{{Short description|American judge (1868–1951)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2026}} {{Infobox officeholder |name = Halsted Ritter |image = Halsted Lockwood Ritter (1868–1951).png |office = Judge of the [[United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida]] |appointer = [[Calvin Coolidge]] |term_start = February 15, 1929 |term_end = April 17, 1936 |predecessor = [[Rhydon Mays Call]] |successor = [[John W. Holland]] |birth_name = Halsted Lockwood Ritter |birth_date = {{birth date|1868|7|14}} |birth_place = [[Indianapolis]], Indiana, U.S. |death_date = {{death date and age|1951|10|15|1868|7|14}} |death_place = [[Laurel, Mississippi|Laurel]], Mississippi, U.S. |party = [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] |relatives = [[Mary Ritter Beard]] (sister)<br>[[Charles A. Beard]] (brother-in-law) |education = [[DePauw University]] {{small|([[Bachelor of Philosophy|BPhil]], [[Bachelor of Laws|LLB]], [[Master of Arts|MA]])}} }}
'''Halsted Lockwood Ritter''' (July 14, 1868 – October 15, 1951) was a [[United States federal judge|United States district judge]] of the [[United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida]]. He was the thirteenth individual to be [[Federal impeachment in the United States|impeached]] by the [[United States House of Representatives]] and the fourth individual to be convicted and removed from office in an [[Federal impeachment trial in the United States|impeachment trial]] before the [[United States Senate]]. He was also the last federal official to be impeached by the House of Representatives until [[Harry E. Claiborne]] (not counting [[Impeachment process against Richard Nixon|Richard Nixon]], who [[Richard Nixon's resignation speech|resigned]] before he was impeached), when he was impeached and removed from office by the Senate for tax evasion in 1936.
==Education and career==
Born on July 14, 1868, in [[Indianapolis]], [[Indiana]],<ref name="auto">{{FJC Bio|2016|nid=1386966|name=Halsted Lockwood Ritter<!--(1868–1951)-->}}</ref> Ritter received a [[Bachelor of Philosophy]] degree in 1891, a [[Bachelor of Laws]] in 1892, and an [[Master of Arts|Artium Magister]] degree in 1893, all from [[DePauw University]].<ref name="auto"/> He entered private practice in Indianapolis from 1892 to 1895.<ref name="auto"/> He continued private practice in [[Denver]], [[Colorado]] from 1895 to 1925.<ref name="auto"/> He was the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] nominee for [[Governor of Colorado]] in 1912.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/montrose-daily-press-aug-19-1912-p-1/|title=Montrose Daily Press Newspaper Archives, Aug 19, 1912|website=newspaperarchive.com}}</ref> In 1919, as a member of the Denver [[Lions Club]], he attended the association's 3rd international convention in Chicago, where he proposed what would become the association's slogan - "liberty, intelligence, and our nation's safety", a [[backronym]] for the Lions name.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.goldenlionsclub.org/pdf/CO%20Lions-History.pdf |title=Colorado Lions Clubs History |access-date=2021-08-11 |archive-date=2021-08-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210811181919/https://www.goldenlionsclub.org/pdf/CO%20Lions-History.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 1925, he moved to [[West Palm Beach, Florida|West Palm Beach]], [[Florida]]<ref name="auto"/> for his wife's health{{Citation needed|date=February 2019}} and continued in private practice until 1929.<ref name="auto"/> Ritter wrote a book, ''Washington as a Business Man'', published in 1931 by Sears Publishing of New York.
==Federal judicial service==
Ritter was nominated by President [[Calvin Coolidge]] on January 23, 1929, to a seat on the [[United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida]] vacated by Judge [[Rhydon Mays Call]].<ref name="auto"/> He was confirmed by the [[United States Senate]] on February 15, 1929, and received his commission the same day.<ref name="auto"/> His service terminated on April 17, 1936, due to his [[Federal impeachment in the United States|impeachment]], conviction and removal from office.<ref name="auto"/>
===Details of impeachment=== On May 29, 1933, United States Representative [[J. Mark Wilcox]] of Florida introduced resolution (H. Res. 163) authorizing the House Judiciary Committee to investigate Ritter's conduct to "determine whether in the opinion of the committee he had been guilty of any [[High crimes and misdemeanours|high crime or misdemeanor]]."<ref name="deschler-ritter">{{cite web |title=Deschler's Precedents, Volume 3, Chapters 10–14: § 18. Impeachment of Judge Ritter |url=https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-HPREC-DESCHLERS-V3/pdf/GPO-HPREC-DESCHLERS-V3-5-5-5.pdf |website=govinfo.gov |publisher=U.S. Government Publishing Office |format=PDF |access-date=2026-01-31}}</ref>
On March 2, 1936, the [[United States House of Representatives]] voted to impeach Ritter by 181 votes to 146 (with 7 present and 96 not voting).<ref name="deschler-ritter" /> The proceedings were only the 13th impeachment case in the 147 years of Congress.{{Citation needed|date=January 2026}}
On March 30, 1936, the House amended and expanded the articles of impeachment; the [[United States Senate]] ultimately voted on seven articles of impeachment.<ref name="deschler-ritter" />
The seven articles (as amended) alleged, among other things: # '''Article I:''' That Ritter fixed an additional and "exorbitant" fee of $75,000 for his former law partner, Albert L. Rankin, in the Whitehall foreclosure/receivership matter, and that Rankin paid Ritter $4,500 in cash, which Ritter "corruptly and unlawfully accepted and received."<ref name="deschler-ritter" /> # '''Article II:''' That Ritter entered into an arrangement with Rankin and others connected with the Whitehall bankruptcy/receivership proceedings to keep the property in litigation in his court, allowed excessive and unwarranted fees, and received free rooms, meals and valet service at the Whitehall Hotel (including for family members/guests) at the expense of the receivership estate, among other alleged misconduct.<ref name="deschler-ritter" /> # '''Article III:''' That after becoming a federal judge, Ritter was engaged in the practice of law and solicited/received a $2,000 fee in connection with the "Brazilian Court Building Corporation" litigation, appropriating the money for his own use.<ref name="deschler-ritter" /> # '''Article IV:''' That Ritter was engaged in the practice of law while a federal judge in connection with the Boca Raton and Edgewater matters involving J. R. Francis and received $7,500 for that work.<ref name="deschler-ritter" /> # '''Article V:''' That Ritter willfully attempted to evade federal income tax for 1929 (including by failing to report income described in the articles), allegedly receiving about $12,000 of taxable income above his judicial salary and paying no income tax on it.<ref name="deschler-ritter" /> # '''Article VI:''' That Ritter willfully attempted to evade federal income tax for 1930 (including by failing to report income described in the articles), allegedly receiving about $5,300 of taxable income above his judicial salary and paying no income tax on it.<ref name="deschler-ritter" /> # '''Article VII:''' A general article alleging misbehavior and high crimes and misdemeanors (incorporating the conduct alleged in the earlier articles and additional specified conduct) the reasonable and probable consequence of which was to bring his court into scandal and disrepute and undermine public confidence in the judiciary.<ref name="deschler-ritter" />
On March 6, 1936, the House appointed Hatton W. Sumners of Texas, Randolph Perkins of New Jersey, and Sam Hobbs of Alabama as managers to conduct the impeachment trial in the Senate.<ref name="deschler-ritter" /> Ritter was represented by Frank P. Walsh and Carl T. Hoffman as counsel.<ref name="deschler-ritter" />
On April 6, 1936, the Senate began Ritter's impeachment trial.<ref name="deschler-ritter" /> On April 17, 1936, the Senate voted to acquit Ritter on Articles I–VI and to convict him on Article VII (56 guilty to 28 not guilty), and Ritter was removed from office the same day.<ref name="deschler-ritter" /> A motion to disqualify Ritter from holding any future federal office failed (yeas 0, nays 76).<ref name="deschler-ritter" />
====Legal challenge to conviction==== After his conviction and removal, Ritter brought an action in the federal Court of Claims seeking to recover his judicial salary, claiming the Senate had exceeded its jurisdiction in trying him for non-impeachable charges. The Court of Claims dismissed the case for want of jurisdiction, holding that the impeachment power is vested in Congress and is not subject to judicial review.<ref name="deschler-ritter" />
==Later career and death==
After his removal from office, Ritter continued to practice law in [[Miami, Florida]].{{Citation needed|date=February 2019}} He became ill while flying to the West Coast, and stopped in [[New Orleans, Louisiana]].{{Citation needed|date=February 2019}} He subsequently traveled to [[Laurel, Mississippi]], Mississippi to recover while staying with friends.{{Citation needed|date=February 2019}} He died there on October 15, 1951.<ref name="auto"/><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-miami-herald-h-l-ritter-widely-kn/188856386/ |title=H. L. Ritter, Widely-Known Attorney, Dies |newspaper=[[Miami Herald]] |page=8 |date=1951-10-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260113214017/https://img.newspapers.com/img/img?clippingId=188856386 |archive-date=2026-01-13 |url-status=deviated |access-date=2026-01-13 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>
==Personal==
Ritter's sister was [[Mary Ritter Beard]], the wife of [[Charles A. Beard]]; both were noted [[historian]]s.{{Citation needed|date=February 2019}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==Sources== * {{cite web|url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015087720028&view=plaintext&seq=5|publisher= US Printing Office|title=Proceedings of the United States Senate|accessdate=2020-02-17}} * {{cite web|last=Wilson|first=Wesley|title=Coordinator of Archives and Special Collections|url=http://digital.library.depauw.edu/cdm/ref/collection/inventory/id/47927|publisher=DePauw University|accessdate=2013-10-28|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029204127/http://digital.library.depauw.edu/cdm/ref/collection/inventory/id/47927|archivedate=2013-10-29}} * {{cite web|url=https://m.openjurist.org/judge/halsted-lockwood-ritter|title=Halsted Lockwood Ritter - OpenJurist|website=m.openjurist.org}} * {{FJC Bio|2016|nid=1386966|name=Halsted Lockwood Ritter<!--(1868–1951)-->}}
{{s-start}} {{s-legal}} {{s-bef|before=[[Rhydon Mays Call]]}} {{s-ttl|title={{nowrap|Judge of the [[United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida]]}}|years=1929–1936}} {{s-aft|after=[[John W. Holland]]}} {{s-end}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ritter, Halsted Lockwood}} [[Category:1868 births]] [[Category:1951 deaths]] [[Category:American people convicted of tax crimes]] [[Category:Colorado Republicans]] [[Category:DePauw University alumni]] [[Category:Florida lawyers]] [[Category:Florida politicians convicted of crimes]] [[Category:Florida Republicans]] [[Category:Impeached United States federal judges removed from office]] [[Category:Judges of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida]] [[Category:Lawyers from Denver]] [[Category:Lawyers from Indianapolis]] [[Category:People from Laurel, Mississippi]] [[Category:United States attorneys for the Southern District of Florida]] [[Category:United States district court judges appointed by Calvin Coolidge]]