William L. Maginnis
Encyclopedia
William Lyman Maginnis was Chief Justice
of the Supreme Court of Wyoming Territory from November 8, 1886 to October 1, 1889.
, he attended schools in Zanesville, Ohio
, and St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania
. He was admitted to the bar in the State of Ohio in January 1881 and practiced law in Ohio for the next five years with the exception of nine months spent working on a newspaper in Gunnison, Colorado, from May 1881 to March 1882. On October 16, 1884, he married Letie Abbot of Zanesville; they would have ten children.
, was appointed Chief Justice of Wyoming by President Grover Cleveland
in October 1886. During his term as Chief Justice, Maginnis took part in decisions involving land, water, cattle, railroads, and other issues reflecting Wyoming’s economy. His criticism of the powerful Wyoming Stock Growers Association
and his position in a case threatening cattlemen-politicians Francis E. Warren
and Joseph M. Carey
(United States v. Douglas-Willan Sartoris Company, 3 Wyo. 287; 22 P. 92) made him a somewhat controversial figure.
Like other territories, Wyoming had three supreme court justices, who also served as district court judges, the latter function taking most of their time. Maginnis’s district was the eastern third of Wyoming, including Cheyenne (Laramie County). The trial court work included divorce, robbery, murder, rustling, and other criminal and civil cases. In one such case, in Sundance (Crook County), on August 5, 1887, Maginnis sentenced to 18 months in prison a young horse thief, Harry Longabaugh
, who later became famous as “the Sundance Kid.”
in November 1888. During the next several months there were extensive discussions and representations in Wyoming and Washington, D.C., about a possible successor to Maginnis. Shortly after taking office in March 1889, Harrison began removing territorial governors, secretaries, and judges appointed by his Democratic predecessor.
In June 1889, the new U.S. Attorney General sent an examiner, James W. Nightingale, to review several territorial offices, including that of Clerk of the First District Court in Cheyenne. This position was occupied by Luke Murrin, former Civil War officer, first mayor of Cheyenne, saloon keeper, and prominent Democrat, who had been appointed by Maginnis. Nightingale found several administrative and financial failings in Murrin’s work and implicated Maginnis. Nightingale’s lengthy report reached Attorney General William H. H. Miller on August 27, 1889. The following day, Miller wrote to Harrison recommending Maginnis’s removal. On August 30, Harrison approved the removal, and on August 31 he appointed a new chief justice, Willis Van Devanter
, a Cheyenne attorney and close associate of the newly appointed Republican Governor Warren and Republican Congressional Delegate Carey. Van Devanter went on to become an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.
Maginnis left office on October 1, 1889, and on the same day moved with his family to Ogden, Utah, where he engaged in private law practice and also served as Assistant U.S. Attorney for Utah, appointed in 1893 by the newly re-elected President Cleveland. Maginnis died in Ogden on October 26, 1910.
Chief Justice
The Chief Justice in many countries is the name for the presiding member of a Supreme Court in Commonwealth or other countries with an Anglo-Saxon justice system based on English common law, such as the Supreme Court of Canada, the Constitutional Court of South Africa, the Court of Final Appeal of...
of the Supreme Court of Wyoming Territory from November 8, 1886 to October 1, 1889.
Early life and career
Born in Somerset, OhioSomerset, Ohio
Somerset is a village in Perry County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,549 at the 2000 census.Saint Joseph Church, the oldest Catholic church in Ohio, is located just outside of Somerset on State Route 383.-Geography:...
, he attended schools in Zanesville, Ohio
Zanesville, Ohio
Zanesville is a city in and the county seat of Muskingum County, Ohio, United States. The population was 25,586 at the 2000 census.Zanesville was named after Ebenezer Zane, who had constructed Zane's Trace, a pioneer road through present-day Ohio...
, and St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania
Latrobe, Pennsylvania
Latrobe is a city in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania in the United States, approximately southeast of Pittsburgh.The city population was 7,634 as of the 2000 census . It is located near the Pennsylvania's scenic Chestnut Ridge. Latrobe was incorporated as a borough in 1854, and as a city in 1999...
. He was admitted to the bar in the State of Ohio in January 1881 and practiced law in Ohio for the next five years with the exception of nine months spent working on a newspaper in Gunnison, Colorado, from May 1881 to March 1882. On October 16, 1884, he married Letie Abbot of Zanesville; they would have ten children.
Territorial judicial service
Maginnis, who was active in the Democratic PartyDemocratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, was appointed Chief Justice of Wyoming by President Grover Cleveland
Grover Cleveland
Stephen Grover Cleveland was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States. Cleveland is the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms and therefore is the only individual to be counted twice in the numbering of the presidents...
in October 1886. During his term as Chief Justice, Maginnis took part in decisions involving land, water, cattle, railroads, and other issues reflecting Wyoming’s economy. His criticism of the powerful Wyoming Stock Growers Association
Wyoming Stock Growers Association
The Wyoming Stock Growers Association is a historic American cattle organization created in 1873. The Association was started among Wyoming cattle ranchers to standardize and organize the cattle industry, but quickly grew into a political force that has been called "the de facto territorial...
and his position in a case threatening cattlemen-politicians Francis E. Warren
Francis E. Warren
Francis Emroy Warren was an American politician of the Republican Party best known for his years in the United States Senate representing Wyoming.-Early life and military service:...
and Joseph M. Carey
Joseph M. Carey
Joseph Maull Carey was a lawyer, rancher, judge, and politician, who spent most of his political career in Wyoming before and after it achieved statehood.-Biography:...
(United States v. Douglas-Willan Sartoris Company, 3 Wyo. 287; 22 P. 92) made him a somewhat controversial figure.
Like other territories, Wyoming had three supreme court justices, who also served as district court judges, the latter function taking most of their time. Maginnis’s district was the eastern third of Wyoming, including Cheyenne (Laramie County). The trial court work included divorce, robbery, murder, rustling, and other criminal and civil cases. In one such case, in Sundance (Crook County), on August 5, 1887, Maginnis sentenced to 18 months in prison a young horse thief, Harry Longabaugh
Harry Longabaugh
Harry Alonzo Longabaugh , better known as the Sundance Kid, was an outlaw and member of Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch, in the American Old West. Longabaugh likely met Butch Cassidy after Parker was released from prison around 1896...
, who later became famous as “the Sundance Kid.”
Removal and final years
Of the 16 men who served on the Wyoming Territory Supreme Court between 1869 and 1890, Maginnis was the only justice who was removed. Although he had been appointed by the President and confirmed by the U.S. Senate for a four-year term, his tenure was in jeopardy after Cleveland’s defeat by Republican Benjamin HarrisonBenjamin Harrison
Benjamin Harrison was the 23rd President of the United States . Harrison, a grandson of President William Henry Harrison, was born in North Bend, Ohio, and moved to Indianapolis, Indiana at age 21, eventually becoming a prominent politician there...
in November 1888. During the next several months there were extensive discussions and representations in Wyoming and Washington, D.C., about a possible successor to Maginnis. Shortly after taking office in March 1889, Harrison began removing territorial governors, secretaries, and judges appointed by his Democratic predecessor.
In June 1889, the new U.S. Attorney General sent an examiner, James W. Nightingale, to review several territorial offices, including that of Clerk of the First District Court in Cheyenne. This position was occupied by Luke Murrin, former Civil War officer, first mayor of Cheyenne, saloon keeper, and prominent Democrat, who had been appointed by Maginnis. Nightingale found several administrative and financial failings in Murrin’s work and implicated Maginnis. Nightingale’s lengthy report reached Attorney General William H. H. Miller on August 27, 1889. The following day, Miller wrote to Harrison recommending Maginnis’s removal. On August 30, Harrison approved the removal, and on August 31 he appointed a new chief justice, Willis Van Devanter
Willis Van Devanter
Willis Van Devanter was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, January 3, 1911 to June 2, 1937.- Early life and career :...
, a Cheyenne attorney and close associate of the newly appointed Republican Governor Warren and Republican Congressional Delegate Carey. Van Devanter went on to become an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.
Maginnis left office on October 1, 1889, and on the same day moved with his family to Ogden, Utah, where he engaged in private law practice and also served as Assistant U.S. Attorney for Utah, appointed in 1893 by the newly re-elected President Cleveland. Maginnis died in Ogden on October 26, 1910.