San Francisco County
Biographies
HON. THOMAS P. HAWLEY
HON. THOMAS P. HAWLEY, Judge of the United States District Court of Nevada, was born in Ripley county, Indiana, July 18, 1830. He was reared and educated in the "Hoosier State," and upon reaching his majority he came to California, traveling across the plains and arriving in Placerville July 15, 1852. He remained in El Dorado county one year, during which time he was engaged in mining. The following year, in August, he located at Nevada City, Nevada county, California, and continued the business of mining until 1855, when he entered the office of the County Clerk. His leisure time was spent in reading law, and two years later he was admitted to the bar. He at once secured a good patronage among such able practitioners as the late John R. McConnell, Francis J. Dunn, Stanton Buckner, Hon. Aaron A. Sargent, William M. Stewart, David Belden and Niles Searles. In 1858 he formed a law partnership with Henry Meredith, and in 1863 he was elected District Attorney of Nevada county on the Union Republican ticket; he discharged the duties of this office until the expiration of his term, and thereafter continued his professional work, forming a law partnership with L. W. Williams. In 1868 he removed to the State of Nevada and located at Hamilton, White Pine county; there he soon won a reputation as an able jurist and took front rank at the bar, which embraced such minds as the late Delos R. Ashley, C. E. DeLong, D. W. Perley, A. M. Hillhouse, and many others who rank among the leading lawyers of the Pacific coast.
In 1870 Mr. Hawley formed a partnership with the late John O. Darrow, at Eureka, Nevada; two years later he was elected on the Republican ticket a Justice of the Supreme Court of Nevada, and in 1874 he became Chief Justice, and served in that office four years in his first term. In 1878 he was renominated by the Republican party, and was elected a member of the Supreme Court by the largest majority ever given a candidate for that office; his opponent was an able jurist and popular citizen. In 1884 Judge Hawley was again re-elected to the office, serving three terms with great ability and to the entire satisfaction of a large constituency. He served eight years as Chief Justice. In September, 1890, he was appointed United States District Judge by President Harrison. As a lawyer he was always attentive to business and conducted the trial of his cases with great intelligence and dignity. As a Judge, the Nevada reports bear evidence of his ability, and the decisions written by him illustrate his legal learning.
Judge Hawley was united in marriage, in 1858, to Miss Eudora Murrell, daughter of Colonel John T. Murrell, formerly of Charleston, South Caroline, and three children have been born to them.
Transcribed
5-11-06 Marilyn R. Pankey.
Source: "The Bay of San
Francisco," Vol. 2, Pages 413, Lewis Publishing Co, 1892.
©
2006 Marilyn R. Pankey.