Francis Irwin Osborne (May 28, 1853 – January 20, 1920) was the
Attorney General of North Carolina
The attorney general of North Carolina is a statewide elected office in the United States, U.S. state of North Carolina. The attorney general is a state constitutional officer, constitutional officer responsible for representing state agencies i ...
from 1893 to 1896.
Biography
Francis Osborne was born in
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 United ...
on May 28, 1853.
He attended
Davidson College
Davidson College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Davidson, North Carolina, United States. It was established in 1837 by the Concord Presbytery and named after American Revolutiona ...
before reading law for 2 years in the offices of
Richmond Mumford Pearson, Chief Justice of the
North Carolina Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the State of North Carolina is the state of North Carolina's highest appellate court. Until the creation of the North Carolina Court of Appeals in the 1960s, it was the state's only appellate court. The Supreme Court consists ...
.
[ Osborne was admitted to the North Carolina Bar in 1875. At age 25, he was elected mayor of the city of Charlotte. He was elected Attorney General of North Carolina in 1893, but, defeated for reelection to the same office in 1896. Osborne served a term as a ]State Senator
A state senator is a member of a State legislature (United States), state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature.
History
There are typically fewer state senators than there ...
from Mecklenburg County, North Carolina
Mecklenburg County () is a County (United States), county located in the southwestern region of the U.S. state of North Carolina, in the United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 1,115,482, making it th ...
in the North Carolina General Assembly
The North Carolina General Assembly is the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of the Government of North Carolina, state government of North Carolina. The legislature consists of two chambers: the North Carolina Senate, Senate and the North Ca ...
from 1898 to 1899. He served on 9 standing Senate Committees. After 1899, Osborne resumed his legal practice at the law firm of Osborne, Maxwell & Kearn. Though, himself, a Democrat, in 1901 Osborne defended both North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice David M. Furches and North Carolina Supreme Court Associate Justice Robert Martin Douglas during their impeachment hearings. Osborne was of the opinion that the Republican judges' impeachments were unwarranted and an attempted political purge. Osborne's brilliant speech before the North Carolina General Assembly in closing defense of the justices caused both to be acquitted. As reward for his successful defense of the justices, Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...
upon assuming office as President of the United States
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...
appointed Osborne a judge of the United States Court of Private Land Claims, on which he served from 1901 to 1904.[''History of North Carolina'', Vol. 6, copyright 1919, Chicago: Lewis Publishing Company, pp. 283-284]
Francis Osborne died at his home in Charlotte on January 20, 1920.[
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Osborne, Francis I.
1853 births
1920 deaths
19th-century mayors of places in North Carolina
Lawyers from Charlotte, North Carolina
Mayors of Charlotte, North Carolina
North Carolina attorneys general
Democratic Party North Carolina state senators
United States Article I federal judges appointed by Theodore Roosevelt
United States Court of Private Land Claims judges
19th-century members of the North Carolina General Assembly