Cornelius Holgate Hanford (April 21, 1849 – March 2, 1926) was a

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the United States federal judiciary, U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each United States federal judicial district, federal judicial district, which each cover o ...

of the United States District Court for the District of Washington and the

United States District Court for the Western District of Washington The United States District Court for the Western District of Washington (in case citations, W.D. Wash.) is the federal district court whose jurisdiction comprises the following counties of the state of Washington: Clallam, Clark, Cowlitz, Grays H ...

, and was the only Judge to serve in the District of Washington and the first to serve in the Western District of Washington. Hanford resigned in the face of an

impeachment investigation An impeachment investigation (also known as an “impeachment inquiry”) is an investigation or inquiry which takes place in relation to an impeachment or potential impeachment. In some governments, such as Ireland, Singapore, and Turkey, impeach ...

by the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

. He was the younger brother of the newspaper editor

Thaddeus Hanford Thaddeus Hanford, Jr. (1847–1892) was an American newspaper editor. Hanford was the eldest son of Seattle pioneers Edward and Abby Hanford and the older brother of Cornelius H. Hanford. He work as an editor of the ''Daily Intelligencer'' and bou ...

Education and career

Born on April 21, 1849, in

Winchester Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

, Hanford

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 ...

in 1875. He entered private practice in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

Washington Territory The Territory of Washington was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1853, until November 11, 1889, when the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Washington. It was created from the ...

(State of

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

from November 11, 1889) from 1875 to 1889. He was a United States Commissioner for the United States District Court for the District of Washington Territory from 1875 to 1876. He was a member of the Territorial Council for the Washington Territory from 1877 to 1878. He was an

Assistant United States Attorney An assistant United States attorney (AUSA) is an official career civil service position in the U.S. Department of Justice composed of lawyers working under the U.S. Attorney of each U.S. federal judicial district. They represent the federal gove ...

for the District of Washington Territory from 1881 to 1886. He was city attorney for Seattle from 1882 to 1885. He was Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Washington Territory in 1889.

Federal judicial service

Hanford was nominated by President

Benjamin Harrison Benjamin Harrison (August 20, 1833March 13, 1901) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 23rd president of the United States from 1889 to 1893. He was a member of the Harrison family of Virginia–a grandson of the ninth pr ...

on February 10, 1890, to the United States District Court for the District of Washington, to a new seat authorized by 25 Stat. 676. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

on February 25, 1890, and received his commission the same day. Hanford was reassigned by

operation of law The phrase "by operation of law" is a legal term that indicates that a right or liability has been created for a party, irrespective of the intent of that party, because it is dictated by existing legal principles. For example, if a person dies wi ...

to the

on March 2, 1905, to a new seat authorized by 33 Stat. 824. His service terminated on August 5, 1912, due to his resignation.

Impeachment investigation and resignation

In 1912, Hanford became the subject of public controversy, and an impeachment inquiry by the

, after a ruling in which he revoked the citizenship of an immigrant as having been procured by fraud, allegedly due to the person's

Socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...

beliefs. A House committee investigating the impeachment resolution heard testimony accusing Hanford of habitual drunkenness, and of having accepted financial favors from the

Northern Pacific Railroad The Northern Pacific Railway was a transcontinental railroad that operated across the northern tier of the western United States, from Minnesota to the Pacific Northwest. It was approved by 38th United States Congress, Congress in 1864 and given ...

after making a ruling that reduced the company's tax liability. Hanford resigned his judgeship immediately after the testimony about the Northern Pacific transaction was completed, amid insinuations in the press that further witnesses were about to reveal even more corrupt behavior. The House committee terminated its impeachment proceedings upon his resignation.

Later career and death

Following his resignation from the federal bench, Hanford resumed private practice in Seattle from 1912 to 1926. He died on March 2, 1926, in Honolulu, Hawaii while visiting his son, Major E.C. Hanford.

Family

Hanford was the younger brother of newspaper editor

Honor

The former agricultural community of Hanford, Washington was named for Hanford.

References

External links

* *
HistoryLink Essay: Seattle celebrates its 54th birthday and dedicates the Alki Point monument on November 13, 1905.
* Deloria Jr., V. (1977). Indians of the Pacific Northwest, New York: Doubleday. {{DEFAULTSORT:Hanford, Cornelius H. 1849 births 1926 deaths Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Washington Judges of the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington Lawyers from Seattle People from Van Buren County, Iowa United States federal judges appointed by Benjamin Harrison 19th-century American judges People from Walla Walla, Washington 19th-century American people Assistant United States Attorneys