Charles Austin Tweed
Encyclopedia
Charles Austin Tweed was an American
politician
and jurist
. During his early career he was elected to the Florida Senate
and California State Senate
. Tweed then moved to Arizona Territory
and was appointed to serve two terms as an Associate Justice of the Arizona Territorial
Supreme Court.
that included a study of the law.
Shortly after he was admitted to the Massachusetts bar, he moved to Florida
in the hope it would help his first wife's health. There in 1848, as a member of the Whig Party
, he was elected to a single term in the Florida Senate
.
, traveling in a group that crossed from Veracruz, Veracruz
to San Blas Atempa
before continuing north to California
. After setting up a legal practice in Sacramento
, he was elected a member of the city council on April 1, 1850. Following Sacrament, Tweed moved and lived for a time in Auburn
, Dutch Flat
, and Nevada City
. In 1859, he moved to Charlestown, Massachusetts
but returned to Nevada City in 1862.
Running as a Republican
, Tweed was elected district Attorney
of Placer County
in 1863. In 1867 he was a delegate to the California Republican Convention
. Later that year, Tweed won election to the California State Senate
, representing Placer County for two consecutive terms. There he became a leader of the Radical Republicans. Tweed was also an advocate of women's rights
. On January 10, 1870, the Republican senator introduced a bill that would allow the state to hire women for the same wages offered to their male coworkers. The bill was defeated in a senate vote of 15–21. Later that session Tweed submitted a petition to amend the state constitution to grant women's suffrage
. He was appointed chairman of a special committee established to investigate the possibility. Although the committee reported favorably, the proposal was defeated by a vote of 23–47.
' promotion to Chief Justice, Tweed was appointed an Associate Justice to the Arizona Territorial Supreme Court. The new justice moved to Prescott
in August and presided over his first district court session on October 3, 1870. Press reports of the new justice's performance were favorable with one newspaper reporting, "Judge Tweed has gained the confidence of the people ... by giving the law a literal construction and showing a disposition to get at the rights of matters, irrespective of technicalities." On October 2, 1871, Tweed's first wife, Ruth G., died.
The 1871 session of the Arizona Territorial Legislature
created Maricopa County
and placed it within Tweed's judicial district. Early in 1872, Tweed moved to the seat
of the new county, Phoenix
. There he purchased some land where members of his family grew alfalfa
, corn
, peach
es, and operated a dairy farm. In addition to his judicial duties, Tweed became active in early efforts to use the Salt River
for irrigation. On March 31, 1875, Tweed married Minnie A. Jackson. The marriage ended with her death on March 14, 1877. Judge Tweed's third marriage came on March 20, 1878 when he wed Marcia C. Lewis of San Francisco.
In Phoenix, Judge Tweed remained as popular as he had been in Prescott. As a result he was appointed to a second term in March 1874. This term saw charges raised against the judge, possibly by unhappy litigants, that Tweed drank to excess and had become old and feeble. Territorial Governors Anson P.K. Safford
, John Philo Hoyt
, Chief Justice Willard French, and Edmund W. Wells
were among Tweed's defenders and the charges were dismissed in 1876. The claims may however have influenced President Rutherford B. Hayes
to not appoint Tweed to a third term in 1878.
After leaving the bench, Tweed moved to Mineral Park and served as counsel for a mining company. In November 1878 he was elected Mohave County
attorney
beginning in January the next year. Tweed resigned in mid-1880 to return to Phoenix. There he made unsuccessful runs to become Maricopa County attorney in 1880 and 1882. The judge's later years were spent in a law partnership with William A. Hancock.
Tweed had been in declining health for years. In early 1887, he traveled to San Fransisco to seek medical treatment. The treatment was unable to reverse his problems and Tweed died on July 22, 1887.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
and jurist
Jurist
A jurist or jurisconsult is a professional who studies, develops, applies, or otherwise deals with the law. The term is widely used in American English, but in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth countries it has only historical and specialist usage...
. During his early career he was elected to the Florida Senate
Florida Senate
The Florida Senate is the upper house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida. The Senate is composed of 40 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 470,032....
and California State Senate
California State Senate
The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature. There are 40 state senators. The state legislature meets in the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The Lieutenant Governor is the ex officio President of the Senate and may break a tied vote...
. Tweed then moved to Arizona Territory
Arizona Territory
The Territory of Arizona was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 24, 1863 until February 14, 1912, when it was admitted to the Union as the 48th state....
and was appointed to serve two terms as an Associate Justice of the Arizona Territorial
Arizona Territory
The Territory of Arizona was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 24, 1863 until February 14, 1912, when it was admitted to the Union as the 48th state....
Supreme Court.
Background
Tweed was born in South Reading, Massachusetts, to Joshua and Elizabet (Pratt) Tweed on December 24, 1813, the youngest of four sons. His father was a shoemaker and influential member of the community. He received a liberal educationLiberal education
A Liberal education is a system or course of education suitable for the cultivation of a free human being. It is based on the medieval concept of the liberal arts or, more commonly now, the liberalism of the Age of Enlightenment...
that included a study of the law.
Shortly after he was admitted to the Massachusetts bar, he moved to Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
in the hope it would help his first wife's health. There in 1848, as a member of the Whig Party
Whig Party (United States)
The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic...
, he was elected to a single term in the Florida Senate
Florida Senate
The Florida Senate is the upper house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida. The Senate is composed of 40 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 470,032....
.
California
In late 1849 Tweed joined the California Gold RushCalifornia Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
, traveling in a group that crossed from Veracruz, Veracruz
Veracruz, Veracruz
Veracruz, officially known as Heroica Veracruz, is a major port city and municipality on the Gulf of Mexico in the Mexican state of Veracruz. The city is located in the central part of the state. It is located along Federal Highway 140 from the state capital Xalapa, and is the state's most...
to San Blas Atempa
San Blas Atempa
San Blas Atempa is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico. The municipality covers an area of 148 km².It is part of the Tehuantepec District in the west of the Istmo Region.As of 2005, the municipality had a total population of 16,899....
before continuing north to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. After setting up a legal practice in Sacramento
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
, he was elected a member of the city council on April 1, 1850. Following Sacrament, Tweed moved and lived for a time in Auburn
Auburn, California
Auburn is the county seat of Placer County, California. Its population at the 2010 census was 13,330. Auburn is known for its California Gold Rush history.Auburn is part of the Greater Sacramento area.- History :...
, Dutch Flat
Dutch Flat, California
Dutch Flat is a small unincorporated community and census-designated place in Placer County, California, United States, about northeast of Auburn along Interstate 80. It was founded by German immigrants in 1851 and was once one of the richest gold mining locations of California...
, and Nevada City
Nevada City, California
-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Nevada City had a population of 3,068. The population density was 1,399.7 people per square mile . The racial makeup of Nevada City was 2,837 White, 26 African American, 28 Native American, 46 Asian, 0 Pacific Islander, 40 from other races,...
. In 1859, he moved to Charlestown, Massachusetts
Charlestown, Massachusetts
Charlestown is a neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and is located on a peninsula north of downtown Boston. Charlestown was originally a separate town and the first capital of the Massachusetts Bay Colony; it became a city in 1847 and was annexed by Boston on January 5, 1874...
but returned to Nevada City in 1862.
Running as a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
, Tweed was elected district Attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
of Placer County
Placer County, California
Placer County is a county located in both the Sacramento Valley and Sierra Nevada regions of the U.S. state of California, in what is known as the Gold Country. It stretches from the suburbs of Sacramento to Lake Tahoe and the Nevada border. Because of the expansion of the Greater Sacramento,...
in 1863. In 1867 he was a delegate to the California Republican Convention
Political convention
In politics, a political convention is a meeting of a political party, typically to select party candidates.In the United States, a political convention usually refers to a presidential nominating convention, but it can also refer to state, county, or congressional district nominating conventions...
. Later that year, Tweed won election to the California State Senate
California State Senate
The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature. There are 40 state senators. The state legislature meets in the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The Lieutenant Governor is the ex officio President of the Senate and may break a tied vote...
, representing Placer County for two consecutive terms. There he became a leader of the Radical Republicans. Tweed was also an advocate of women's rights
Women's rights
Women's rights are entitlements and freedoms claimed for women and girls of all ages in many societies.In some places these rights are institutionalized or supported by law, local custom, and behaviour, whereas in others they may be ignored or suppressed...
. On January 10, 1870, the Republican senator introduced a bill that would allow the state to hire women for the same wages offered to their male coworkers. The bill was defeated in a senate vote of 15–21. Later that session Tweed submitted a petition to amend the state constitution to grant women's suffrage
Women's suffrage
Women's suffrage or woman suffrage is the right of women to vote and to run for office. The expression is also used for the economic and political reform movement aimed at extending these rights to women and without any restrictions or qualifications such as property ownership, payment of tax, or...
. He was appointed chairman of a special committee established to investigate the possibility. Although the committee reported favorably, the proposal was defeated by a vote of 23–47.
Arizona Territory
On April 14, 1870, following Judge John TitusJohn Titus (jurist)
John Titus was an American attorney and jurist. He served as Chief Justice of the Supreme Courts of both Utah and Arizona Territory.-Background:...
' promotion to Chief Justice, Tweed was appointed an Associate Justice to the Arizona Territorial Supreme Court. The new justice moved to Prescott
Prescott, Arizona
Prescott is a city in Yavapai County, Arizona, USA. It was designated "Arizona's Christmas City" by Arizona Governor Rose Mofford in the late 1980s....
in August and presided over his first district court session on October 3, 1870. Press reports of the new justice's performance were favorable with one newspaper reporting, "Judge Tweed has gained the confidence of the people ... by giving the law a literal construction and showing a disposition to get at the rights of matters, irrespective of technicalities." On October 2, 1871, Tweed's first wife, Ruth G., died.
The 1871 session of the Arizona Territorial Legislature
6th Arizona Territorial Legislature
The 6th Arizona Territorial Legislative Assembly was a session of the Arizona Territorial Legislature which met in Tucson beginning on January 11, 1871, and running till February 14, 1871.-Background:...
created Maricopa County
Maricopa County, Arizona
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*73.0% White*5.0% Black*2.1% Native American*3.5% Asian*0.2% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*3.5% Two or more races*12.7% Other races*29.6% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
and placed it within Tweed's judicial district. Early in 1872, Tweed moved to the seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of the new county, Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
. There he purchased some land where members of his family grew alfalfa
Alfalfa
Alfalfa is a flowering plant in the pea family Fabaceae cultivated as an important forage crop in the US, Canada, Argentina, France, Australia, the Middle East, South Africa, and many other countries. It is known as lucerne in the UK, France, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, and known as...
, corn
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
, peach
Peach
The peach tree is a deciduous tree growing to tall and 6 in. in diameter, belonging to the subfamily Prunoideae of the family Rosaceae. It bears an edible juicy fruit called a peach...
es, and operated a dairy farm. In addition to his judicial duties, Tweed became active in early efforts to use the Salt River
Salt River (Arizona)
The Salt River is a stream in the U.S. state of Arizona. It is the largest tributary of the Gila River. The river is about long. Its drainage basin is about large. The longest of the Salt River's many tributaries is the Verde River...
for irrigation. On March 31, 1875, Tweed married Minnie A. Jackson. The marriage ended with her death on March 14, 1877. Judge Tweed's third marriage came on March 20, 1878 when he wed Marcia C. Lewis of San Francisco.
In Phoenix, Judge Tweed remained as popular as he had been in Prescott. As a result he was appointed to a second term in March 1874. This term saw charges raised against the judge, possibly by unhappy litigants, that Tweed drank to excess and had become old and feeble. Territorial Governors Anson P.K. Safford
Anson P.K. Safford
Anson Pacely Killen SaffordVarious sources give multiple variations for the spelling of Safford's two middle names. Among these are Peasley, Peacely, Keeler, and Killen. was the third Governor of Arizona Territory...
, John Philo Hoyt
John Philo Hoyt
John Philo Hoyt was an American politician and jurist. He served as the fourth Governor of Arizona Territory and was nominated to become Governor of Idaho Territory but declined the position...
, Chief Justice Willard French, and Edmund W. Wells
Edmund W. Wells
Edmund William Wells was an American jurist, businessman, and politician. Known as "Arizona's first millionaire", he was considered the richest man in Arizona during his attempt to be elected Governor. He served as Attorney General for Arizona Territory before being appointed as a judge...
were among Tweed's defenders and the charges were dismissed in 1876. The claims may however have influenced President Rutherford B. Hayes
Rutherford B. Hayes
Rutherford Birchard Hayes was the 19th President of the United States . As president, he oversaw the end of Reconstruction and the United States' entry into the Second Industrial Revolution...
to not appoint Tweed to a third term in 1878.
After leaving the bench, Tweed moved to Mineral Park and served as counsel for a mining company. In November 1878 he was elected Mohave County
Mohave County, Arizona
Mohave County is located in the northwestern corner of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2010 census, its population was 200,186, an increase of 45,154 people since the 2000 census count of 155,032. The county seat is Kingman...
attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
beginning in January the next year. Tweed resigned in mid-1880 to return to Phoenix. There he made unsuccessful runs to become Maricopa County attorney in 1880 and 1882. The judge's later years were spent in a law partnership with William A. Hancock.
Tweed had been in declining health for years. In early 1887, he traveled to San Fransisco to seek medical treatment. The treatment was unable to reverse his problems and Tweed died on July 22, 1887.
External links
- Charles A. Tweed - JoinCalifornia Election Archive