Joseph Buffington (September 5, 1855 – October 21, 1947) was a

United States circuit judge In the United States, a federal judge is a judge who serves on a court established under Article Three of the U.S. Constitution. Often called "Article III judges", federal judges include the chief justice and associate justices of the U.S. Su ...

of the

United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (in case citations, 3d Cir.) is a United States federal court, federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the United States district court, district courts for the following United Sta ...

and of the United States Circuit Courts for the Third Circuit and previously was a United States district judge of the

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Education and career

Born on September 5, 1855, in Kittanning,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

, Buffington received an Artium Baccalaureus degree in 1875 from

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Hartford Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

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and

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in 1878. He entered private practice in Kittanning from 1878 to 1892.

Federal judicial service

Buffington was nominated by President

Benjamin Harrison Benjamin Harrison (August 20, 1833March 13, 1901) was the 23rd president of the United States, serving from 1889 to 1893. He was a member of the Harrison family of Virginia—a grandson of the ninth president, William Henry Harrison, and a ...

on February 10, 1892, to a seat on the

vacated by Judge

James Hay Reed James Hay Reed (September 10, 1853 – June 17, 1927) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. With partner Philander C. Knox, he formed the law firm of Knox and Reed. Ear ...

. 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 February 23, 1892, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on September 26, 1906, due to his elevation to the Third Circuit. Buffington received a

recess appointment In the United States, a recess appointment is an appointment by the President of the United States, president of a Officer of the United States, federal official when the United States Senate, U.S. Senate is in Recess (motion), recess. Under the ...

from President

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...

on September 25, 1906, to a joint seat on the

and the United States Circuit Courts for the Third Circuit vacated by Judge Marcus W. Acheson. He was nominated to the same position by President Roosevelt on December 3, 1906. He was confirmed by the Senate on December 11, 1906, and received his commission the same day. On December 31, 1911, the Circuit Courts were abolished and he thereafter served only on the Court of Appeals. He was a member of the

Conference of Senior Circuit Judges The Judicial Conference of the United States, formerly known as the Conference of Senior Circuit Judges, was created by the United States Congress in 1922 with the principal objective of framing policy guidelines for administration of judicial co ...

(now the

Judicial Conference of the United States The Judicial Conference of the United States, formerly known as the Conference of Senior Circuit Judges, was created by the United States Congress in 1922 with the principal objective of framing policy guidelines for administration of judicial co ...

) from 1922 to 1937. He was the last appeals court judge who continued to serve in active service appointed by President Roosevelt. He assumed senior status on June 1, 1938. His service terminated on October 21, 1947, due to his death in

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, Pennsylvania.

Scandal

During the 1930s, Buffington became involved in a scandal involving his colleague on the Court of Appeals, Judge John Warren Davis. Buffington was found to have been signing opinions drafted by Davis, in cases in which Davis received bribes. Davis was forced out of office, but no formal action was taken against Buffington, who was described as being "aged, senile, and nearly blind" by that time. He took what is now called senior status, a form of semi-retirement, on June 1, 1938, and ceased hearing cases.
, Why Judges Resign: Influences on Federal Judicial Service, 1789 to 1992 , Emily Field Van Tassel , With Beverly Hudson Wirtz and Peter Wonders , Federal Judicial History Office , Federal Judicial Center , 1993

/ref>

Family

Buffington was the son of Ephraim and Margaret Chambers (Orr) Buffington,George Thornton Fleming, ''History of Pittsburgh and Environs'' (1922), p. 860-61. and nephew to a well-known Pennsylvania judge Joseph Buffington (congressman), of the same name. On January 29, 1885, he married Mary Alice Simonton, of

Emmitsburg Emmitsburg is a town in Frederick County, Maryland, United States, south of the Mason-Dixon line separating Maryland from Pennsylvania. Founded in 1785, Emmitsburg is the home of Mount St. Mary's University. The town has two Catholic pilgrim ...

, Maryland.

References

Sources

* Van Tassel, Emily Field, et al., ''Why Judges Resign: Influences on Federal Judicial Service, 1789 to 1992'' (Federal Judicial Center 1993), p. 23.
The Political Graveyard
*

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Buffington, Joseph 1855 births 1947 deaths People from Kittanning, Pennsylvania Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit Judges of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania lawyers Pennsylvania state court judges United States federal judges appointed by Benjamin Harrison United States court of appeals judges appointed by Theodore Roosevelt United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law