First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist

Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist

Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist

Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew

Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me

On the morning of 3 January 1944, the destroyer USS Turner suffers multiple explosions and sinks while at anchor off Sandy Hook, New Jersey. A historical first occurs during the rescue operations: a helicopter carries vital medical supplies to wounded sailors.

The previous night, 2 January 1944, USS Turner had arrived at Ambrose Light off Sandy Hook after successfully escorting a convoy across the Atlantic. At 0617 hours this morning, 3 January 1944, as Turner's crew are replenishing supplies and conducting maintenance, an explosion happens in one of the upper-deck ammunition handling rooms. Turner is engulfed in flame as two further explosions rip through her hull. At 0705 hours, Turner's captain gives the order to abandon the ship, but many of the crew are already dead or too gravely injured. Forty-five minutes later, an earth-shattering explosion splits Turner nearly in half, and she sinks within minutes, taking at least 130 sailors with her.

Wounded sailors are transported to a hospital in Sandy Hook, but the hospital quickly runs out of blood and blood plasma for transfusions. The Coast Guard is called to assist in the transport of fresh blood plasma, but the heavy snow and sleet prevent all their airplanes from taking off.

LCDR. Frank Erickson, Executive Officer of the Brooklyn air station and first qualified Coast Guard helicopter pilot is contacted in the afternoon by a US Navy admiral. He and co-pilot Walter Bolton prepare a Sikorsky R-4 helicopter within minutes and fly the Battery in New York to pick up two cases of blood plasma. Weight proves to be an issue, and Bolton is left behind while Erickson flies to Sandy Hook with the cargo tied to the helicopter's floats. He narrowly avoids ships anchored along his flight path as visibility deteriorates rapidly but makes it to the hospital with the aircraft and cargo intact. Dozens of USS Turner's sailors are saved by blood transfusions.

Despite still being a prototype, the R-4, and the helicopter in general, shows its worth that day for rapid rescue and transport operations.

Picture: Commander F. A. Erickson, USCG, and Ensign W. C. Bolton, USCG. (7 April 1944)
Source: US Coast Guard

After nearby ships picked up the survivors of the sunken destroyer, the injured were taken to the hospital at Sandy Hook, New Jersey. A United States Coast Guard Sikorsky HNS-1 flown by Lieutenant Commander Frank A. Erickson — the first use of a helicopter in a life-saving role — flew two cases of blood plasma, lashed to the helicopter's floats, from New York to Sandy Hook. The plasma saved the lives of many of Turner's injured crewmen.[2] Turner's name was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 8 April 1944.

John Jay resigned as Chief Justice on June 29, 1795, after being elected Governor of New York. The subsequent nomination of John Rutledge as Chief Justice was rejected by a vote of 10–14 on December 15, 1795. Rutledge's strident and vocal opposition to the Jay Treaty may have been the main reason for his rejection. Because he had been a recess appointment, Rutledge served as Chief Justice for one term.[6]

Associate Justice

On September 24, 1789, George Washington nominated Rutledge for one of the five associate justice positions on the newly established Supreme Court. His appointment (along with those of: John Blair Jr., William Cushing, Robert H. Harrison, and James Wilson; plus that of John Jay for Chief Justice) was confirmed by the Senate two days later.[33] His service on the Court officially began February 15, 1790, when he took the judicial oath, and continued until March 5, 1791.[1] Rutledge resigned from the Supreme Court, without having ever heard a case, in order to become chief justice of the South Carolina Court of Common Pleas and Sessions.[34][35]


Chief Justice

Further information: Rutledge Court

Bust of John Rutledge in the United States Supreme Court
On June 28, 1795, Chief Justice John Jay resigned, having been elected governor of New York. Washington selected Rutledge to succeed Jay as chief justice, and, as the Senate would not be meeting again until December, gave Rutledge a recess appointment so that he could serve as chief justice during the upcoming August session. He was commissioned as chief justice on June 30, 1795,[36] and took the judicial oath on August 12.[1]

On July 16, 1795, Rutledge gave a highly controversial speech denouncing the Jay Treaty with Great Britain. He reportedly said in the speech "that he had rather the President should die than sign that puerile instrument"– and that he "preferred war to an adoption of it."[37] Rutledge's speech against the Jay Treaty cost him the support of many in the Washington administration, which supported the treaty, and in the Senate, which would soon be called upon to advise the president on his nomination of Rutledge to the judicial post and to consent to its ratification by a two-thirds vote.

Two cases were decided while Rutledge was chief justice.[citation needed] In United States v. Peters, the Court ruled that federal district courts had no jurisdiction over crimes committed against Americans in international waters. In Talbot v. Janson, the Court held that a citizen of the United States did not waive all claims to U.S. citizenship by either renouncing citizenship of an individual state or by becoming a citizen of another country. The Rutledge Court thus established an important precedent for multiple citizenship in the United States.

By the time of his formal nomination to the Court on December 10, 1795, Rutledge's reputation was in tatters, and support for his nomination had faded. Rumors of mental illness and alcohol abuse swirled around him, concocted largely by the Federalist press. His words and actions in response to the Jay Treaty were used as evidence of his continued mental decline.[35] The Senate rejected his appointment on December 15, 1795, by a vote of 10–14.[33] Altogether, 9 Democratic-Republicans and 1 Federalist voted in favor of confirmation, while 14 Federalists voted against it; additionally, 5 Federalists and 1 Democratic-Republican did not vote.[38] This was the first time that the Senate had voted down a Supreme Court nomination. As of 2022; it remains the only U.S. Supreme Court recess appointment to be subsequently rejected by the Senate.[35][39] Though the Senate remained in session through June 1, 1796, which would have been the automatic end of Rutledge's commission following the rejection, Rutledge resigned from the Court two days later, on December 28, 1795. He served the briefest tenure of any Chief Justice of the United States (138 days).[40]