Henry C. Gooding | |
|---|---|
| Chief Justice, Arizona Territorial Supreme Court | |
| In office May 7, 1890 – May 24, 1893 | |
| Nominated by | Benjamin Harrison |
| Preceded by | James Henry Wright |
| Succeeded by | Albert C. Baker |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1838-06-14)June 14, 1838 |
| Died | September 14, 1913(1913-09-14) (aged 75) |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Profession | Attorney |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | |
| Branch/service | Union Army |
| Rank | |
| Unit | 122nd Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment |
| Battles/wars | |
Henry Clay Gooding (June 14, 1838 – September 13, 1913) was an Americanjurist who served as Chief Justice on the Arizona Territorial Supreme Court from 1890 till 1893.
Gooding was born to Asa and Matilda (Hunt) Gooding inGreenfield, Indiana on June 14, 1838.[1]He was educated in local schools and graduated fromIndiana Asbury University (now DePauw University) in 1859.[1] As a university student he was a member ofBeta Theta Pi.[2] After college, Gooding worked briefly as a teacher inMacon, Tennessee andVicksburg, Mississippi. Seeing that conflict was coming, he returned north and wasreading law and working as a school principal inCarlinville, Illinois when theAmerican Civil War began.[1]
Following the outbreak of hostilities, Gooding enlisted in the122nd Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment.[2] In addition to combat service, he was for a time actingjudge advocate for the western Kentucky military district.[1] By the end of the war, Gooding had risen to the rank offirst lieutenant.[3]
After the war, Gooding worked as an attorney inWashington D.C. before moving toEvansville, Indiana in 1868. There he quickly became involved inRepublican politics.[1] In 1870, Gooding was his party's nominee forIndiana's 1st congressional district.[4] While he lost the race, he won acclaim for his performance in a series of debates with the incumbent candidate.[5] Between 1872 and 1875 he served two terms in theIndiana Senate.[3][5] Fraternally, Gooding was aMason and member of theKnights Templar.[2] He was also active in veteran concerns, being a member of theMilitary Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States and serving as commander of his localGrand Army of the Republic post.[5] Gooding married Mary Viele Babcock on February 15, 1871.[6][7] The couple had two children: Gertie and Clay.[5]
PresidentBenjamin Harrison nominated Gooding to become Chief Justice of the Arizona Territorial Supreme Court on March 13, 1890.[8] The nomination was made despite Harrison's policy of selecting men who already lived within the territory.[9]Senate confirmation came on April 26.[10] Gooding left for the territory on May 1 and took his oath of office inPrescott on May 7, 1890.[11]
By most traditional measures, Gooding had a successful career as a judge. During his three years of service at the district level, he saw just eleven of his decisions appealed and only two of those decisions reversed by a higher court.[6] At the appellate level, he wrote a dozen opinions, a number of which served asprecedents in later cases.[11] InTerritory of Arizona v. Blevins, 4 Arizona 68 (1893), Gooding granted a new trial after it was determined the trial court had made afatal error by not having the defendant enter aplea before the jury reached a verdict.[12] InOury v. Goodwin, 3 Arizona 225 (1891) he found that land used to build a canal system qualified as public use for purposes ofeminent domain determinations whileTerritory of Arizona v. Delinquent Tax-List of the County of Maricopa, 3 Arizona 302 (1891) determined that the territory could tax railroads crossingIndian reservations unless the Federal government explicitly granted the railroads an exemption.[11] Gooding found inLiebes v. Steffy, 4 Arizona 11 (1893) thatseparate property owned by a wife was unaffected by debts incurred by her husband.[6]
With the coming of aDemocratic administration in theWhite House, Gooding stated his intention of May 4, 1893 to resign.[11] He administered the oath of office to his successor on May 24, 1893.[13] After leaving thebench, the former chief justice remained in the territory until 1895, when he moved toLos Angeles, California. There he continued to practice law while staying active in veteran and Masonic activities.[6] On March 11, 1900, Gooding was shot by a pair of assailants attempting to rob him.[14] The assailants were never captured. The former chief justice recovered from the wound but the bullet, lodged near his heart, was never removed.[6] Gooding died September 14, 1913.[15] The bullet near his heart may have been a contributing factor in his death. Gooding was interred in a mausoleum atInglewood Park Cemetery.[6]
