Charles Henry Simonton (July 11, 1829 – April 25, 1904) 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 Fourth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (in case citations, 4th Cir.) is a United States federal court, federal court located in Richmond, Virginia, with appellate jurisdiction over the United States district court, district cou ...

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

United States District Court for the District of South Carolina The United States District Court for the District of South Carolina (in case citations, D.S.C.) is the federal district court whose jurisdiction is the state of South Carolina. Court is held in the cities of Aiken, Anderson, Beaufort, Charle ...

Education and career

Born on July 11, 1829, in Charleston,

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

, Simonton graduated from South Carolina College (now the

University of South Carolina The University of South Carolina (USC, SC, or Carolina) is a Public university, public research university in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1801 as South Carolina College, It is the flagship of the University of South Car ...

) in 1849. He

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 1851. He entered private practice in Charleston from 1851 to 1886. He was an assistant clerk for the

South Carolina House of Representatives The South Carolina House of Representatives is the lower house of the South Carolina General Assembly. It consists of 124 representatives elected to two-year terms at the same time as U.S. congressional elections. Unlike many legislatures, seatin ...

from 1851 to 1852. He was a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from 1858 to 1862. He was a Colonel in the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the Military forces of the Confederate States, military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) duri ...

from 1861 to 1865. He was a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from 1865 to 1866, and from 1877 to 1886.

Federal judicial service

Simonton 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

Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States, serving from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. He was the first U.S. president to serve nonconsecutive terms and the first Hist ...

on September 3, 1886, to a seat on the

vacated by Judge George Seabrook Bryan. He was nominated to the same position by President Cleveland on December 9, 1886. 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 January 13, 1887, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on December 28, 1893, due to his elevation to the Fourth Circuit. Simonton was nominated by President Cleveland on December 11, 1893, to a joint seat on the

and the United States Circuit Courts for the Fourth Circuit vacated by Judge Hugh Lennox Bond. He was confirmed by the Senate on December 19, 1893, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on April 25, 1904, due to his death in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

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 ...

References

Sources

* Memorial proceedings on the Life and Character of Charles Henry Simonton, United States Circuit Court of Appeals, Richmond VA, May 10, 1904 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Simonton, Charles Henry 1829 births 1904 deaths Lawyers from Charleston, South Carolina Confederate States Army officers Judges of the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit United States federal judges appointed by Grover Cleveland United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law People of South Carolina in the American Civil War 20th-century American judges