Thomas Irwin's body still rests in Section 4, Lot 18 of Allegheny Cemetery.
An image of his likeness can be found on Floor 3, Stack 2 at the Carnegie Library's main branch in Oakland.
Problem solved.
Of the 55 federal judges ever to serve the Western District of Pennsylvania, only Irwin could claim the dubious distinction of not having his portrait line the third floor hallway of the U.S. Post Office and Courthouse, Downtown.
"There we go. Now we've got all 55," Robert Barth, clerk of the U.S. District Court, said Thursday.
Members of the court's historical society committee searched for Irwin's image to complete the collection of district judges, past and present, who have served in Pittsburgh, Erie and Johnstown. Among the row of 54 portraits is a framed note occupying Irwin's spot: "If you know my whereabouts, please contact the clerk of courts."
The mystery unraveled after a Tribune-Review story last Friday about the missing portrait. The story elicited a blurb in the New England Historic Genealogical Society's newsletter, which brought it to the attention of Robert Battle, a linguistics professor at the University of Washington.
"It piqued my interest," Battle said. "So I thought I would see what, if anything, I could turn up."
It didn't take long for Battle to strike pay dirt. He discovered Irwin's image on the Internet, though he said the quality wasn't good.
The portrait was published in "Whirling Spindle, The Story of a Pittsburgh Family," written by Elizabeth Moorhead and published in 1942 by the University of Pittsburgh Press. Moorhead was Irwin's great-granddaughter. The Carnegie Library has a copy of the out-of-print book in its Pennsylvania Room.
"This is unbelievable. It's really great news," said U.S. District Judge Joy Flowers Conti, chairwoman of the court's historical society.
She was grateful the publicity helped end the search, which included inquiries to the Daughters of the American Revolution and the National Archives in Washington.
Irwin was born in Philadelphia in 1785. He served in the state Legislature and in the U.S. House of Representatives. President Andrew Jackson appointed him to the federal bench in 1831. He resigned in 1859 after Congress began impeachment proceedings against him for alleged misconduct and remains the only judge from the district with that ignominious distinction.
Irwin lived in Allegheny City, now the North Side. He died in 1870.
Larger text
Smaller text
Print this article
E-mail this article
