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Delbert E. Metzger

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Delbert E. Metzger
Judge of the United States District Court for the Territory of Hawaii
In office
August 25, 1939 – September 5, 1951
Appointed byFranklin D. Roosevelt
Preceded byEdward Watson Jr.
Succeeded byJon Wiig
Personal details
Born
Delbert E. Metzger

(1875-03-04)March 4, 1875
Ozawkie, Kansas, U.S.
DiedApril 24, 1967
Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationWashburn College
Indiana Law School

Delbert E. Metzger (March 4, 1875 - April 24, 1967) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii in the Territory of Hawaii.[1]

Early life and education

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Born in Ozwakie, Jefferson County, Kansas. Delbert grew up on the shores of Lake Perry, outside of Topeka, he attended local private and public schools before attending Washburn College in Topeka for a year in 1893–94.[2]

Career

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Delbert E. Metzger worked as a realtor, a grain dealer, a newspaper publisher, a theatrical producer, an accountant, a justice of peace, city attorney, and mining engineer.[2]

He volunteered as an engineer in the U.S. Army in the Spanish American War. He served from June 1898 to May 1899 with the 2 U.S. Volunteer Engineers and was a private.[3] In 1899, he was sent to Oahu to complete the first land survey of Pearl Harbor. Metzger remained in Hawaii, drilling artesian wells for Lucius E. Pinkham.[2]

He was a railroad superintendent for the Oahu Railroad. In 1912, he was elected as one of five Senators from the 1st district. He served in the Hawaii Territorial Senate from 1912 to 1915. He later served as a District Magistrate, and Territorial Treasurer.[2]

On July 12, 1934, Metzger was nominated to be a judge on the former 4th Circuit territorial court in Hilo.[4]

Federal judicial service

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In 1939, Metzger was nominated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii vacated by Judge Edward Minor Watson Jr. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on the same day on August 2, 1939. He was sworn in on August 25, 1939.[5] Metzger was reappointed to additional six year terms until 1952, when he was replaced by John Wiig.[6]

Post-judicial service

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He was an unsuccessful candidate for Congress in 1952 and 1954 losing to Republican incumbent Joseph Farrington and Republican candidate and Farrington's widow Elizabeth Farrington respectively.[2]

References

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  1. ^ "Judge Metzger Is Dead at 92". The Honolulu Advertiser. April 25, 1967. p. 1. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e Melendy, H. Brett (2001). "Delbert E. Metzger, Hawai'i's Liberal Judge". Hawaiian Journal of History. 35 (1). Hawaiian Historical Society: 43–63. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  3. ^ United States, Civil War Pensions Index, 1861-1900.
  4. ^ "Report of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Territory of Hawaii for the Years 1935-1936". Appendix 1, Personnel of the Supreme Court and Circuit Court as of December 31, 1936: Page 9. 1936 – via Google.
  5. ^ "New Federal Judge Signs Oath of Office". The Honolulu Advertiser. August 25, 1939. p. 7. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  6. ^ Bigelow, Albert (October 15, 2011). The Voyage of the Golden Rule: An Experiment with Truth. Whitefish, Montana: Literary Licensing, LLC. ISBN 9781258206505. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
Legal offices
Preceded by
Edward Watson Jr.
United States District Court Judge
1939–1951
Succeeded by
Jon Wiig