Eugene A. Tucker
{{Short description|American jurist (1856–1942)}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix =
| name = Eugene A. Tucker
| honorific-suffix =
| image =
| caption =
| order =
| office = Associate Justice, Arizona Territorial Supreme Court
| term_start = April 1, 1905
| term_end = October 13, 1905
| nominator = Theodore Roosevelt
| appointer =
| predecessor = George Russell Davis
| successor = Frederick S. Nave
| birth_name = Eugene Adelmer Tucker
| birth_date = {{birth date|1856|05|13}}
| birth_place = Homer, New York
| death_date = {{death date and age|1942|12|28|1856|05|13}}
| death_place = Culver City, California
| nationality =
| spouse =Alfaretta Bristol
| party = Republican
| relations =
| children =
| residence =
| alma_mater =
| occupation =
| profession = Attorney
| religion =
| signature =
| website =
| footnotes =
}}
Eugene Adelmer Tucker (May 13, 1856{{spaced ndash}} December 28, 1942) was an American attorney and politician who served as an associate justice of the Arizona Territorial Supreme Court. Shortly after graduation, he moved to Humboldt, Nebraska where he held a number of elected positions including city mayor and Nebraska State Senator. Soon after his appointment to the Arizona court, Tucker faced allegations of wrongdoing that forced him to resign several months after joining the bench.
Biography
Tucker was born on May 13, 1856, to Pliny T. and Delia Ann (Stone) Tucker in Homer, New York.{{sfn|Goff|1975|p=176}} His family moved to Belvidere where the younger Tucker was educated in local schools. He also read law under a Wisconsin judge before graduating from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1878.{{sfn|Hart|1917|p=162}} Following graduation, Tucker worked briefly as a lawyer before moving to Humboldt, Nebraska in 1879.{{sfn|Goff|1975|p=177}} Tucker married Alfaretta Bristol of Rock Prairie, Wisconsin. The union produced two children: George Eugene and Blanche May.{{sfn|Hart|1917|p=162}}
In Nebraska, Tucker became involved in Republican politics. Active locally, he was a police judge, city clerk, city and county attorney before serving one term as mayor of Humboldt.{{sfn|Hart|1917|p=162}} Tucker was a delegate to the 1900 Republican National Convention and was elected to the Nebraska State Senate.{{cite news|url=http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84024827/1905-02-14/ed-1/seq-1/#words=TUCKER+Tucker&proxtext=tucker|title=Judge Tucker Comes from Nebraska|date=February 14, 1905|work=Bisbee daily review|page=1}} Fraternally, Tucker was a member of the Knights of Pythias and served the group as a chancellor commander.{{sfn|Hart|1917|p=162}}
President Theodore Roosevelt nominated Tucker to replace Justice George Russell Davis on February 11, 1905.{{cite news|url=http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84020558/1905-02-12/ed-1/seq-1/#words=TUCKER+Tucker&proxtext=tucker|title=Judge Tucker|date=February 12, 1905|work=Arizona Republican|page=1|location=Phoenix, Arizona Territory}} The nomination was based primarily upon a recommendation from United States Senator Elmer Burkett of Nebraska.{{sfn|Goff|1975|p=177}} While he was nominated to serve in the first district, a reorganization of the court in March 1905 moved Tucker to the newly created fifth district.{{cite news|url=http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn87062055/1905-03-25/ed-1/seq-3/#words=Campbell+judge&proxtext=judge+campbell|title=New Judicial Districts Made|date=March 25, 1905|work=The Coconino Sun|page=3}} He took his oath of office on April 1 with his court, which covered Gila and Graham counties, being located in Globe.{{cite news|url=http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84020558/1905-04-02/ed-1/seq-9/#words=Tucker&proxtext=tucker|title=New Higher Court|date=April 2, 1905|work=Arizona Republican|page=9|location=Phoenix, Arizona Territory}}
Tucker wrote no opinions in the Arizona Reports as he did not hold office long enough to serve during a session of the territorial supreme court.{{sfn|Goff|1975|p=177}} He did however serve during a session of his district court.{{sfn|Goff|1975|p=177}} Shortly after he took the bench, the Department of Justice allegedly received a photograph showing the new justice smoking a cigar with his feet resting upon a bench while court was in session.{{sfn|McClintock|1916|p=353}} In August 1905, the justice department began an investigation and a variety of allegations were made against Tucker.{{cite news|url=http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84024827/1905-08-09/ed-1/seq-1/#words=JUDGE+judge+Judge+TUCKER+Tucker&proxtext=judge+tucker|title=Judge Tucker Under Fire|date=August 9, 1905|work=Bisbee Daily Review|page=1}}{{cite news|url=http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84020558/1905-08-10/ed-1/seq-4/#words=Judge+Tucker&proxtext=judge+tucker|title=The Tucker Charges|date=August 10, 1905|work=Arizona Republican|page=4|location=Phoenix, Arizona Territory}} Unofficial reports indicate the investigation found sufficient evidence to recommend Tucker's removal.{{cite news|url=http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84024827/1905-09-22/ed-1/seq-6/#words=Judge+Tucker&proxtext=judge+tucker|title=The Tucker Charges will be Sustained|date=September 22, 1905|work=Bisbee Daily Review|page=6}} Senator Burkett tried to intervene on Tucker's behalf. This allowed the judge to finish the court session that was underway at the time the justice department recommended his removal.{{sfn|Goff|1975|p=177}} Tucker submitted his resignation on October 13, 1905.{{cite news|url=http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84024827/1905-10-14/ed-1/seq-1/#words=TUCKER+Tucker&proxtext=tucker|title=Judge Tucker is Out|date=October 14, 1905|work=Bisbee Daily Review|page=1}}
Tucker was admitted to the Arizona Territory bar on November 17, 1905.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/107832582/arizona-republic/|title=The Battle Begins; End Not Visible|work=Arizona Republican|date=November 18, 1905}} He moved to Los Angeles,{{sfn|Hart|1917|p=162}} an was admitted to the California bar on November 27, 1911.{{sfn|Goff|1975|p=178}} In 1939, Tucker's wife died.{{sfn|Goff|1975|p=178}} Tucker died at his home in Culver City, California on December 28, 1942.{{sfn|Goff|1975|p=176}} He was the last Arizona Territorial Supreme Court justice to die and the oldest surviving member from the 1878 University of Wisconsin graduating class.{{sfn|Goff|1975|p=176}}
References
{{reflist|30em}}
{{refbegin}}
- {{cite journal|last=Goff|first=John S.|date=July 1968|title=The Appointment, Tenure and Removal of Territorial Judges: Arizona-A Case Study|journal=The American Journal of Legal History|publisher=Temple University|volume=12|issue=3|pages=211–231|jstor=844126|doi=10.2307/844126}}
- {{cite book |last=Goff |first=John S. |title=Arizona Territorial Officials Volume I: The Supreme Court Justices 1863–1912 |publisher=Black Mountain Press|location=Cave Creek, Arizona |date=1975 | oclc = 1622668 |author-mask=2}}
- {{cite book |last=Hart |first=Samuel Hart|title=Encyclopedia of Connecticut Biography |publisher=American Historical Society.|location=New York, Chicago |date=1917 | oclc = 9411965 |url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofco10amer }}
- {{Cite book | last = McClintock | first = James H. |authorlink=James H. McClintock | title = Arizona, prehistoric, aboriginal, pioneer, modern |volume=II| publisher=S.J. Clarke Publishing Co. | year = 1916 | location = Chicago | oclc = 5398889 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ub8UAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA353}}
{{refend}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Tucker, Eugene Adelmer}}
Category:Justices of the Arizona Territorial Supreme Court
Category:Nebraska state senators
Category:University of Wisconsin Law School alumni
Category:People from Humboldt, Nebraska
Category:People from Homer, New York
Category:United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law