hubert howe bancroft - Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History ...

CHAPTER X.
THE JUDICIARY.
1850-1872.
THE FIRST SUPREME COURT—PERSONNEL OF THE JUDGES—INFLUENCE ON
OPINION—EVILS OF AN ELECTIVE JUDICIARY—CHARACTER OF CASES TO
BE DETERMINED, AND INFLUENCE ON INDUSTRY—LAND AND MINING
INTERESTS—EFFECT OF THE AMENDED CONSTITUTION—FEDERAL COURTS
- IN CALIFORNIA—THE MUNICIPALITY AND THE CONSOLIDATION ACT—
PUEBLO LANDS—COMPILATION OF THE LAWS.
THE supreme judges elected by the legislature in 1850
were S. C. Hastings, chief justice, and H. A. Lyons and
Nathaniel Bennett, associates. Hastings served his
term of two years. Lyons became chief justice by
seniority in 1852, but resigned in April. Bennett
had resigned in October 1851. Thus, in the course
of a little more than two years, the whole supreme
bench was changed. Solomon Heydenfeldt was the
first elected supreme judge to succeed Hastings.
To fill vacancies, Hugh (3. Murray was appointed
vice Bennett; A. Anderson vice Lyons. At the
general election of 1852, Murray was chosen to fill
the unexpired term of Bennett; and in 1855 he was
re-elected, to a full term, but died before the end of
his term. At the same election Alexander Wells
was chosen for the unexpired term of Lyons, and in
1853 he was elected for a full term, but died in October
1854. Charles N. Bryan was appointed to the
vacancy until September 1855, when David S. Terry
was elected to the unexpired term of Wells, ending
in 1859. Heydenfeldt served until January 1857,
when he resigned, and P. H. Burnett was appointed
to the vacancy. Thus in seven years there were ten
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