Frank I. Osborne

Frank I. Osborne
Frank I. Osborne
Member of the North Carolina Senate
	In office; 1898–1899
Constituency	Mecklenburg County
North Carolina Attorney General
	In office; 1893–1897
Governor	Elias Carr
Preceded by	Theodore F. Davidson
Succeeded by	Zeb V. Walser
Mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina
	In office; 1879–1881
Personal details
Born	Francis Irwin Osborne; May 28, 1853; Charlotte, North Carolina
Died	January 20, 1920 (aged 66); Charlotte, North Carolina
Political party	Democratic
Alma mater	Davidson College
Occupation	Judge, politician

Francis Irwin Osborne (May 28, 1853 – January 20, 1920) was the Attorney General of North Carolina from 1893 to 1896.

Biography

Francis Osborne was born in Charlotte, North Carolina on May 28, 1853.[1] He attended Davidson College before reading law for 2 years in the offices of Richmond Mumford Pearson, Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court.[1] Osborne was admitted to the North Carolina Bar in 1875. At age 25, he was elected mayor of the city of Charlotte. He was elected Attorney General of North Carolina in 1893, but, defeated for reelection to the same office in 1896. Osborne served a term as a State Senator from Mecklenburg County, North Carolina in the North Carolina General Assembly from 1898-1899. He served on 9 standing Senate Committees. After 1899, Osborne resumed his legal practice at the law firm of Osborne, Maxwell & Kearn. Though, himself, a Democrat, in 1901 Osborne defended both North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice David M. Furches and North Carolina Supreme Court Associate Justice Robert Martin Douglas during their impeachment hearings. Osborne was of the opinion that the Republican judges' impeachments were unwarranted and an attempted political purge. Osborne's brilliant speech before the North Carolina General Assembly in closing defense of the justices caused both to be acquitted. As reward for his successful defense of the justices, Theodore Roosevelt upon assuming office as President of the United States appointed Osborne a United States District Judge.[2][3]

Francis Osborne died at his home in Charlotte on January 20, 1920.[1]

References

"Judge Osborne Dies Suddenly". The Charlotte News. January 20, 1920. p. 1. Retrieved January 7, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
Powell, William S., ed. (November 9, 2000). Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, Vol. 4 (L-O). Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. p. 402. ISBN 9780807867129. Retrieved January 7, 2020 – via Google Books.
Staff, History of North Carolina, Vol. 6, © 1919, Chicago: Lewis Publishing Company, pp. 283-284

Legal offices
Preceded by Theodore F. Davidson	Attorney General of North Carolina 1893 – 1897	Succeeded by Zeb V. Walser

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[Dies-1] "Judge Osborne Dies Suddenly". The Charlotte News. January 20, 1920. p. 1. Retrieved January 7, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.

[2] Powell, William S., ed. (November 9, 2000). Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, Vol. 4 (L-O). Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. p. 402. ISBN 9780807867129. Retrieved January 7, 2020 – via Google Books.

[3] Staff, History of North Carolina, Vol. 6, © 1919, Chicago: Lewis Publishing Company, pp. 283-284