Solomon H. Bethea

Solomon H. Bethea
Solomon H. Bethea
Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
	In office; March 18, 1905 – August 3, 1909
Appointed by	Theodore Roosevelt
Preceded by	Christian Cecil Kohlsaat
Succeeded by	George Albert Carpenter
United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois
	In office; 1899–1905
President	William McKinley; Theodore Roosevelt
Preceded by	John C. Black
Succeeded by	Charles B. Morrison
Member of the Illinois House of Representatives
	In office; 1882–1883
Personal details
Born	Solomon Hicks Bethea; May 18, 1852; Lee County, Illinois, U.S.
Died	August 3, 1909 (aged 57); Sterling, Illinois, U.S.
Occupation	Jurist

Solomon Hicks Bethea (May 18, 1852 – August 3, 1909) was an American attorney, politician and judge. He was appointed United States district judge for the Northern District of Illinois by Theodore Roosevelt. He also served as United States Attorney for the same district, was a member of the Illinois House of Representatives for one term, and was Mayor of Dixon, Illinois.

Career

Born in Lee County, Illinois, Bethea read law in 1876.

He was in private practice in Dixon, Illinois, from 1877 to 1898. He was a member of the Illinois House of Representatives from 1882 to 1883 and Mayor of Dixon. He was the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois from 1899 to 1905.

Bethea was nominated by President Theodore Roosevelt on March 18, 1905, to a seat on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois vacated by Judge Christian Cecil Kohlsaat. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on March 18, 1905, and received his commission the same day.

Bethea died on August 3, 1909.^[1]^[2]^[3]

^ Solomon Hicks Bethea at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
^ Kestenbaum, Lawrence. "The Political Graveyard: Index to Politicians: Berryhill to Betz". politicalgraveyard.com.
^ 'Report of the Thirty-Third Annual Meeting of the American Bar Association held at Chattanooga, Tennessee, August 30, August 31 and September 1, 1910,' The Lord Baltimore Press, Baltimore, Maryland: 1910, Biographical Sketch of Solomon Hicks Bethea, pg. 664-665

Legal offices
Preceded by John C. Black	United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois 1899–1905	Succeeded by Charles B. Morrison
Preceded by Christian Cecil Kohlsaat	United States district judge for the Northern District of Illinois 1905–1909	Succeeded by George Albert Carpenter