William Story (April 4, 1843 – June 20, 1921) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas and later the seventh lieutenant governor of Colorado, serving from 1891 to 1893 under Governor of Colorado John Long Routt.
William Story | |
|---|---|
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| 7th Lieutenant Governor of Colorado | |
| In office 1891–1893 | |
| Governor | John Long Routt |
| Preceded by | William Grover Smith |
| Succeeded by | David H. Nichols |
| Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas | |
| In office March 3, 1871 – June 17, 1874 | |
| Appointed by | Ulysses S. Grant |
| Preceded by | Seat established by 16 Stat. 471 |
| Succeeded by | Isaac C. Parker |
| Personal details | |
| Born | William Story April 4, 1843 Waukesha County, Territory of Wisconsin |
| Died | June 20, 1921 (aged 78) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Education | University of Michigan |
Education and career
editBorn in Waukesha County, Wisconsin,[1] Story graduated from the University of Michigan in 1864. He joined the 39th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment of the Union Army as a sergeant and served from 1864 to 1865.[1][2] He was in private practice in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, from 1865 to 1866, and in Fayetteville, Arkansas, from 1866 to 1867.[1] He was a judge of the Circuit Court of Arkansas for the Second Judicial Circuit Court of Arkansas from 1867 to 1871, sitting as a "special chief justice" of the Arkansas Supreme Court in 1869.[1]
Federal judicial service
editStory was nominated by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 3, 1871, to the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas, to a new seat authorized by 16 Stat. 471.[1] He was confirmed by the United States Senate on March 3, 1871, and received his commission the same day.[1] His service terminated on June 17, 1874, due to his resignation.[1]
Circumstances of his resignation
editCongress investigated Story in 1874 for, among other things, inordinately large undocumented court expenditures and for allowing bail for persons convicted of capital crimes while they were awaiting sentence.[Note 1][3][4]
The House committee found that Story's testimony was “lame, disconnected and unsatisfactory.”[Note 1][3] Within the month after publication of the committee investigation and report in the Arkansas Gazette, Story resigned and moved to Denver, Colorado.[3][5]
Later career and death
editStory then moved to Colorado, settling first in Denver in 1877, and then moving to Ouray.[1] He built up a large law practice, and during his first ten years in practice he served as attorney for the City and County of Denver.[citation needed] He had other interests in mining, banking, building of roads and railroads (Rio Grande Southern).[citation needed] He served as the lieutenant governor of Colorado from 1891 to 1893.[1] In 1913, he moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, where he established a law practice, Story & Steigmeyer.[citation needed] He then relocated to Los Angeles, California, where he died in 1921.
Note
edit- ^ a b The committee compared expenditures for the entire state for the three years before the Civil War with expenditures in the Western District for the three years after its creation in 1871, which corresponded with Story's stewardship as district judge. From 1858 through 1860, the average expenditure per year was $20,000 for the entire state. Under Story's tenure the expenditures for the Western District alone averaged more than $241,000 per year. Arkanasas Gazette, June 9, 1874.
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i William Story at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
- ^ Frances Mitchel Ross (editor). United States District Courts and Judges of Arkansas, 1836–1960, University of Arkansas Press, Fayetteville, Arkansas, 2016, p. 179. ISBN 9781610755801
- ^ a b c "Why Judges Resign: Influences on Federal Judicial Service, 1789 to 1992 - Federal Judicial Center". www.fjc.gov.
- ^ Eric Leonard (April 19, 2015). "I.C. Parker, U.S. District Judge". nps.gov.
- ^ David Bowden, Little Rock, Arkansas (December 21, 2017). "United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas".
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Sources
edit- William Story at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.