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{{About|the Pennsylvania federal judge|the Pennsylvania Congressman and state court judge|Joseph Buffington (congressman)}}
{{About|the Pennsylvania federal judge|the Pennsylvania Congressman and state court judge|Joseph Buffington (congressman)}}
{{Short description|American judge}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix =
| name = Joseph Buffington
| honorific-suffix =
| image = Judge Buffington LCCN2014685920 (2) (cropped).jpg
| alt =
| caption = Joseph Buffington (1901)
| office = [[Senior status|Senior Judge]] of the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit]]
| term_start = June 1, 1938
| term_end = October 21, 1947
| office1 = Judge of the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit]]
| term_start1 = September 25, 1906
| term_end1 = June 1, 1938
| nominator1 =
| appointer1 = [[List of federal judges appointed by Theodore Roosevelt|Theodore Roosevelt]]
| predecessor1 = [[Marcus W. Acheson]]
| successor1 = [[Francis Biddle]]
| office2 = Judge of the [[United States circuit court|United States Circuit Courts for the Third Circuit]]
| term_start2 = September 25, 1906
| term_end2 = December 31, 1911
| nominator2 =
| appointer2 = [[List of federal judges appointed by Theodore Roosevelt|Theodore Roosevelt]]
| predecessor2 = [[Marcus W. Acheson]]
| successor2 = ''Seat abolished''
| office3 = Judge of the [[United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania]]
| term_start3 = February 23, 1892
| term_end3 = September 26, 1906
| nominator3 =
| appointer3 = [[List of federal judges appointed by Benjamin Harrison|Benjamin Harrison]]
| predecessor3 = [[James Hay Reed]]
| successor3 = [[Nathaniel Ewing]]
| pronunciation =
| birth_name = Joseph Buffington
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1855|09|05}}
| birth_place = [[Kittanning, Pennsylvania|Kittanning]], [[Pennsylvania]]
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1947|10|21|1855|09|05}}
| death_place = [[Pittsburgh]], [[Pennsylvania]]
| death_cause =
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| resting_place_coordinates =
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| children =
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| education = [[Trinity College (Connecticut)|Trinity College]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|AB]])<br>[[read law]]
| alma_mater =
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<!--Embedded templates / Footnotes-->
| footnotes =
}}
'''Joseph Buffington''' (September 5, 1855 – October 21, 1947) was a [[United States federal judge|United States circuit judge]] of the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit]] and of the [[United States circuit court|United States Circuit Courts for the Third Circuit]] and previously was a United States district judge of the [[United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania]].


==Education and career==
[[File:JosephBuffington.jpg|right|thumb|Joseph Buffington (1901)]]
'''Joseph Buffington''' (September 5, 1855 &ndash; October 21, 1947) was a [[United States federal judge]].


Born in [[Kittanning, Pennsylvania]] to Ephraim and Margaret Chambers (Orr) Buffington,<ref name=HPE>George Thornton Fleming, ''History of Pittsburgh and Environs'' (1922), p. 860-61.</ref> and nephew to a well-known Pennsylvania judge [[Joseph Buffington (congressman)|of the same name]], Buffington received an [[Bachelor of Arts|A.B.]] from [[Trinity College (Connecticut)|Trinity College]] in [[Hartford, Connecticut]] in 1875. He returned to Kittanning and [[read law]] in 1878, and then worked as a [[lawyer]] in private practice until 1892. On January 29, 1885, he married Mary Alice Simonton, of Emmitsburg, Maryland.<ref name=HPE/>
Born on September 5, 1855, in [[Kittanning, Pennsylvania|Kittanning]], [[Pennsylvania]], Buffington received an [[Bachelor of Arts|Artium Baccalaureus]] degree in 1875 from [[Trinity College (Connecticut)|Trinity College]] in [[Hartford, Connecticut|Hartford]], [[Connecticut]] and [[read law]] in 1878. He entered private practice in Kittanning from 1878 to 1892.<ref name="auto">{{FJC Bio|313|nid=1378531|name=Joseph Buffington<!--(1855–1947)-->}}</ref>


==Federal judicial service==
On February 10, 1892, [[President of the United States|President]] [[Benjamin Harrison]] nominated Buffington as a judge of the [[United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania]] in [[Pittsburgh]], to a seat vacated by [[James H. Reed]]. He was confirmed by the [[United States Senate]] on February 23, 1892, and received commission the same day. He served on that court for nearly fifteen years. Then on September 25, 1906, President [[Theodore Roosevelt]] promoted Buffington to an [[appellate]] judgeship on the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit]], filling a seat vacated by [[Marcus Wilson Acheson]]. The promotion was a [[recess appointment]]; Buffington was formally confirmed by the United States Senate on December 11, 1906, and received commission the same day. He was the most senior judge on the court for many years and presided over its sessions.


Buffington was nominated by President [[Benjamin Harrison]] on February 10, 1892, to a seat on the [[United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania]] vacated by Judge [[James Hay Reed]]. He was confirmed by the [[United States Senate]] on February 23, 1892, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on September 26, 1906, due to his elevation to the Third Circuit.<ref name="auto"/>
During the 1930s, Buffington became involved in a scandal involving his colleague on the Court of Appeals, Judge [[John Warren Davis]]. Buffington was found to have been signing opinions drafted by Davis, in cases in which Davis received bribes. Davis was forced out of office, but no formal action was taken against Buffington, who was described as being "aged, senile, and nearly blind" by that time. He took what is now called [[senior status]], a form of semi-retirement, on June 1, 1938, and ceased hearing cases. He died in Pittsburgh on October 21, 1947.

Buffington received a [[recess appointment]] from President [[Theodore Roosevelt]] on September 25, 1906, to a joint seat on the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit]] and the [[United States circuit court|United States Circuit Courts for the Third Circuit]] vacated by Judge [[Marcus W. Acheson]]. He was nominated to the same position by President Roosevelt on December 3, 1906. He was confirmed by the Senate on December 11, 1906, 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. He was a member of the [[Judicial Conference of the United States|Conference of Senior Circuit Judges]] (now the [[Judicial Conference of the United States]]) from 1922 to 1937. He was the last appeals court judge who continued to serve in active service appointed by President Roosevelt. He assumed [[senior status]] on June 1, 1938. His service terminated on October 21, 1947, due to his death in [[Pittsburgh]], Pennsylvania.<ref name="auto"/>

===Scandal===

During the 1930s, Buffington became involved in a scandal involving his colleague on the Court of Appeals, Judge [[John Warren Davis (judge)|John Warren Davis]]. Buffington was found to have been signing opinions drafted by Davis, in cases in which Davis received bribes. Davis was forced out of office, but no formal action was taken against Buffington, who was described as being "aged, senile, and nearly blind" by that time. He took what is now called [[senior status]], a form of semi-retirement, on June 1, 1938, and ceased hearing cases.<ref>[https://www.fjc.gov] | Why Judges Resign: Influences on Federal Judicial Service, 1789 to 1992 | Emily Field Van Tassel | With Beverly Hudson Wirtz and Peter Wonders | Federal Judicial History Office | Federal Judicial Center | 1993 | [https://www.fjc.gov/sites/default/files/2012/judgeres.pdf]</ref>

==Family==

Buffington was the son of Ephraim and Margaret Chambers (Orr) Buffington,<ref name=HPE>George Thornton Fleming, ''History of Pittsburgh and Environs'' (1922), p. 860-61.</ref> and nephew to a well-known Pennsylvania judge [[Joseph Buffington (congressman)|of the same name]].{{Citation needed|date=March 2019}} On January 29, 1885, he married Mary Alice Simonton, of [[Emmitsburg, Maryland|Emmitsburg]], Maryland.<ref name=HPE/>

==See also==
* [[List of United States federal judges by longevity of service]]


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
* Van Tassel, Emily Field, et al., ''Why Judges Resign: Influences on Federal Judicial Service, 1789 to 1992'' (Federal Judicial Center 1993), p.&nbsp;23.
* Van Tassel, Emily Field, et al., ''Why Judges Resign: Influences on Federal Judicial Service, 1789 to 1992'' (Federal Judicial Center 1993), p.&nbsp;23.
* [http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/buenemeyer-bufford.html The Political Graveyard]
* [http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/buenemeyer-bufford.html The Political Graveyard]
* {{FJC Bio|313}}
* {{FJC Bio|313|nid=1378531|name=Joseph Buffington<!--(1855–1947)-->}}

==External links==
* {{Commons category-inline|Joseph Buffington}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-legal}}
{{s-bef|before=[[James Hay Reed]]}}
{{s-ttl|title={{nowrap|Judge of the [[United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania]]}}|years=1892–1906}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Nathaniel Ewing]]}}
{{s-bef|rows=2|before=[[Marcus W. Acheson]]}}
{{s-ttl|title={{nowrap|Judge of the [[United States circuit judge|United States Circuit Courts for the Third Circuit]]}}|years=1906–1911}}
{{s-aft|after=Seat abolished}}
{{s-ttl|title={{nowrap|Judge of the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit]]}}|years=1906–1938}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Francis Biddle]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Authority control}}


{{Authority control|VIAF=53750274}}
<!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]] -->
{{Persondata
|NAME=Buffington, Joseph
|ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
|SHORT DESCRIPTION=[[United States federal judge]]
|DATE OF BIRTH=September 5, 1855
|PLACE OF BIRTH=[[Kittanning, Pennsylvania]]
|DATE OF DEATH=October 21, 1947
|PLACE OF DEATH=[[Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania]]
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Buffington, Joseph}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Buffington, Joseph}}
[[Category:1855 births]]
[[Category:1855 births]]
[[Category:1947 deaths]]
[[Category:1947 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Kittanning, Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:People from Kittanning, Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:American Episcopalians]]
[[Category:Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit]]
[[Category:Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit]]
[[Category:Judges of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Judges of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania]]
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[[Category:Pennsylvania state court judges]]
[[Category:Pennsylvania state court judges]]
[[Category:United States federal judges appointed by Benjamin Harrison]]
[[Category:United States federal judges appointed by Benjamin Harrison]]
[[Category:19th-century American judges]]
[[Category:United States court of appeals judges appointed by Theodore Roosevelt]]
[[Category:United States court of appeals judges appointed by Theodore Roosevelt]]
[[Category:20th-century American judges]]
[[Category:United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law]]

Latest revision as of 15:49, 16 October 2022

This article is about the Pennsylvania federal judge. For the Pennsylvania Congressman and state court judge, see Joseph Buffington (congressman).
Joseph Buffington
Joseph Buffington (1901)
Senior Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
In office
June 1, 1938 – October 21, 1947
Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
In office
September 25, 1906 – June 1, 1938
Appointed byTheodore Roosevelt
Preceded byMarcus W. Acheson
Succeeded byFrancis Biddle
Judge of the United States Circuit Courts for the Third Circuit
In office
September 25, 1906 – December 31, 1911
Appointed byTheodore Roosevelt
Preceded byMarcus W. Acheson
Succeeded bySeat abolished
Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
In office
February 23, 1892 – September 26, 1906
Appointed byBenjamin Harrison
Preceded byJames Hay Reed
Succeeded byNathaniel Ewing
Personal details
Born
Joseph Buffington

(1855-09-05)September 5, 1855
Kittanning, Pennsylvania
DiedOctober 21, 1947(1947-10-21) (aged 92)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
EducationTrinity College (AB)
read law

Joseph Buffington (September 5, 1855 – October 21, 1947) was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and of the United States Circuit Courts for the Third Circuit and previously was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.

Education and career

[edit]

Born on September 5, 1855, in Kittanning, Pennsylvania, Buffington received an Artium Baccalaureus degree in 1875 from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut and read law in 1878. He entered private practice in Kittanning from 1878 to 1892.[1]

Federal judicial service

[edit]

Buffington was nominated by President Benjamin Harrison on February 10, 1892, to a seat on the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania vacated by Judge James Hay Reed. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on February 23, 1892, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on September 26, 1906, due to his elevation to the Third Circuit.[1]

Buffington received a recess appointment from President Theodore Roosevelt on September 25, 1906, to a joint seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and the United States Circuit Courts for the Third Circuit vacated by Judge Marcus W. Acheson. He was nominated to the same position by President Roosevelt on December 3, 1906. He was confirmed by the Senate on December 11, 1906, 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. He was a member of the Conference of Senior Circuit Judges (now the Judicial Conference of the United States) from 1922 to 1937. He was the last appeals court judge who continued to serve in active service appointed by President Roosevelt. He assumed senior status on June 1, 1938. His service terminated on October 21, 1947, due to his death in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.[1]

Scandal

[edit]

During the 1930s, Buffington became involved in a scandal involving his colleague on the Court of Appeals, Judge John Warren Davis. Buffington was found to have been signing opinions drafted by Davis, in cases in which Davis received bribes. Davis was forced out of office, but no formal action was taken against Buffington, who was described as being "aged, senile, and nearly blind" by that time. He took what is now called senior status, a form of semi-retirement, on June 1, 1938, and ceased hearing cases.[2]

Family

[edit]

Buffington was the son of Ephraim and Margaret Chambers (Orr) Buffington,[3] and nephew to a well-known Pennsylvania judge of the same name.[citation needed] On January 29, 1885, he married Mary Alice Simonton, of Emmitsburg, Maryland.[3]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c Joseph Buffington at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
  2. ^ [1] | Why Judges Resign: Influences on Federal Judicial Service, 1789 to 1992 | Emily Field Van Tassel | With Beverly Hudson Wirtz and Peter Wonders | Federal Judicial History Office | Federal Judicial Center | 1993 | [2]
  3. ^ a b George Thornton Fleming, History of Pittsburgh and Environs (1922), p. 860-61.

Sources

[edit]
[edit]
Legal offices
Preceded by Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
1892–1906 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Judge of the United States Circuit Courts for the Third Circuit
1906–1911 		Succeeded by
Seat abolished
Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
1906–1938 		Succeeded by
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