Mark William Delahay (1817 – May 8, 1879) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Kansas. He resigned after being impeached by the United States House of Representatives due to allegations of alcoholism.
Born in 1817,[1] in Talbot County, Maryland,[2] Delahay entered private practice in Illinois until 1853. He was the editor of the Virginia Observer located in Virginia, Illinois. He resumed private practice in Mobile, Alabama from 1853 to 1855, then in Leavenworth, Kansas Territory from 1855 to 1857. He was owner and editor of The Territorial Register in the Kansas Territory starting in 1857. He was chief clerk of the Kansas Territorial House of Representatives from 1860 to 1861. He was Surveyor General of the Kansas Territory (State of Kansas from January 29, 1861) and the Nebraska Territory from 1861 to 1863.[2]
Delahey had a personal friendship with Abraham Lincoln originating with their mutual cause in establishing the Republican Party.[3] In 1859, Delahay sought the Republican nomination for a United States Senate seat for Kansas.
He evidently wanted Lincoln to intercede with General James H. Lane in his behalf. Instead of approaching Lane directly, as Delahay asked, Lincoln sought to accomplish the desired end by a somewhat circuitous, but equally effective route. He wrote Delahay a letter in which he committed himself to his candidacy, at the same time telling him he might show the letter to General Lane and thus gain the latter's support — a suggestive specimen of Lincoln's subtlety as a politician. In April, 1861, Lincoln appointed Delahay Surveyor-General of Kansas and Nebraska, which office he seems to have filled till October 5, 1863, when Lincoln appointed him United States District Judge for Kansas. His daughter, Mary E. Delahay, is authority for the statement that Lincoln offered to appoint him Minister to Chile, which post he declined.[3]
デラヘイは、1863年10月6日にエイブラハム・リンカーン大統領から休会中の任命を受け、アーチボルド・ウィリアムズ判事が空席にしたカンザス地区連邦地方裁判所の判事に就任した。彼は1863年12月14日にリンカーン大統領から同じ職に指名された。彼は1864年3月15日に米国上院の承認を受け、同日に任命状を受け取った。彼の任期は1873年12月12日に辞任により終了した。[ 2 ]
デラヘイは1873年2月28日にアメリカ合衆国下院によって弾劾された。調査委員会は下院に対し、デラヘイの「個人的な習慣は司法職にふさわしくなく、彼の節制は例外であって規則ではない」と報告した。[ 4 ]ある情報源によると、デラヘイは「法廷内外を問わず酔っていた」という。 [ 5 ]デラヘイは弾劾されたものの、アメリカ合衆国下院は彼に対する具体的な弾劾条項を作成することはなく、彼の辞任により弾劾手続きは上院に到達する前に終了した。[ 4 ]