People ex rel. Wetherbee v. Cazneau
People ex rel. Wetherbee v. Cazneau
Opinion of the Court
In February, 1861, Harvey was appointed Superintendent of Immigration for the port of San Francisco, for the period of two years. In August, 1861, Harvey died, and the respondent, Cazneau, was appointed and commissioned by Governor Downey to fiE the vacancy in the. office thus occasioned. Caznean immediately qualified, and entered upon the duties of the office. On the eighth of January, 1862, Governor Downey sent a message to the Senate, informing that body of the appointment, and requesting its confirmation. The Senate postponed the consideration of this message until the twenty-first of the month. On that day, Governor Stanford, the successor of Governor Downey, sent a message to the Senate, withdrawing “ the appointment.” The Senate, however, proceeded and confirmed it. On the fourteenth of May the Legislature adjourned sine die, and on the twenty-ninth of the same month Governor Stanford appointed Wetherbee, the relator, Superintendent of Immigration, and issued a commission to him. On the second of June, Wetherbee qualified, by taking the prescribed oath, and executing the required bond, and demanded of the respondent possession of the office and its books and papers, which was refused. The present proceeding is to try the right of the parses to the office.
Ho attempt was made to fill the office during the session of the Senate. The Governor, who in such matter’s must take the initiar five, never made any nomination to the Senate for the office. The Governor having thus failed to act during the session of the Senate, could not.fill the office by appointment after its adjournment. Without the advice and consent of the Senate, he could not fill the office; without such advice and consent he could only fill a vacancy in the office, and the vacancy in the office in question was already filled by the appointment of the respondent. His commission did not expire upon the adjournment of the Legislature by force of the eighth section of article five of the Constitution. That section only declares that “ when any office shall, from any cause, become vacant, and no mode is provided by the Constitution and laivs for filling such vacancy, the Governor shall have power to fill such
Our conclusion is that the respondent, by virtue of his appointment from Governor Downey, is entitled to the office until the Governor and Senate proceed to fill it. (See Story on the Constitution, Secs. 1558 and 1559; United States v. Kirkpatrick, 9 Wheat., 720; Opinions of the Attorney General, 2 vol., 336, 4 vol., 31 and 362.)
Judgment affirmed.
I do not think it necessary to decide whether the act of Governor Downey in informing the Senate of his appointment of Cazneau as Superintendent of Immigrants, and asking for his confirmation was nugatory; or whether it may not be considered as a nomination to the office ; nor whether, if it be considered as a nomination, his successor in office, Governor Stanford, had the right to withdraw such nomination before it had been acted upon by the Senate. If it was a sufficient nomination, and if that nomination could not be withdrawn by Governor Stanford, then Cazneau holds the office by appointment of the Governor and the Senate. But if it was not a valid nomination, or if it was properly withdrawn before being acted upon by the Senate (it being conceded that no other person has been appointed by the Governor and Senate to fill the office
I therefore concur in the judgment of affirmance.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- THE PEOPLE ex rel. WETHERBEE v. CAZNEAU
- Cited By
- 18 cases
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- A person appointed by the Governor to fill a vacancy in the office of Superintendent of Immigration for the Port of San Francisco, is entitled to hold the office until a new appointment to fill the office is made by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate. The appointment to fill a vacancy in an office of this character is complete, so far as the Governor is concerned, upon the delivery of the commission, and requires no confirmation by the Senate. The Governor cannot, after the commission for the vacancy is issued, revoke the appointment, or by any act affect the right of the appointee to the office for the period prescribed by the statute; that is, until the Governor and Senate proceed and fill the office. The duration of the term of an appointee commissioned to fill a vacancy in the office of Superintendent of Immigration, is controlled by the provisions of the forty-first section of the act concerning officers, passed April 28th, 1851. The eighth section of article five of the Constitution by its terms only applies to those cases of vacancies for filling which no other mode is provided “ by the Constitution and laws,\ and has no application to vacancies the mode of filling which is provided by the law of 1851."