Halsted L. Ritter

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Halsted Ritter
Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida
In office
February 15, 1929 – April 17, 1936
Appointed byCalvin Coolidge
Preceded byRhydon Mays Call
Succeeded byJohn W. Holland
Personal details
Born
Halsted Lockwood Ritter

(1868-07-14)July 14, 1868
Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
DiedOctober 15, 1951(1951-10-15) (aged 83)
Laurel, Mississippi, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
RelativesMary Ritter Beard (sister)
Charles A. Beard (brother-in-law)
EducationDePauw University (BPhil, LLB, MA)

Halsted Lockwood Ritter (July 14, 1868 – October 15, 1951) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. He was the thirteenth individual to be impeached by the United States House of Representatives and the fourth individual to be convicted and removed from office in an impeachment trial before the United States Senate. He was also the last federal official to be impeached by the House of Representatives until Harry E. Claiborne (not counting on Richard Nixon, who resigned before he was impeached), when he was impeached and removed from office by the Senate for tax evasion in 1986.

Education and career

Born on July 14, 1868, in

Lions Club, he attended the association's 3rd international convention in Chicago, where he proposed what would become the association's slogan - "liberty, intelligence, and our nation's safety", a backronym for the Lions name.[3] In 1925, he moved to West Palm Beach, Florida[1] for his wife's health[citation needed] and continued in private practice until 1929.[1]
Ritter wrote a book, Washington as a Business Man, published in 1931 by Sears Publishing of New York.

Federal judicial service

Ritter was nominated by President Calvin Coolidge on January 23, 1929, to a seat on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida vacated by Judge Rhydon Mays Call.[1] He was confirmed by the United States Senate on February 15, 1929, and received his commission the same day.[1] His service terminated on April 17, 1936, due to his impeachment, conviction and removal from office.[1]

Details of impeachment

On May 29, 1933,

high crime or misdemeanor."[4] The resolution was referred to the Judiciary Committee.[5]

On March 2, 1936, the

articles of impeachment.[6] The proceedings were only the 13th impeachment case in the 147 years of Congress
. The seven articles were:

  1. Ordering the payment of "exorbitant" legal fees with intent to embezzle.[citation needed] Specifically, the House managers said Ritter engaged in champerty ("a proceeding whereby a person having no legitimate interest in a lawsuit abets it with money or services in the hope of profit") by "corruptly and unlawfully" receiving $4,500 from a former law partner, Albert L. Rankin.[citation needed]
  2. The House charged that Ritter had planned with Rankin and others to put
    receivership, and had given Rankin an "exorbitant fee" of $75,000, keeping $4,500 of it.[citation needed
    ]
  3. Showing favoritism in bankruptcy cases.[citation needed]
  4. Two charges of practicing law while a judge.[citation needed]
  5. Two charges of
    income tax returns in 1929 and 1930)[citation needed
    ]
  6. Bringing the judiciary into disrepute (accepting free meals and lodging at Whitehall during receivership proceedings).[citation needed]

Ritter's chief

prosecuted the case, with Sam Hobbs of Alabama leading.[citation needed
]

On April 6, 1936, the

motion to disqualify Ritter from all further federal office was defeated unanimously by the Senate.[citation needed
]

Legal challenge to conviction

Ritter challenged the conviction in the federal

Article I of the United States Constitution.[8]

Later career and death

After his removal from office, Ritter continued to practice law in Miami, Florida.[citation needed] He became ill while flying to the West Coast, and stopped in New Orleans, Louisiana.[citation needed] He subsequently traveled to Laurel, Mississippi to recover while staying with friends.[citation needed] He died on October 15, 1951,[1] in Laurel.[citation needed]

Personal

Ritter's sister was Mary Ritter Beard, the wife of Charles A. Beard; both were noted historians.[citation needed]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Halsted Lockwood Ritter at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
  2. ^ "Montrose Daily Press Newspaper Archives, Aug 19, 1912". newspaperarchive.com.
  3. ^ "Colorado Lions Clubs History" (PDF).
  4. ^ [1] | IMPEACHMENT OF JUDGE HALSTED L RITTER | [2]
  5. ^ Impeachment of Judge Ritter |[3]
  6. ^ The Associated Press. "Jurist who took $45,000 is to be tried", The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. March 3, 1936. Page A1.
  7. ^ 1936-04-16 | Strange Impeachment of Halsted L. Ritter Judge of the United States District Court. Miami, Florida | HALSTED L. RITTER | [4]
  8. ^ Emily Field Van Tassel, Federal Judicial History Office, Federal Judicial Center (1993). "Why Judges Resign: Influences on Federal Judicial Service, 1789 to 1992" (PDF). fjc.gov.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

Sources

Legal offices
Preceded by Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida
1929–1936 		Succeeded by
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