John Philo Hoyt

Politician whose sense of justice caused him to decline becoming governor of Idaho Territory. John Philo Hoyt was a 20-year-old teacher when he put his career on hold to serve in the Union Army. He enlisted as a Private on May 27, 1862, and just one month later was made a Commissary Sergeant. In September of that same year, he and his regiment were captured by Confederate forces at the Battle of Harpers Ferry. Hoyt was later commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant and mustered out on January 15, 1866 with the rank of Captain. Hoyt began studying law at an Ohio law firm, later enrolled in law school, and graduated in July 1867. He established his own practice in Michigan in 1868. Although he continued to practice until 1877, Hoyt also was elected to the Michigan House of Representatives in 1872 and 1874 and served as its speaker of the house in 1875. Seeking a change in climate, Hoyt sought and was appointed secretary of the Territory of Arizona on May 22, 1876. It was in this position that Hoyt made his primary accomplishment by compiling a new legal code for the 9th Arizona Territorial Legislature. Initially called the "Hoyt Code," it later became known as the Arizona Revised Statutes. From 1877 to 1878, he had to give up practicing law to serve as governor of Arizona Territory. On June 8, 1878 Hoyt was appointed to replace Mason Braymen as governor of Idaho Territory. Braymen had been charged with mishandling affairs during the Nez-Perce War, but because Hoyt was not convinced the fallen governor had done anything improper, he took it upon himself to investigate the charges before taking office. After concluding that Braymen had been wrongly charged, Hoyt wrote the President and declined the appointment. As a result, Braymen stayed on as governor and Hoyt was appointed associate justice of the Supreme Court of Washington Territory. He began his Supreme Court appointment in February 1879 and when his first term expired, every practicing attorney in his twelve-county district petitioned President Arthur to reappoint him. Hoyt stayed on as associate justice until 1887. In May of that year, he moved to Seattle, where he managed the territory's largest banking house and later served as president of Washington's constitutional convention. After Washington became a state, he was appointed justice of the State Supreme Court, where he served from 1889 until 1897. From 1898 to 1902, he served on the Board of Regents at the University of Washington, where he later taught law from 1902 to 1907.