Jeter Connelly Pritchard (July 12, 1857 – April 10, 1921) was a lawyer, newspaperman, United States Senator and a
United States circuit judge 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 an associate justice of the
Supreme Court of the District of Columbia
The United States District Court for the District of Columbia (in case citations, D.D.C.) is a federal district court in Washington, D.C. Along with the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii and the High Court of American ...
. Earlier in his political career he served in the
North Carolina House of Representatives
The North Carolina House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. The House is a 120-member body led by a Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives, Speaker of the House, who holds powers si ...
. He was a Republican who was part of the populist fusion political wave before later opposing civil rights for African Americans.
Early life and education
Born on July 12, 1857, in
Jonesboro, Washington County, Tennessee,
He attended the Martins Creek Academy in Tennessee.
Career
Pritchard was apprenticed to the printer's trade, then moved to
Bakersville, Mitchell County, North Carolina, in 1873.
He became joint editor and owner of the ''Roan Mountain Republican''.
He was a
Presidential Elector
In the United States, the Electoral College is the group of presidential electors that is formed every four years for the sole purpose of voting for the president and vice president in the presidential election. This process is described in ...
on the
Republican Party ticket in North Carolina in 1880.
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 ...
and was admitted to the bar in 1889.
He entered private practice in
Marshall, North Carolina
Marshall is a town in Madison County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 777 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 872 in 2010 United States census, 2010. It is the county seat of Madison County.
History
During ...
, starting in 1889.
Political career
He was a member of the
North Carolina House of Representatives
The North Carolina House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. The House is a 120-member body led by a Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives, Speaker of the House, who holds powers si ...
from 1885 to 1889, and from 1891 to 1893.
He was an unsuccessful candidate for Lieutenant Governor in 1888 and an unsuccessful candidate for
United States Senator
The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress.
Party affiliation
Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...
in 1891.
He was President of the North Carolina Protective Tariff League in 1891.
He was an unsuccessful candidate for election to the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...
of the
53rd United States Congress in 1892.
Congressional service
Pritchard was elected as a Republican to 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 ...
in 1894 to fill the vacancy caused by the death of
United States Senator
The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress.
Party affiliation
Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...
Zebulon Baird Vance.
He was reelected in 1897 and served from January 23, 1895, to March 3, 1903.
The victory of the
Republican-
Populist
Populism is a contested concept used to refer to a variety of political stances that emphasize the idea of the " common people" and often position this group in opposition to a perceived elite. It is frequently associated with anti-establis ...
alliance (or "fusion") in the 1894 legislative elections, and their subsequent domination of 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 ...
was the key factor in Pritchard's initial election and subsequent reelection. He was Chairman of the Committee on Civil Service and Retrenchment for the
54th and
55th United States Congresses and Chairman of the Committee on Patents for the
56th and
57th United States Congress
The 57th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from March 4, 1901, to ...
es.
On October 21, 1898, Pritchard sent a letter to President
William McKinley
William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until Assassination of William McKinley, his assassination in 1901. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Repub ...
, requesting federal marshals to protect black voters in the upcoming election. He warned that Democrats were stockpiling weapons and threatening black voters, and said that Democrats' claims of "Negro domination" were without basis. The letter was discussed by McKinley and his cabinet on October 24, but federal marshals were not sent as Governor
Daniel Lindsay Russell had not made the request. As a result, intimidation by
Red Shirts kept black voters away from the polls, resulting in a sweeping Democratic victory. On the day following the election, the
Wilmington insurrection of 1898
Wilmington may refer to:
Places
Australia
*Wilmington, South Australia, a town and locality
**District Council of Wilmington, a former local government area
**Wilmington railway line, a former railway line
United Kingdom
*Wilmington, Devon
*Wi ...
broke out.
Pritchard began reversing his views on civil rights in 1900, becoming a
lily-white and opposing black officeholders.
Federal judicial service
Pritchard was nominated by President
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 ...
on November 10, 1903, to an Associate Justice seat on the
Supreme Court of the District of Columbia
The United States District Court for the District of Columbia (in case citations, D.D.C.) is a federal district court in Washington, D.C. Along with the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii and the High Court of American ...
(now the
United States District Court for the District of Columbia
The United States District Court for the District of Columbia (in case citations, D.D.C.) is a United States district court, federal district court in Washington, D.C. Along with the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii and ...
) vacated by Associate Justice
Harry M. Clabaugh.
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 November 16, 1903, and received his commission the same day.
His service terminated on June 1, 1904, due to his elevation to the Fourth Circuit.
While in office Pritchard twice offered resolutions demanding that the Senate declare the
grandfather clause a violation of the
Fourteenth and
Fifteenth Amendments, but both attempts failed.
Pritchard was nominated by President Roosevelt on April 27, 1904, to a joint seat on 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 the
United States Circuit Courts for the Fourth Circuit vacated by Judge
Charles Henry Simonton.
He was confirmed by the Senate on April 27, 1904, and received his commission the same day.
On December 31, 1911, the Circuit Courts were abolished and he thereafter served only on the Court of Appeals.
His service terminated on April 10, 1921, due to his death in
Asheville, North Carolina.
He was interred in the
Riverside Cemetery in Asheville,
near fellow North Carolina Senators
Thomas Lanier Clingman and
Zebulon Baird Vance.
Family

Senator Pritchard married Augusta L. Ray in 1877 and they became the parents of three sons and a daughter—William D. (an army officer killed in the Philippines in 1904),
George M. Pritchard (a politician in the Republican Party),
Thomas A., and Ida (Mrs. Thomas S. Rollins). Following the death in 1886 of his wife, Pritchard married Melissa Bowman by whom he had another son, J. McKinley. After the death of his second wife in 1902, Judge Pritchard married Lillian E. Saum in 1903.
Honor
Pritchard Park in downtown Asheville is named in Pritchard's memory.
References
Sources
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*
External links
North Carolina Election of 1898
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Pritchard, Jeter C.
1857 births
1921 deaths
Burials at Riverside Cemetery (Asheville, North Carolina)
People from Jonesborough, Tennessee
Republican Party members of the North Carolina House of Representatives
Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia
Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
United States district court judges appointed by Theodore Roosevelt
United States court of appeals judges appointed by Theodore Roosevelt
Candidates in the 1920 United States presidential election
Republican Party United States senators from North Carolina
United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law
20th-century United States senators
19th-century United States senators
19th-century members of the North Carolina General Assembly