Constantine Joseph Smyth (December 4, 1859 – April 14, 1924) was Chief Justice of the Court of Appeals of the District of Columbia.

Education and career

Born on December 4, 1859, in

County Cavan County Cavan ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Cavan and is based on the hi ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, Smyth

read law Reading law was the primary method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship un ...

in 1885. He entered private practice in

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

from 1885 to 1913. He was a member of the

Nebraska House of Representatives The Nebraska House of Representatives was the lower house of the Nebraska Legislature during the days when Nebraska was a territory from 1854 to 1867 and then as a state from 1867 to 1936. In 1934, Nebraska voters amended the Nebraska Constitut ...

in 1887. He was a member of the

Omaha School Board Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

from 1889 to 1894. He was Chairman of the Nebraska State Democratic Committee from 1894 to 1896. He was

Attorney General of Nebraska The Nebraska attorney general is the chief law enforcement officer and lawyer for the U.S. state of Nebraska. List of attorneys general ;Parties Notes References AG Office documentcached) External links Nebraska Attorney Generaloffici ...

from 1897 to 1900. He was an associate dean and professor at

Creighton University School of Law Creighton University School of Law, located in Omaha, Nebraska, United States, is part of the Jesuit Creighton University. History The School of Law was founded in 1904 as a joint project with the Omaha Bar Association, with Timothy J. Mahoney ...

from 1905 to 1910. He received an

Artium Magister A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

degree in 1907 from

Creighton University Creighton University () is a private research university in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1878, the university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. In 2015 the university enrolled 8,393 graduate ...

. He was a special assistant to the

Attorney General of the United States The United States attorney general is the head of the United States Department of Justice and serves as the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government. The attorney general acts as the principal legal advisor to the president of the ...

from 1913 to 1917.

Federal judicial service

Smyth was nominated by President

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was the 28th president of the United States, serving from 1913 to 1921. He was the only History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democrat to serve as president during the Prog ...

on June 29, 1917, to the Chief Justice seat on the Court of Appeals of the District of Columbia (now the

United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (in case citations, D.C. Cir.) is one of the thirteen United States Courts of Appeals. It has the smallest geographical jurisdiction of any of the U.S. courts of appeals, ...

) vacated by Chief Justice Seth Shepard. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

on July 12, 1917, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on April 14, 1924, due to his death.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Smyth, Constantine Joseph 1859 births 1924 deaths 19th-century Irish people Politicians from County Cavan Irish emigrants to the United States Creighton University faculty United States court of appeals judges appointed by Woodrow Wilson Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit Nebraska attorneys general Members of the Nebraska House of Representatives School board members in Nebraska United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law 19th-century members of the Nebraska Legislature