Edmund Pearson Dole
Encyclopedia
Edmund Pearson Dole was a lawyer from New England
who served as the first Attorney General
of the Territory of Hawaii
, and argued a case up to the U.S. Supreme Court. He also wrote several novels.
. His father was classical language teacher Isiah Dole (1819–1892), and his mother was Elizabeth Todd Pearson (died 1851). Dole graduated from Wesleyan University
in Middletown, Connecticut
in 1874. He married Gertrude Ellen Davenport in 1878. He studied law under Charles Robinson, Jr.
, graduated from law school at Boston University
, and was admitted to the bar at Suffolk County, Massachusetts
. He practiced as a law partner of Farnum Fish Lane in Keene, New Hampshire
. He served as Cheshire County
Solicitor in 1880 and 1881, similar to a modern District Attorney
. He wrote a book trying to explain the law profession to the public in 1887. He then moved to Seattle in 1890. In 1891 he was offered the position of dean of a new law school in Spokane
.
His cousin Sanford Ballard Dole had become president of the Republic of Hawaii
and wrote to him for help. By June 1895 he was practicing law in Honolulu, and acting as assistant to Henry Ernest Cooper as Attorney General of Hawaii
.
Dole published a novel The Stand-By in 1897 with a hero who promoted Prohibition
but was in love with the daughter of a brewer. It received praise from the Honolulu press:
, however, saw a more political message:
Dole replaced Cooper as attorney general on June 14, 1900. He also published his second novel Hiwa: a tale of ancient Hawaii in 1900.
Dole married Eleanor Gallagher, daughter of Bernard Gallagher of San Francisco, on September 5, 1901, and they divorced in 1902. His ex-wife then became a singer in New York
.
He resigned as attorney general on February 1, 1903, to argue a case in the U.S. Supreme Court
at the request of Philander C. Knox
who was US Attorney General. Federal District Court Judge Morris M. Estee
had overturned the conviction of Osaki Mankichi because he was never indicted by a grand jury
, and was convicted by a simple majority of a jury instead of unanimously. Estee ruled the court proceeding denied the accused rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution
. The case had the implication of invalidating many legal procedures during the time between July 1898 when the Newlands Resolution
annexed Hawaii by the United States, and April 1900 when the Hawaiian Organic Act
established a territorial government. The Supreme Court voted 5 to 4 that the continued operation of the Republic of Hawii legal system was valid during the transition period.
Dole lived in Washington, DC for two years, then moved back to Seattle and practiced law again there. He died December 31, 1928 in Keene.
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
who served as the first Attorney General
Attorney General of Hawaii
The Attorney General of Hawaii is the chief legal and law enforcement officer of Hawaii. In present-day statehood within the United States, he or she is appointed by the elected governor with the approval of the state senate and is responsible for a state department charged with advising the...
of the Territory of Hawaii
Territory of Hawaii
The Territory of Hawaii or Hawaii Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 7, 1898, until August 21, 1959, when its territory, with the exception of Johnston Atoll, was admitted to the Union as the fiftieth U.S. state, the State of Hawaii.The U.S...
, and argued a case up to the U.S. Supreme Court. He also wrote several novels.
Life
Edmund Pearson Dole was born February 28, 1850 in Skowhegan, MaineSkowhegan, Maine
Skowhegan is the county seat of Somerset County, Maine, United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 8,824. Every August, Skowhegan hosts the annual Skowhegan State Fair, the oldest continuous state fair in the United States...
. His father was classical language teacher Isiah Dole (1819–1892), and his mother was Elizabeth Todd Pearson (died 1851). Dole graduated from Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college founded in 1831 and located in Middletown, Connecticut. According to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Wesleyan is the only Baccalaureate College in the nation that emphasizes undergraduate instruction in the arts and...
in Middletown, Connecticut
Middletown, Connecticut
Middletown is a city located in Middlesex County, Connecticut, along the Connecticut River, in the central part of the state, 16 miles south of Hartford. In 1650, it was incorporated as a town under its original Indian name, Mattabeseck. It received its present name in 1653. In 1784, the central...
in 1874. He married Gertrude Ellen Davenport in 1878. He studied law under Charles Robinson, Jr.
Charles Robinson, Jr.
Charles Robinson, Jr. was a Massachusetts politician who served as the eighth mayor of Charlestown, Massachusetts. Robinson was the brother of Massachusetts Governor George D. Robinson.-Early life:...
, graduated from law school at Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
, and was admitted to the bar at Suffolk County, Massachusetts
Suffolk County, Massachusetts
Suffolk County has no land border with Plymouth County to its southeast, but the two counties share a water boundary in the middle of Massachusetts Bay.-National protected areas:*Boston African American National Historic Site...
. He practiced as a law partner of Farnum Fish Lane in Keene, New Hampshire
Keene, New Hampshire
Keene is a city in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 23,409 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Cheshire County.Keene is home to Keene State College and Antioch University New England, and hosts the annual Pumpkin Fest...
. He served as Cheshire County
Cheshire County, New Hampshire
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 73,825 people, 28,299 households, and 18,790 families residing in the county. The population density was 104 people per square mile . There were 31,876 housing units at an average density of 45 per square mile...
Solicitor in 1880 and 1881, similar to a modern 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...
. He wrote a book trying to explain the law profession to the public in 1887. He then moved to Seattle in 1890. In 1891 he was offered the position of dean of a new law school in Spokane
Spokane, Washington
Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
.
His cousin Sanford Ballard Dole had become president of the Republic of Hawaii
Republic of Hawaii
The Republic of Hawaii was the formal name of the government that controlled Hawaii from 1894 to 1898 when it was run as a republic. The republic period occurred between the administration of the Provisional Government of Hawaii which ended on July 4, 1894 and the adoption of the Newlands...
and wrote to him for help. By June 1895 he was practicing law in Honolulu, and acting as assistant to Henry Ernest Cooper as Attorney General of Hawaii
Attorney General of Hawaii
The Attorney General of Hawaii is the chief legal and law enforcement officer of Hawaii. In present-day statehood within the United States, he or she is appointed by the elected governor with the approval of the state senate and is responsible for a state department charged with advising the...
.
Dole published a novel The Stand-By in 1897 with a hero who promoted Prohibition
Prohibition in the United States
Prohibition in the United States was a national ban on the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol, in place from 1920 to 1933. The ban was mandated by the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution, and the Volstead Act set down the rules for enforcing the ban, as well as defining which...
but was in love with the daughter of a brewer. It received praise from the Honolulu press:
Its woof of romance richly colored with incident and episode is struck into a warp of informing fact relative to one of the leading questions of the age.The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, however, saw a more political message:
...as Mr Edmund P. Dole would have it, or as it seems to be written within the lines, the Republicans are the only lawabiding people on God's earth, the only virtuous, self-respecting souls, and the Democrats—quite the opposite. There is a tinge of fanaticism, then, in Mr. Dole's Romance.
Dole replaced Cooper as attorney general on June 14, 1900. He also published his second novel Hiwa: a tale of ancient Hawaii in 1900.
Dole married Eleanor Gallagher, daughter of Bernard Gallagher of San Francisco, on September 5, 1901, and they divorced in 1902. His ex-wife then became a singer in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
He resigned as attorney general on February 1, 1903, to argue a case in the U.S. Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
at the request of Philander C. Knox
Philander C. Knox
Philander Chase Knox was an American lawyer and politician who served as United States Attorney General , a Senator from Pennsylvania and Secretary of State ....
who was US Attorney General. Federal District Court Judge Morris M. Estee
Morris M. Estee
Morris M. Estee was an American Republican lawyer and politician from California.Estee spent his young adult life in Sacramento from 1857 to 1859. His business card read: M.M.Estee, Attorney and Counselor at Law, Office: No 88 J Street, bet, Third and Fourth, Sacramento...
had overturned the conviction of Osaki Mankichi because he was never indicted by a grand jury
Grand jury
A grand jury is a type of jury that determines whether a criminal indictment will issue. Currently, only the United States retains grand juries, although some other common law jurisdictions formerly employed them, and most other jurisdictions employ some other type of preliminary hearing...
, and was convicted by a simple majority of a jury instead of unanimously. Estee ruled the court proceeding denied the accused rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution
United States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...
. The case had the implication of invalidating many legal procedures during the time between July 1898 when the Newlands Resolution
Newlands Resolution
The Newlands Resolution, was a joint resolution written by and named after United States Congressman Francis G. Newlands. It was an Act of Congress to annex the Republic of Hawaii and create the Territory of Hawaii....
annexed Hawaii by the United States, and April 1900 when the Hawaiian Organic Act
Hawaiian Organic Act
The Hawaiian Organic Act of April 30, 1900 was a United States federal law enacted to provide a government for the territory of Hawaii.-Background:...
established a territorial government. The Supreme Court voted 5 to 4 that the continued operation of the Republic of Hawii legal system was valid during the transition period.
Dole lived in Washington, DC for two years, then moved back to Seattle and practiced law again there. He died December 31, 1928 in Keene.