Halsted L. Ritter
American judge (1868–1951)
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Halsted Lockwood Ritter (July 14, 1868 – October 15, 1951) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. He was the thirteenth individual to be impeached by the United States House of Representatives and the fourth individual to be convicted and removed from office in an impeachment trial before the United States Senate. He was also the last federal official to be impeached by the House of Representatives until Harry E. Claiborne (not counting Richard Nixon, who resigned before he was impeached), when he was impeached and removed from office by the Senate for tax evasion in 1936.
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July 14, 1868
Halsted Ritter | |
|---|---|
| |
| Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida | |
| In office February 15, 1929 – April 17, 1936 | |
| Appointed by | Calvin Coolidge |
| Preceded by | Rhydon Mays Call |
| Succeeded by | John W. Holland |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Halsted Lockwood Ritter July 14, 1868 Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. |
| Died | October 15, 1951 (aged 83) Laurel, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Relatives | Mary Ritter Beard (sister) Charles A. Beard (brother-in-law) |
| Education | DePauw University (BPhil, LLB, MA) |
Education and career
Born on July 14, 1868, in Indianapolis, Indiana,[1] Ritter received a Bachelor of Philosophy degree in 1891, a Bachelor of Laws in 1892, and an Artium Magister degree in 1893, all from DePauw University.[1] He entered private practice in Indianapolis from 1892 to 1895.[1] He continued private practice in Denver, Colorado from 1895 to 1925.[1] He was the Republican nominee for Governor of Colorado in 1912.[2] In 1919, as a member of the Denver Lions Club, he attended the association's 3rd international convention in Chicago, where he proposed what would become the association's slogan - "liberty, intelligence, and our nation's safety", a backronym for the Lions name.[3] In 1925, he moved to West Palm Beach, Florida[1] for his wife's health[citation needed] and continued in private practice until 1929.[1] Ritter wrote a book, Washington as a Business Man, published in 1931 by Sears Publishing of New York.
Federal judicial service
Ritter was nominated by President Calvin Coolidge on January 23, 1929, to a seat on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida vacated by Judge Rhydon Mays Call.[1] He was confirmed by the United States Senate on February 15, 1929, and received his commission the same day.[1] His service terminated on April 17, 1936, due to his impeachment, conviction and removal from office.[1]
Details of impeachment
On May 29, 1933, United States Representative J. Mark Wilcox of Florida introduced resolution (H. Res. 163) authorizing the House Judiciary Committee to investigate Ritter's conduct to "determine whether in the opinion of the committee he had been guilty of any high crime or misdemeanor."[4]
On March 2, 1936, the United States House of Representatives voted to impeach Ritter by 181 votes to 146 (with 7 present and 96 not voting).[4] The proceedings were only the 13th impeachment case in the 147 years of Congress.[citation needed]
On March 30, 1936, the House amended and expanded the articles of impeachment; the United States Senate ultimately voted on seven articles of impeachment.[4]
The seven articles (as amended) alleged, among other things:
- Article I: That Ritter fixed an additional and "exorbitant" fee of $75,000 for his former law partner, Albert L. Rankin, in the Whitehall foreclosure/receivership matter, and that Rankin paid Ritter $4,500 in cash, which Ritter "corruptly and unlawfully accepted and received."[4]
- Article II: That Ritter entered into an arrangement with Rankin and others connected with the Whitehall bankruptcy/receivership proceedings to keep the property in litigation in his court, allowed excessive and unwarranted fees, and received free rooms, meals and valet service at the Whitehall Hotel (including for family members/guests) at the expense of the receivership estate, among other alleged misconduct.[4]
- Article III: That after becoming a federal judge, Ritter was engaged in the practice of law and solicited/received a $2,000 fee in connection with the "Brazilian Court Building Corporation" litigation, appropriating the money for his own use.[4]
- Article IV: That Ritter was engaged in the practice of law while a federal judge in connection with the Boca Raton and Edgewater matters involving J. R. Francis and received $7,500 for that work.[4]
- Article V: That Ritter willfully attempted to evade federal income tax for 1929 (including by failing to report income described in the articles), allegedly receiving about $12,000 of taxable income above his judicial salary and paying no income tax on it.[4]
- Article VI: That Ritter willfully attempted to evade federal income tax for 1930 (including by failing to report income described in the articles), allegedly receiving about $5,300 of taxable income above his judicial salary and paying no income tax on it.[4]
- Article VII: A general article alleging misbehavior and high crimes and misdemeanors (incorporating the conduct alleged in the earlier articles and additional specified conduct) the reasonable and probable consequence of which was to bring his court into scandal and disrepute and undermine public confidence in the judiciary.[4]
On March 6, 1936, the House appointed Hatton W. Sumners of Texas, Randolph Perkins of New Jersey, and Sam Hobbs of Alabama as managers to conduct the impeachment trial in the Senate.[4] Ritter was represented by Frank P. Walsh and Carl T. Hoffman as counsel.[4]
On April 6, 1936, the Senate began Ritter's impeachment trial.[4] On April 17, 1936, the Senate voted to acquit Ritter on Articles I–VI and to convict him on Article VII (56 guilty to 28 not guilty), and Ritter was removed from office the same day.[4] A motion to disqualify Ritter from holding any future federal office failed (yeas 0, nays 76).[4]
Legal challenge to conviction
After his conviction and removal, Ritter brought an action in the federal Court of Claims seeking to recover his judicial salary, claiming the Senate had exceeded its jurisdiction in trying him for non-impeachable charges. The Court of Claims dismissed the case for want of jurisdiction, holding that the impeachment power is vested in Congress and is not subject to judicial review.[4]
Later career and death
After his removal from office, Ritter continued to practice law in Miami, Florida.[citation needed] He became ill while flying to the West Coast, and stopped in New Orleans, Louisiana.[citation needed] He subsequently traveled to Laurel, Mississippi, Mississippi to recover while staying with friends.[citation needed] He died there on October 15, 1951.[1][5]
Personal
Ritter's sister was Mary Ritter Beard, the wife of Charles A. Beard; both were noted historians.[citation needed]