Elliott Northcott (April 26, 1869 – January 3, 1946) 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 ...

Early and family life

Born in Clarksburg,

West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...

, Northcott attended the

University of Michigan Law School The University of Michigan Law School (branded as Michigan Law) is the law school of the University of Michigan, a public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Founded in 1859, the school offers Master of Laws (LLM), Master of Comparati ...

, but

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 ...

to enter the bar in 1891. Northcott married Lola Beardsley in 1893.

Lawyer and diplomat

Northcott was admitted to the West Virginia bar and began a private legal practice in 1891. He became the city attorney of

Huntington Huntington may refer to: Places Canada * Huntington, Nova Scotia New Zealand * Huntington, New Zealand a suburb in Hamilton, New Zealand United Kingdom * Huntington, Cheshire, England * Huntington, East Lothian, Scotland * Huntingto ...

, West Virginia, serving from 1897 to 1898, and then became 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 gov ...

of the Southern District of West Virginia from 1898 to 1905, and won promotion to become the

United States Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal ...

for that district from 1905 to 1909. Northcott then became a diplomat in the U.S. State department. The United States Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

from 1909 to 1911, he held a similar position in

Nicaragua Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the geographically largest Sovereign state, country in Central America, comprising . With a population of 7,142,529 as of 2024, it is the third-most populous country in Central America aft ...

in 1911, and then transferred to a similar position with respect to

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

(1911 to 1913). He returned to private practice in West Virginia from 1915 to 1922, and again served as the United States Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia from 1922 to 1927.

Federal judge

Northcott 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

Calvin Coolidge Calvin Coolidge (born John Calvin Coolidge Jr.; ; July 4, 1872January 5, 1933) was the 30th president of the United States, serving from 1923 to 1929. A Republican Party (United States), Republican lawyer from Massachusetts, he previously ...

on April 6, 1927, to a seat on the

vacated by Judge

John Carter Rose John Carter Rose (April 27, 1861 – March 26, 1927) was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and previously was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Distr ...

. He was nominated to the same position by President Coolidge on December 6, 1927. 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 December 15, 1927, and received his commission the same day. He assumed senior status on October 15, 1939.

Death and legacy

Judge Northcott died on January 3, 1946, in Arcadia,

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Northcott, Elliott 1869 births 1946 deaths Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit United States court of appeals judges appointed by Calvin Coolidge Lawyers from Clarksburg, West Virginia West Virginia lawyers West Virginia city attorneys University of Michigan Law School alumni Ambassadors of the United States to Colombia United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law United States attorneys for the Southern District of West Virginia Assistant United States attorneys