James Harry Covington (May 3, 1870 – February 4, 1942) was a

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

from

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

and chief justice of the

Supreme Court of the District of Columbia The United States District Court for the District of Columbia (in case citations, D.D.C.) is a federal district court in Washington, D.C. Along with the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii and the High Court of American ...

. He founded the major

law firm A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise consumer, clients (individuals or corporations) about their legal rights and Obligation, respon ...

Covington & Burling Covington & Burling LLP is an American multinational law firm. Known as a white-shoe law firm, it is headquartered in Washington, D.C. and advises clients on transactional, litigation, regulatory, and public policy matters. The firm has addition ...

Education and career

Born on May 3, 1870, in Easton, Talbot County,

, Covington received academic training in the public schools of Talbot County and the

Maryland Military and Naval Academy Maryland Military and Naval Academy was a military academy in Oxford, Maryland that opened in 1885 and closed in 1887. It served as a preparatory school for the United States Naval Academy, U.S. Naval Academy and the United States Military Acad ...

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

. He received a

Bachelor of Laws A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

in 1894 from the

University of Pennsylvania Law School The University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School (also known as Penn Carey Law, or Penn Law; previously University of Pennsylvania Law School) is the law school of the University of Pennsylvania, a private Ivy League research university in Phi ...

. He entered private practice in Easton starting in 1894. He was an unsuccessful Democratic nominee for the

Maryland Senate The Maryland Senate, sometimes referred to as the Maryland State Senate, is the upper house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. Composed of 47 senators elected from an equal number of constituent single ...

in 1901. He was state's attorney for Talbot County from 1903 to 1908.

Congressional service

Covington was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

from

Maryland's 1st congressional district Maryland's 1st congressional district encompasses the entire Eastern Shore of Maryland, including Salisbury, Maryland, Salisbury, as well as Harford County, Maryland, Harford County and parts of Baltimore County, Maryland, Baltimore County; it i ...

to the

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

of the 61st, 62nd and

63rd United States Congress The 63rd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1913, t ...

es and served from March 4, 1909, until his resignation on September 30, 1914, to accept a judicial position.

Federal judicial service

Covington 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 8, 1914, to the Chief Justice seat on the

(now the

United States District Court for the District of Columbia The United States District Court for the District of Columbia (in case citations, D.D.C.) is a United States district court, federal district court in Washington, D.C. Along with the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii and ...

) vacated by Chief Justice Harry M. Clabaugh. 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 June 15, 1914, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on May 31, 1918, due to his resignation.

Special investigation

Covington was well regarded by President Wilson, who in 1917 gave him charge of an investigation of the radical

trade union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

the

Industrial Workers of the World The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), whose members are nicknamed "Wobblies", is an international labor union founded in Chicago, United States in 1905. The nickname's origin is uncertain. Its ideology combines general unionism with indu ...

(IWW)."Government Suppresses 'Reds' in Many Cities: Headquarters of Socialists and Other Organizations Preaching Sedition Raided Simultaneously," ''Los Angeles Times,'' Sept. 6, 1917, pg. 1. The investigation lasted several weeks and preceded coordinated mass raids by the

United States Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a United States federal executive departments, federal executive department of the U.S. government that oversees the domestic enforcement of Law of the Unite ...

against the IWW on September 5, 1917.

Later career and death

Covington returned to private practice in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

from 1918 to 1942. He was a Professor of Law for

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...

from 1914 to 1919. He was a member of the

Railway Wage Commission The Railway Wage Commission was a United States federal agency established in 1918 during World War I within the United States Railroad Administration. History The commission was authorized by President Woodrow Wilson on January 18, 1918 to exam ...

in 1918. He died on February 4, 1942, in Washington, D.C. He was interred in Spring Hill Cemetery in Easton.

Covington & Burling

Covington and Edward B. Burling established the

on January 1, 1919.Fletcher Hall
"Eastern Shore Footnote: The Seeds of Law Firm Giant Covington Burling,"
''Chestertown Spy,'' Dec. 19, 2012. Nine decades later Covington & Burling remained the oldest law firm in Washington, D.C., maintaining a staff of more than 1,000 attorneys and operating regional offices in New York, Los Angeles, Palo Alto, and San Francisco as well as international offices in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

, Germany, South Africa and Dubai.

Other service

Covington served as Worthy Grand Master on the Supreme Executive Committee of the

Kappa Sigma Kappa Sigma (), commonly known as Kappa Sig or KSig, is an American collegiate social fraternity founded at the University of Virginia in 1869. Kappa Sigma is one of the five largest international Fraternities and sororities in North America, fr ...

fraternity from 1892 to 1894.

References

Sources

* *

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Covington, James Harry 1870 births 1942 deaths District of Columbia judges Georgetown University Law Center faculty Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia People from Easton, Maryland United States district court judges appointed by Woodrow Wilson University of Pennsylvania Law School alumni Railway Wage Commission Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Maryland People associated with Covington & Burling 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives