Representative John Jefferson De Haven

John Jefferson De Haven (also given as de Haven and DeHaven) (March 12, 1845 – January 26, 1913) was a United States representative from California, an associate justice of the California Supreme Court, and a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. A lifelong Republican, he held a succession of local, state, and federal offices over more than four decades, contributing to the legislative process during one term in Congress and later shaping California and federal jurisprudence from the bench.

De Haven was born in St. Joseph, Buchanan County, Missouri, on March 12, 1845. In 1853 he moved with his parents to California, where the family settled in Humboldt County on the northern coast. Raised in this developing region of the state, he entered the printing trade as a young man and worked as a printer for four years. His experience in the printing profession, which often brought him into contact with public affairs and political discussion, preceded his decision to pursue a legal career.

After leaving the printing trade, De Haven read law and prepared for admission to the bar. In August 1865 he emerged on the political scene as a delegate from Humboldt County to the Union Party state convention, aligning himself with the pro-Union political forces that dominated California during and immediately after the Civil War. He was admitted to the bar of the district court in Humboldt County in 1866 and commenced the practice of law in Eureka, California, where he practiced from 1866 to 1867. His abilities were quickly recognized, and he was elected district attorney of Humboldt County, serving in that prosecutorial post from 1867 to 1869.

De Haven’s formal political career began in the California Legislature. He represented Humboldt County in the California State Assembly from 1869 to 1871, and then served as a member of the California State Senate from 1871 to 1875. After his legislative service, he returned to private practice in Eureka from 1875 to 1884, while also serving as city attorney of Eureka from 1878 to 1880. He sought national office as a Republican candidate for the 48th United States Congress in 1882 but was unsuccessful in that campaign. In 1884 he was elected judge of the Humboldt County Superior Court, a position he held from 1884 to 1889, gaining substantial judicial experience that would shape his later service on higher courts.

In November 1888, De Haven was elected as a Republican to the United States House of Representatives for the 51st Congress from California’s 1st congressional district. He served in Congress from March 4, 1889, until October 1, 1890. His term coincided with a significant period in American history marked by rapid industrial growth and debates over tariffs, federal power, and economic policy. During this time he participated in the democratic process and represented the interests of his northern California constituents in the national legislature. He resigned his seat before the completion of his term in order to accept judicial office in his home state.

On December 18, 1890, De Haven became an associate justice of the California Supreme Court, filling the unexpired term of Justice Charles N. Fox. He served on the state’s highest court from December 18, 1890, to January 7, 1895. As a justice, he took part in adjudicating a wide range of civil and criminal matters during a period of significant growth and legal development in California. In June 1894 he sought renomination at the Republican convention but was unsuccessful in securing another term on the court. Upon leaving the bench in early 1895, he returned once more to private practice in Eureka, where he practiced law between 1895 and 1897.

De Haven’s judicial career reached its highest level with his appointment to the federal bench. On June 1, 1897, President William McKinley nominated him to a seat on the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, vacated by Judge William W. Morrow following Morrow’s elevation to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The United States Senate confirmed De Haven’s nomination on June 8, 1897, and he received his commission the same day. As a United States district judge, he presided over federal trial matters in a district that included San Francisco and much of northern California, serving continuously from 1897 until his death in 1913. After his death, his seat on the court was filled by Judge Maurice Timothy Dooling.

In his personal life, De Haven married Zeruiah Jane Ball (January 3, 1848 – January 23, 1918) on June 24, 1872, in Humboldt, California. The couple had two children, a daughter, Sadie De Haven, and a son, Joseph J. De Haven. De Haven died of apoplexy on January 26, 1913, in Yountville, California, while still in active service as a federal judge. He was interred in Mount Olivet Cemetery in San Francisco, California. His long career, spanning local prosecution, state legislative service, county and state judicial office, a term in the United States House of Representatives, and more than fifteen years on the federal district court, left a lasting imprint on both California’s legal history and the federal judiciary.