John Downey Works (March 29, 1847June 6, 1928) was an American politician and lawyer. He was a
U.S. Senator representing
California from 1911 to 1917, and an associate justice of the
California Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of California is the highest and final court of appeals in the courts of the U.S. state of California. It is headquartered in San Francisco at the Earl Warren Building, but it regularly holds sessions in Los Angeles and Sac ...
from October 2, 1888, to January 5, 1891.
Biography
Works was born in
Ohio County, Indiana, and attended public schools there.
During the
American Civil War, he served as a member of the
10th Regiment of the Indiana Cavalry. Once discharged, he returned home,
read law
Reading law was the 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 under the ...
and in 1868 was admitted to the Indiana bar. In November 1878, he was elected as a representative in the
Indiana General Assembly
The Indiana General Assembly is the state legislature, or legislative branch, of the state of Indiana. It is a bicameral legislature that consists of a lower house, the Indiana House of Representatives, and an upper house, the Indiana Senate. ...
, serving during the 1879 term. In June 1883, he published a book of practice, pleading and forms to match the revised code of Indiana.
In 1883, Works's poor health forced a move to
San Diego, California
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...
, where he became active in the
Republican Party, and rose in California politics. In September 1886, he ran on the Republican ticket, and prior to the election was appointed by Governor
Robert Waterman as a judge of the San Diego County Superior Court. In September 1887, he resigned to return to private practice, and Governor Waterman appointed Edwin Parker to fill the vacant seat.
In 1888, Governor Waterman appointed Works as an associate justice of the California Supreme Court to fill a vacancy after the resignation of
Elisha W. McKinstry. In August 1888, the Republican Party nominated Works and he was elected to the remaining portion of McKinstry's term ending January 5, 1891. In 1891, after stepping down from the bench, Works became president of the San Diego Sun company, and then returned to private practice with his son in the firm of Works & Works in San Diego.
In January 1896, Works moved to
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
. On December 7, 1909, he was elected as a council member of the
Los Angeles City Council
The Los Angeles City Council is the legislative body of the City of Los Angeles in California.
The council is composed of 15 members elected from single-member districts for four-year terms. The president of the council and the president pro tem ...
, and chosen as its president, but he resigned shortly after on March 22, 1910.
In 1911, Works was elected to the U.S. Senate, where he served on the committee on Expenditures in the War Department (
Sixty-second United States Congress) and the Committee on Fisheries. In February 1917, he and other Progressive Senators, under the moniker "twelve willful men," blocked by
filibuster
A filibuster is a political procedure in which one or more members of a legislative body prolong debate on proposed legislation so as to delay or entirely prevent decision. It is sometimes referred to as "talking a bill to death" or "talking out ...
legislation empowering President
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...
to arm merchant vessels prior to the United States entering
World War I.
After retiring from the Senate he wrote two books: (1919) ''Duty to Man: A Study of Social Conditions and How They May Be Improved'' and (1922) ''What's Wrong With the World?''
On June 6, 1928, he died in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
and his ashes were placed in
Inglewood Park Cemetery
Inglewood Park Cemetery, 720 East Florence Avenue in Inglewood, California, was founded in 1905.
A number of notable people, including entertainment and sports personalities, have been interred or entombed there.
History
The proposed est ...
.
Personal life
On November 7, 1868, he married Alice Banta, in
Vevay, Indiana
Vevay ( ) is a town located in Jefferson Township and the county seat of Switzerland County, Indiana, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 1,683 at the 2010 census.
History
The first settlers who arrived in 1802 were Swiss i ...
, and they had two sons, Thomas L. and Louis R., who became an attorney and practiced with his father, and later the presiding justice of the
Court of Appeal
A court of appeals, also called a court of appeal, appellate court, appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal. In much of ...
, Second Division; as well as five daughters: Josephine (who died as an infant), Ida, Laura, Ethel and Isabel. He is said to have been a member of the
Church of Christ, Scientist
The Church of Christ, Scientist was founded in 1879 in Boston, Massachusetts, by Mary Baker Eddy, author of '' Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,'' and founder of Christian Science. The church was founded "to commemorate the word and ...
.
The Political Graveyard: Christian Scientist Politicians
at politicalgraveyard.com
Notes
Selected publications
* Works, John D. (1919)
Man's Duty to Man: A Study of Social Conditions and How They May Be Improved
New York: Neale Publishing Co.
Online books by John D. Works
Library of the University of Pennsylvania.
External links
Guide to the John D. Works Papers
at The Bancroft Library
The Bancroft Library in the center of the campus of the University of California, Berkeley, is the university's primary special-collections library. It was acquired from its founder, Hubert Howe Bancroft, in 1905, with the proviso that it retai ...
John D. Works
California Supreme Court Historical Society.
''John D. Works v. Superior Court''
130 Cal. 304, 62 P. 507 (Cal. 1900).
California State Courts. Retrieved July 19, 2017.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Works, John Downey
1847 births
1928 deaths
People from Rising Sun, Indiana
American Christian Scientists
California Republicans
Republican Party United States senators from California
Justices of the Supreme Court of California
Superior court judges in the United States
U.S. state supreme court judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law
19th-century American judges
19th-century American lawyers
20th-century American lawyers
19th-century American politicians
20th-century American politicians
Politicians from San Diego
Presidents of the Los Angeles City Council
People of Indiana in the American Civil War
Union Army soldiers
Burials at Inglewood Park Cemetery
California state court judges