John Sharpstein

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific-prefix = The Honorable

| name = John R. Sharpstein

| image = California Supreme Court 1890 - John R. Sharpstein.jpg

| imagesize =

| caption = Sharpstein in 1890

| office = Associate Justice of the {{nowrap|California Supreme Court}}

| term_start = January 5, 1880

| term_end = December 28, 1892

| predecessor = Position Established

| successor = William F. Fitzgerald

| office1 = United States Attorney for the {{nowrap|District of Wisconsin}}

| president1 = Franklin Pierce

| term_start1 = 1853

| term_end1 = 1857

| predecessor1 = George W. Lakin

| successor1 = Don A. J. Upham

| state2 = Wisconsin

| state_senate2 = Wisconsin

| district2 = 8th

| term_start2 = January 1, 1853

| term_end2 = January 1, 1854

| predecessor2 = Thomas Bowen

| successor2 = Levi Grant

| state_senate3 = Wisconsin

| district3 = 16th

| term_start3 = January 1, 1852

| term_end3 = January 1, 1853

| predecessor3 = Orson S. Head

| successor3 = Joel C. Squires

| state_assembly4 = Wisconsin

| district4 = Milwaukee 1st

| term_start4 = January 1, 1863

| term_end4 = January 1, 1864

| predecessor4 = Henry L. Palmer

| successor4 = Levi Hubbell

| birth_name = John Randolph Sharpstein

| birth_date = {{birth date|1823|05|03}}

| birth_place = Richmond, New York, U.S.

| death_date = {{death date and age|1892|12|28|1823|05|03}}

| death_place = San Francisco, California, U.S.

| restingplace =

| religion =

| spouse = {{marriage|Catherine C. Crittenden|November 17, 1845}}

| children = 4

| alma_mater =

}}

John Randolph Sharpstein (May 3, 1823 – December 28, 1892) was an American lawyer and judge. He was an associate justice of the Supreme Court of California for twelve years, and previously served as a member of the Wisconsin State Senate and Wisconsin State Assembly.

Biography

Sharpstein was born on May 3{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rHEwAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA427 |title=John R. Sharpstein|year=1898|publisher=History of the Bench and Bar of Wisconsin|accessdate=2014-02-01}} or May 23,{{cite news|title=Life's Journey Ended. John R. Sharpstein |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/1916870/john_sharpstein_18231892/|newspaper=The Saint Paul Globe|date=December 30, 1892|page=3|via = Newspapers.com|accessdate = March 4, 2015 }} {{Open access}}{{cite news|title=Judge Sharpstein Dead |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/1916855/john_sharpstein_18231892/|newspaper=Logansport Pharos-Tribune|date=December 30, 1892|page=9|via = Newspapers.com|accessdate = March 4, 2015 }} {{Open access}} 1823 in Richmond, New York. In 1847, he moved to Sheboygan County, Wisconsin.

Sharpstein was a member of the Wisconsin State Senate from 1852 to 1853, representing the 16th district in 1852 and the 8th district in 1853.{{cite web|url=http://legis.wisconsin.gov/lrb/pubs/ib/99ib1.pdf |title=Members of the Wisconsin Legislature 1848 – 1999 |publisher=State of Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau |page=17 |accessdate=2015-07-03 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150404052836/http://legis.wisconsin.gov/lrb/pubs/ib/99ib1.pdf |archivedate=2015-04-04 }} He was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1863.{{cite news|title=California Judge|url=http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85033295/1874-01-21/ed-1/seq-1/#date1=1789&index=0&date2=1925&searchType=advanced&language=&sequence=0&words=John+R+Sharpstein&proxdistance=5&state=Wisconsin&rows=20&ortext=&proxtext=&phrasetext=john+r.+sharpstein&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1|accessdate=October 3, 2017|work=Watertown republican. (Watertown, Wis.)|publisher=Library of Congress Historical Newspapers|date=January 21, 1874|page=1}}

Sharpstein was a District Attorney of Sheboygan County and of Kenosha County, Wisconsin. From 1853 to 1857, he was U.S Attorney of Wisconsin.{{cite news|title=Prominent Men of the Day|url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=SFC18901225.2.125&srpos=3&e=------189-en--20--1--txt-txIN-%22john+r.+sharpstein%22-------1|accessdate=October 3, 2017|work=San Francisco Call|issue=25|publisher=California Digital Newspaper Collection|date=25 December 1890|volume = 69|page=11}} In 1854, he represented the government in the fugitive slave cases, Ableman v. Booth and United States v. Booth (18 How. 476, 21 How. 506), appealing up to the Supreme Court of the United States, where Chief Justice Roger Taney wrote the unanimous opinion.{{cite book|last1=Baker|first1=H. Robert|title=The Rescue of Joshua Glover: A Fugitive Slave, the Constitution, and the Coming of the Civil War|date=2006|publisher=Ohio University Press|location=Columbus, OH|isbn=0821442147|page=138|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OdmF1GRJywUC&q=Ableman+v.+Booth+sharpstein&pg=PA138|accessdate=October 3, 2017}} In April 1857, Sharpstein became Postmaster of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and then was a delegate to the 1860 Democratic National Convention.

In 1864, Sharpstein moved to California, was admitted to the California bar in January 1865, and began practicing law there.{{cite news|title=Consignees, Per Bavaria|url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=DAC18641124.2.28&srpos=1&e=------186-en--20--1--txt-txIN-%22j.+r.+sharpstein%22----1864---1|accessdate=October 3, 2017|work=Daily Alta California|issue=5379|publisher=California Digital Newspaper Collection|date=24 November 1864|volume = 16|page=6}}{{cite news|title=Supreme Court, Attorneys Admitted|url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=SDU18650102.2.41&srpos=1&e=------186-en--20--1--txt-txIN-%22j.+r.+sharpstein%22----1865---1|accessdate=October 3, 2017|work=Sacramento Daily Union|issue=4300|publisher=California Digital Newspaper Collection|date=2 January 1865|volume = 28|page=6}} In 1872, he published a book on insurance law.{{cite book|last1=Sharpstein|first1=John R.|title=A Digest of American, English, Scotch and Irish Reports of Life and Accident Insurance Cases|date=1872|publisher=Sumner Whitney & Co.|location=San Francisco, CA|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vPRCAQAAMAAJ&q=A+Digest+of+American%2C+English%2C+Scotch+and+Irish+Reports+of+Life+and+Accident+Insurance+Case+Sumner+Whitney+%26+Co+1872&pg=PA1|accessdate=October 3, 2017}} In January 1874, Governor Newton Booth appointed Sharpstein a judge of the Twelfth District Court in California, replacing Elisha W. McKinstry.{{cite book|last1=Johnson|first1=J. Edward|title=History of the California Supreme Court: The Justices 1850-1900, vol 1|date=1963|publisher=Bender Moss Co|location=San Francisco, CA|pages=134–136|url=http://library.courtinfo.ca.gov/included/docs/SCJC_Vol_1.pdf|accessdate=August 14, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161227124913/http://library.courtinfo.ca.gov/included/docs/SCJC_Vol_1.pdf|archive-date=December 27, 2016|url-status=dead}}{{cite news|title=Pacific Coast News|url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=RRF18740108.2.31&srpos=1&e=------187-en--20--1--txt-txIN-%22john+r.+sharpstein%22-------1|accessdate=October 3, 2017|work=Russian River Flag|issue=9|publisher=California Digital Newspaper Collection|date=8 January 1874|page=2|quote=Governor Booth has appointed John R. Sharpstein to succeed E. W. McKinstry as Judge of the Twelfth District Court.}}{{cite news|title=Pacific Coast Telegrams, San Francisco|url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=LAH18740106.2.17&srpos=2&e=------187-en--20--1--txt-txIN-%22john+r.+sharpstein%22----1874---1|accessdate=October 3, 2017|work=Los Angeles Herald|issue=80|publisher=California Digital Newspaper Collection|date=6 January 1874|volume = 1|page=3}} In October 1875, he ran for election on the Republican ticket but lost the election to the district court to William E. Daingerfield.{{cite news|title=Republican Ticket|url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=DAC18751019.2.63.4&srpos=2&e=------187-en--20--1--txt-txIN-%22john+r.+sharpstein%22----1875---1|accessdate=October 3, 2017|work=Daily Alta California|issue=9329|publisher=California Digital Newspaper Collection|date=19 October 1875|volume = 27|page=4}} In July 1878, Sharpstein was nominated by the Workingmen's Party and elected as a member of the Constitutional Convention from the First Congressional District.{{cite news|title=Constitutional Convention|url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=SDU18780617.2.2&srpos=5&e=------187-en--20--1--txt-txIN-%22john+r.+sharpstein%22----1878---1|accessdate=October 3, 2017|work=Sacramento Daily Union|issue=102|publisher=California Digital Newspaper Collection|date=17 June 1878|volume = 7|page=1}}{{cite news|title=The Official Count|url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=SDU18780702.2.12&srpos=4&e=------187-en--20--1--txt-txIN-%22john+r.+sharpstein%22----1878---1|accessdate=October 3, 2017|work=Sacramento Daily Union|publisher=California Digital Newspaper Collection|date=2 July 1878|page=2}}

In October 1879, when adoption of a new constitution required elections for all Supreme Court seats, Sharpstein was nominated by Democratic and Workingmen's parties and won a position as associate justice.{{cite news|title=Democratic Conventions|url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=SDU18790704.2.2&srpos=1&e=------187-en--20--1--txt-txIN-%22john+r.+sharpstein%22----1879---1|accessdate=October 3, 2017|work=Sacramento Daily Union|issue=101|publisher=California Digital Newspaper Collection|date=4 July 1879|volume = 8|page=1}}{{cite news|title=Official Returns of the Election|url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=SDU18791020.2.12&srpos=10&e=------187-en--20--1--txt-txIN-%22s.+b.+McKee%22----1879---1|accessdate=July 21, 2017|work=Sacramento Daily Union|issue=191|publisher=California Digital Newspaper Collection|date=20 October 1879|volume = 8|page=2}}{{cite journal|last1=Bakken|first1=Gordon Morris|title=Creating a Court System|journal=California Supreme Court Historical Society Newsletter|date=Spring–Summer 2016|page=6|url=https://www.cschs.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/2016-Newsletter-Spring-Creating-a-Court-System.pdf|accessdate=October 3, 2017}} When the term began January 5, 1880, the justices drew lots to determine their length of term, and he and Erskine M. Ross both drew three-year terms.{{cite news|title=The New State Supreme Court|url=http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn82014381/1880-01-06/ed-1/seq-1/#date1=1789&sort=relevance&rows=20&searchType=advanced&language=&sequence=0&index=0&words=H+M+Myrick&proxdistance=5&date2=1924&ortext=&proxtext=&phrasetext=M.+H.+Myrick&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=3|accessdate=August 16, 2017|work=Sacramento Daily Record-Union|publisher=Library of Congress Historic Newspapers|date=January 6, 1880|page=1}}{{cite news|title=The Courts, Supreme Court|url=http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn82014381/1880-01-13/ed-1/seq-2/#date1=1789&sort=date&date2=1924&searchType=advanced&language=&sequence=0&index=18&words=D+J+Thornton&proxdistance=5&state=California&rows=20&ortext=&proxtext=&phrasetext=J.+D.+thornton&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=2|accessdate=July 25, 2017|work=Sacramento daily record-union|publisher=Library of Congress Historic Newspapers|date=January 13, 1880|page=2}} In November 1882, both Ross and Sharpstein were re-elected on the Democratic ticket to 12-year terms.{{cite news|title=Democratic State Ticket|url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=LAH18821010.2.9&srpos=6&e=------188-en--20--1--txt-txIN-%22E.+M.+Ross%22-------1|accessdate=August 19, 2017|work=Los Angeles Herald|issue=41|publisher=California Digital Newspaper Collection|date=10 October 1882|page=2}} Among Sharpstein's notable opinions is Tape v. Hurley, 66 Cal. 473 (1885), holding the City of San Francisco excluding a Chinese child from public school violated the California Constitution. In July 1886, former Chief Justice David S. Terry filed a petition which unsuccessfully sought the removal of both Chief Justice Robert F. Morrison and Sharpstein on the basis of incompetence due to age.{{cite news|title=Sacramento, The Struggle Over the Supreme Court|url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=LAH18860730.2.2&srpos=1&e=------188-en--20--1--txt-txIN-%22john+r.+sharpstein%22-------1|accessdate=October 3, 2017|work=Los Angeles Herald|issue=127|publisher=California Digital Newspaper Collection|date=30 July 1886|volume = 25|page=1}}

Sharpstein remained a member of the court until his death on December 28, 1892.{{cite news|title=Pioneers Passing Away, Justice Sharpstein Lying at the Point of Death|url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=LAH18921229.2.15&srpos=1&e=------189-en--20--1--txt-txIN-%22john+r.+sharpstein%22-------1|accessdate=October 3, 2017|work=Los Angeles Herald|issue=79|publisher=California Digital Newspaper Collection|date=29 December 1892|volume = 39|page=2}}{{cite news|title=Prominent in Two States |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/1916863/john_sharpstein_18231892/|newspaper=Fort Scott Daily Monitor|date=December 30, 1892|page=1|via = Newspapers.com|accessdate = March 4, 2015 }} {{Open access}}

Civic activities

In 1878, Sharpstein was a member of the first board of trustees of the Hastings College of the Law.

Personal life

On November 17, 1845, Sharpstein married Catherine C. Crittenden in Macomb, Michigan.{{cite news|title=Mrs. Sharpstein Passes Away|url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=SFC19060719.2.153&srpos=1&e=------190-en--20--1--txt-txIN-%22john+r.+sharpstein%22-------1|accessdate=October 3, 2017|work=San Francisco Call|issue=49|publisher=California Digital Newspaper Collection|date=19 July 1906|volume = 100|page=14}} They had two daughters, who both died young in Michigan, and two sons, Jay Pitt Sharpstein, who lived in Berkeley, and William Crittenden Sharpstein, who graduated from Hastings College of Law and became an attorney.{{cite news|title=Deaths|url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=SFC19060722.2.205.4&srpos=2&e=------190-en--20--1--txt-txIN-%22john+r.+sharpstein%22-------1|accessdate=October 3, 2017|work=San Francisco Call|issue=52|publisher=California Digital Newspaper Collection|date=22 July 1906|volume = 100|page=45}}{{cite book|last1=Bates|first1=Joseph Clement|title=History of the Bench and Bar of California|date=1912|publisher=Bench and Bar Publishing Company|page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_ax0LAQAAIAAJ/page/n500 499]|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_ax0LAQAAIAAJ|quote=William Crittenden Sharpstein.|accessdate=October 3, 2017}}

References

Selected publications

{{cite book|last1=Sharpstein|first1=John R.|title=A Digest of American, English, Scotch and Irish Reports of Life and Accident Insurance Cases|date=1872|publisher=Sumner Whitney & Co.|location=San Francisco, CA|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vPRCAQAAMAAJ&q=A+Digest+of+American%2C+English%2C+Scotch+and+Irish+Reports+of+Life+and+Accident+Insurance+Case+Sumner+Whitney+%26+Co+1872&pg=PA1|accessdate=October 3, 2017}}

External links

[http://www.cschs.org/history/california-supreme-court-justices/john-r-sharpstein/ John R. Sharpstein]. California Supreme Court Historical Society.
[http://www.courts.ca.gov/12523.htm Past & Present Justices]. California State Courts.