Wallace McCamant
Encyclopedia
Wallace McCamant was an American
jurist in Oregon
. A Pennsylvania
native, he served as the 46th Associate Justice
of the Oregon Supreme Court
from 1917 to 1918. Later he served briefly on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
. As a delegate to the Republican National Convention
in 1920, McCamant surprised the GOP leadership by placing the name of Calvin Coolidge
into nomination for Vice-President. Coolidge would become the 30th President of the United States upon the death of President Harding in 1923.
, McCamant was the son of Thomas McCamant and the former Delia Robbins. He grew up in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
and attended the public schools in that town. Then in 1888 he graduated from Lafayette College
in Easton, Pennsylvania
with a Ph.B. degree.
Wallace then read law and in 1890 was admitted to the bar in Pennsylvania
and subsequently moved to Oregon
. He then entered private practice in Portland, Oregon
. Next, in 1893 he married Katherine S. Davis, and they would have two sons. Then in 1904 McCamant became a Master in Chancery for the United States District Court for the District of Oregon
, serving until 1917. In 1909, he was president of the Portland chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution. During his private legal career McCamant represented a client before the United States Supreme Court in Ross v. State of Oregon, 227 US 150 (1913).
by Oregon Governor
James Withycombe
. Eighteen months later, McCamant resigned on June 4, 1918 and was replaced by Charles A. Johns
.
In May 1925, President Coolidge appointed
McCamant to the Ninth Circuit Court Court of Appeals while the Senate was in recess. However, when the Senate reconvened he was not confirmed and his time on the federal bench ended in May 1926. The lack of confirmation is partly due to McCamant’s support for Coolidge over Senator Hiram Johnson
at the 1920 Republican Convention to select the Vice-Presidential nominee from the party. McCamant had been the delegate who first moved for the nomination of Coolidge after the Republican leadership had moved for and seconded Senator Irvine Lenroot
of Wisconsin, which resulted in Coolidge's ascension to the Presidency upon Warren G. Harding
's death. With the Senate not confirming McCamant, he became the first recess appointment
to a United States Court of Appeals
not to be confirmed by the United States Senate
.
Rough Rider statue in Portland's South Park Blocks
. On December 17, 1944, Wallace McCamant died and was buried at River View Cemetery
in Portland.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
jurist in Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. A Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
native, he served as the 46th Associate Justice
Associate Justice
Associate Justice or Associate Judge is the title for a member of a judicial panel who is not the Chief Justice in some jurisdictions. The title "Associate Justice" is used for members of the United States Supreme Court and some state supreme courts, and for some other courts in Commonwealth...
of the Oregon Supreme Court
Oregon Supreme Court
The Oregon Supreme Court is the highest state court in the U.S. state of Oregon. The only court that may reverse or modify a decision of the Oregon Supreme Court is the Supreme Court of the United States. The OSC holds court at the Oregon Supreme Court Building in Salem, Oregon, near the capitol...
from 1917 to 1918. Later he served briefly on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit is a U.S. federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:* District of Alaska* District of Arizona...
. As a delegate to the Republican National Convention
Republican National Convention
The Republican National Convention is the presidential nominating convention of the Republican Party of the United States. Convened by the Republican National Committee, the stated purpose of the convocation is to nominate an official candidate in an upcoming U.S...
in 1920, McCamant surprised the GOP leadership by placing the name of Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge
John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the 30th President of the United States . A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state...
into nomination for Vice-President. Coolidge would become the 30th President of the United States upon the death of President Harding in 1923.
Early life
Born on September 22, 1867 in Hollidaysburg, PennsylvaniaHollidaysburg, Pennsylvania
Hollidaysburg is a borough in Blair County, Pennsylvania, on the Juniata River, south of Altoona. It is the county seat of Blair County. It is part of the Altoona, Pennsylvania, Metropolitan Statistical Area and is one of the communities that comprises the Altoona Urban Area...
, McCamant was the son of Thomas McCamant and the former Delia Robbins. He grew up in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 49,528, making it the ninth largest city in Pennsylvania...
and attended the public schools in that town. Then in 1888 he graduated from Lafayette College
Lafayette College
Lafayette College is a private coeducational liberal arts and engineering college located in Easton, Pennsylvania, USA. The school, founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter,son of General Andrew Porter of Norristown and citizens of Easton, first began holding classes in 1832...
in Easton, Pennsylvania
Easton, Pennsylvania
Easton is a city in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 26,800 as of the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Northampton County....
with a Ph.B. degree.
Wallace then read law and in 1890 was admitted to the bar in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
and subsequently moved to Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. He then entered private practice in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
. Next, in 1893 he married Katherine S. Davis, and they would have two sons. Then in 1904 McCamant became a Master in Chancery for the United States District Court for the District of Oregon
United States District Court for the District of Oregon
The United States District Court for the District of Oregon is the Federal district court whose jurisdiction comprises the state of Oregon. It was created in 1859 when the state was admitted to the Union...
, serving until 1917. In 1909, he was president of the Portland chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution. During his private legal career McCamant represented a client before the United States Supreme Court in Ross v. State of Oregon, 227 US 150 (1913).
Judicial career
Then on January 8, 1917, McCamant was appointed to the Oregon Supreme Court to replace Robert EakinRobert Eakin
Robert Eakin was an American judge and attorney in the state of Oregon. He served as the 19th Chief Justice on the Oregon Supreme Court. Eakin was the head judge of the court from 1911 to 1913, and was on the court overall from 1907 until 1917.-Early life:Eakin was born on March 15, 1848, in Kane...
by Oregon Governor
Governor of Oregon
The Governor of Oregon is the top executive of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon. The title of governor was also applied to the office of Oregon's chief executive during the provisional and U.S. territorial governments....
James Withycombe
James Withycombe
James Withycombe was a British-born American politician, a Republican, and the 15th Governor of Oregon. Prior to entering politics he was farmer and sheep rancher in the Tualatin Valley, leading to appointment as the state's veterinarian and then as head of what became the Oregon State University...
. Eighteen months later, McCamant resigned on June 4, 1918 and was replaced by Charles A. Johns
Charles A. Johns
Charles A. Johns was an American lawyer, jurist and politician who served as the 47th Associate Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court. Johns also served as mayor of Baker City in Eastern Oregon and as a justice on the Supreme Court of the Philippines while that archipelago was under U.S...
.
In May 1925, President Coolidge appointed
Recess appointment
A recess appointment is the appointment, by the President of the United States, of a senior federal official while the U.S. Senate is in recess. The U.S. Constitution requires that the most senior federal officers must be confirmed by the Senate before assuming office, but while the Senate is in...
McCamant to the Ninth Circuit Court Court of Appeals while the Senate was in recess. However, when the Senate reconvened he was not confirmed and his time on the federal bench ended in May 1926. The lack of confirmation is partly due to McCamant’s support for Coolidge over Senator Hiram Johnson
Hiram Johnson
Hiram Warren Johnson was a leading American progressive and later isolationist politician from California; he served as the 23rd Governor from 1911 to 1917, and as a United States Senator from 1917 to 1945.-Early life:...
at the 1920 Republican Convention to select the Vice-Presidential nominee from the party. McCamant had been the delegate who first moved for the nomination of Coolidge after the Republican leadership had moved for and seconded Senator Irvine Lenroot
Irvine Lenroot
Irvine Luther Lenroot was a member of the United States Republican Party who served in the House of Representatives from 1909 to 1918, and in the United States Senate from 1918 to 1927, for the state of Wisconsin. He was also Warren G...
of Wisconsin, which resulted in Coolidge's ascension to the Presidency upon Warren G. Harding
Warren G. Harding
Warren Gamaliel Harding was the 29th President of the United States . A Republican from Ohio, Harding was an influential self-made newspaper publisher. He served in the Ohio Senate , as the 28th Lieutenant Governor of Ohio and as a U.S. Senator...
's death. With the Senate not confirming McCamant, he became the first recess appointment
Recess appointment
A recess appointment is the appointment, by the President of the United States, of a senior federal official while the U.S. Senate is in recess. The U.S. Constitution requires that the most senior federal officers must be confirmed by the Senate before assuming office, but while the Senate is in...
to a United States Court of Appeals
United States court of appeals
The United States courts of appeals are the intermediate appellate courts of the United States federal court system...
not to be confirmed by the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
.
Later life
In 1922, he dedicated the Theodore RooseveltTheodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
Rough Rider statue in Portland's South Park Blocks
South Park Blocks
The South Park Blocks form a city park in downtown Portland, Oregon. The Oregonian has called it Portland's "extended family room", as Pioneer Courthouse Square is known as Portland's "living room"....
. On December 17, 1944, Wallace McCamant died and was buried at River View Cemetery
River View Cemetery (Portland, Oregon)
River View Cemetery in the southwest section of Portland, Oregon, United States, is a non-profit cemetery founded in 1882. It is the final resting place of many prominent and notable citizens of Oregon, including many governors and United States Senators...
in Portland.