eventually appealed to the United States Supreme Court and on December 18, 1944, the Court issued its landmark Korematsu v. United States
Korematsu v. United States
Korematsu v. United States, 323 U.S. 214 , was a landmark United States Supreme Court case concerning the constitutionality of Executive Order 9066, which ordered Japanese Americans into internment camps during World War II....
decision.
Twenty years later, after letting it be known he had no intention of retiring on his full $10,000-a-year salary, Judge St. Sure had the distinction at the time of having served longer than any other Federal Judge in Northern California.
Close
Judge St. Sure died February 5, 1949 and is buried at Mountain View Cemetery at Piedmont Avenue in Oakland, CaliforniaOakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
.
He was survived by his wife, the former Ida Laura Pettes, whom he married in Alameda in 1897, and two sons, J. Paul St. Sure, an Oakland Attorney and President of the Pacific Maritime Association
Pacific Maritime Association
The Pacific Maritime Association represents shipping companies and terminal operators. In a 2002 dispute with a longshoremen's union, 10,500 dockworkers were locked out because of an alleged slowdown. The president and C.E.O. of the Pacific maritime association is Jim McKenna....
. His son, William P. St. Sure, a Public Relations
Public relations
Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
Consultant, predeceased him. Judge and Mrs. St. Sure had resided at 492 Straten Avenue in Oakland.
Judge St. Sure was also survived by a brother, Dr. Franklin Augustus St. Sure (born April 25, 1874, at Oroville, California, died June 22, 1948, at Hamakuapoko, Maui) a physician.
Family background
Judge St. Sure was the grandson of Adolph Fredrik St. Sure Von Lindsfelt, MD, sometimes spelled "Adolf" "Frederik" "Saint Sure" and "Lindsfeldt" in various sources, who was born May 8, 1806, died May 19, 1887, and who himself led a storied life. He was a former Swedish Army Officer and Chamberlain to the Court of King Charles XIV John (Karl XIV Johan) who had fled Sweden to avoid the judgment of a bankruptcy Court. As a young man, he was apparently in the French Army during the Napoleonic WarsNapoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
.
He adopted the name 'St. Cyr', later anglicized to 'St. Sure'. This is in possible reference to Laurent, Marquis de Gouvion Saint-Cyr
Laurent, marquis de Gouvion Saint-Cyr
Laurent de Gouvion Saint-Cyr, 1st Marquis of Gouvion-Saint-Cyr was a French commander in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars who rose to Marshal of France and Marquis...
(1764–1830), Marshal of France, whom he admired or perhaps claimed lineage from. His also gave his sons middle names of other famous generals (e.g. Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
, Bolivar
Simón Bolívar
Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios Ponte y Yeiter, commonly known as Simón Bolívar was a Venezuelan military and political leader...
), Lindsfelt came to America as an early settler of the Pine Lake Settlement known as 'Nya Upsala
Nya Upsala
New Upsala also referred to as the Pine Lake Settlement, was an early pioneer Swedish-American community in Wisconsin. New Upsala was a short-lived settlement of Swedish immigrants founded by Gustaf Unonius...
' (New Upsala), in Wisconsin, founded by Gustaf Unonius
Gustaf Unonius
Gustaf Elias Marius Unonius also referred to as Gustav Unonius, Gustave Unonius, Gustavus Unonius, or Gustov Unonius was a pioneer and priest in the American Midwest...
. Lindsfelt later studied at Rush Medical College
Rush Medical College
Rush Medical College is the medical school of Rush University, a private university in Chicago, Illinois. Rush Medical College was one of the first medical colleges in the state of Illinois and was chartered in 1837, two days before the city of Chicago was chartered, and opened with 22 students on...
in Chicago and became a medical doctor and a Civil War surgeon in the Union’s 15th Wisconsin Volunteer Regiment
15th Wisconsin Volunteer Regiment
The 15th Regiment Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, more popularly known as the "Scandinavian Regiment", was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:...
. He was a purveyor of his own patent medicine
Patent medicine
Patent medicine refers to medical compounds of questionable effectiveness sold under a variety of names and labels. The term "patent medicine" is somewhat of a misnomer because, in most cases, although many of the products were trademarked, they were never patented...
. His first of three wives came to America with him; Elisabet Concordia C. von Krassow was the daughter of cavalry captain Carl Vilhelm von Krassow, and Baroness Gustava Eleonora Leijonsköld, and was a member of a noble family originally from Pomerania
Pomerania
Pomerania is a historical region on the south shore of the Baltic Sea. Divided between Germany and Poland, it stretches roughly from the Recknitz River near Stralsund in the West, via the Oder River delta near Szczecin, to the mouth of the Vistula River near Gdańsk in the East...
and Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern...
. They were married on May 25, 1835 at Nya Skottorp in Skummeslova, Sweden.
The Von Krassow family is listed at numbers 157 and 315 of the Baronial families (Friherrliga ätter) on a List of Swedish noble families. Another list has the name listed under untitled noble family (Adliga Ätten). The Leijonsköld's are listed at number 53.
External links
- Montie Derby's St. Sure genealogy website
- Guide to the St. Sure Family Papers at The Bancroft Library