Ezekiel B. Turner (May 24, 1825 – June 2, 1888) was a
United States district judge
The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district. Each district covers one U.S. state or a portion of a state. There is at least one feder ...
of the
United States District Court for the Western District of Texas
The United States District Court for the Western District of Texas (in case citations, W.D. Tex.) is a federal district court. The court convenes in San Antonio with divisions in Austin, Del Rio, El Paso, Midland, Pecos, and Waco. It has ...
.
Education and career
Born in
Putney, Vermont
Putney is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,617 at the 2020 census.
The town's historic core makes up the Putney Village Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
His ...
, Turner
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 1848. He became a prosecuting attorney of St. Joseph County, Michigan in 1850, and then a justice of the peace for that county. He was in private practice in
Austin, Texas
Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...
from 1854 to 1861, becoming a prosecuting attorney of Brownsville, Texas in 1863. He was 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 the Western District of Texas from 1866 to 1867. He was the
Attorney General of Texas
The Texas attorney general is the chief legal officer of the from 1867 to 1870, and then served as a Texas Judge, first of the 32nd Judicial District of Texas from 1871 to 1876, and then of the 16th Judicial District of Texas beginning in 1876.
Federal judicial service
Turner 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
Rutherford B. Hayes
Rutherford Birchard Hayes (; October 4, 1822 – January 17, 1893) was the 19th president of the United States, serving from 1877 to 1881.
Hayes served as Cincinnati's city solicitor from 1858 to 1861. He was a staunch Abolitionism in the Un ...
on November 18, 1880, to a seat on the
United States District Court for the Western District of Texas
The United States District Court for the Western District of Texas (in case citations, W.D. Tex.) is a federal district court. The court convenes in San Antonio with divisions in Austin, Del Rio, El Paso, Midland, Pecos, and Waco. It has ...
vacated by Judge
Thomas Howard DuVal
Thomas Howard DuVal (November 4, 1813 – October 10, 1880) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas.
Education and career
Born November 4, 1813, in Buckingham County, Virginia, Du ...
. He was nominated to the same position by President Hayes on December 14, 1880. 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 20, 1880, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on June 2, 1888, due to his death in Austin.
Texas State Historical Association
The Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) is an American nonprofit educational and research organization dedicated to documenting the history of Texas. It was founded in Austin, Texas, United States, on March 2, 1897. In November 2008, the ...