Richard Busteed

Once when confronted with black men being thrown out of a white railroad car by the conductor, Busteed pulled his pistol and defended the black men allowing them to stay. [2]

Alabamians generally considered Busteed corrupt and pro-Northern.[3] In December 1867, he was shot on the street in Mobile, Alabama by United States Attorney Lucien V. B. Martin,[4] who fired two more shots into him after he fell. Martin went to Texas and was never prosecuted, while Busteed recovered rapidly.

Busteed was nominated by President Ulysses S. Grant to the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia (now the United States District Court for the District of Columbia) on January 13, 1873.[5] At the same time, President Grant nominated Judge David Campbell Humphreys, an Alabama native serving on the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia, to assume Busteed's seat, each nomination made contingent on the other's resignation.[5] The Senate returned the nominations to the President as irregular in form on February 13, 1873.[1]

In 1873, Busteed was the subject of an impeachment inquiry by the United States House of Representatives Judiciary Committee. The Committee recommended his impeachment on charges of failing to maintain a residence in his judicial district, failing to hold scheduled terms of court, and using his official position to promote his personal interests (specifically, by remitting a fine due to the Federal government in order to obtain release from a personal judgment against him in a State court).[6] Busteed resigned before the full House could vote on the recommendation.[7] Representatives Butler and Wilson emphasized the revived (previously settled by Blount in 1799) but still-minority position that resignation was no bar to later impeachment, yet voted with the rest of the committee to terminate proceedings.[8]