It was technically accurate for Article III Groupie to report that "Justice David H. Souter no longer lives with his mother." Unfortuately, A3G was right for the wrong reason. On March 23, 1995, Justice Souter's mother, Helen Souter, passed away.
A3G lays the blame for her error upon the erroneous Souter bio of the Supreme Court Historical Society, which one would expect to be a reliable source of information about the justices. She would also note that even the omniscient Wonkette may be laboring under the same misapprehension (third item).
Here are some excerpts from an article about Helen Souter's passing, by Tami Plyler, which was published in the Manchester Union Leader on March 25, 1995:
Helen Souter, who once said "I think a teardrop fell," when she was told her only son, David Souter, was nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court, died Thursday in Concord. She was 87.
Mrs. Souter, who was once described by her son as an avid Red Sox fan, was a resident of Heritage Heights, a Concord retirement home. She had lived with her son at the family's Weare home until moving to Heritage Heights several years ago. The Supreme Court associate justice confirmed yesterday his mother died Thursday, but declined to give out funeral details, saying the services will be private.
The Boutwell & Hussey-Wiren Funeral Home in Concord was in charge of arrangements. Funeral director Ronald Bourque said Souter requested there be no obituary and said he would handle inquiries. "Justice Souter wants it to be very private," said Bourque....
The way that Justice Souter handled his mother's passing, without even issuing a formal obituary, may shed some light upon his reaction -- or lack thereof -- to the death of Chief Justice Rehnquist. It supports the theory that his failure to issue a statement after the Chief's death was simply a manifestation of his extreme, almost obsessive desire for privacy, as opposed to a reflection of any animosity Souter had towards Rehnquist. (Justice Souter's understated handling of his mother's death may also explain why many people are unaware that she passed away some years ago.)
The article goes on to note:
Prior to being confirmed a Supreme Court justice, Souter made weekly visits to his mother in Concord. The appointment to the Supreme Court meant her son wasn't able to make weekly visits anymore, something Mrs. Souter said she regretted, but apparently took in stride.
"Well, isn't that silly, but being a mother, I'd miss him if he went to Boston," said Mrs. Souter in 1990. At the time, Souter was a judge on the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston.When he was nominated to the Supreme Court, Mrs. Souter said she was proud of her son. "I'm a very happy mother," she said, adding, "I'm very happy that I produced a judge."
Indeed! As far as A3G is concerned, the second most noble job after being a federal judge is being the mother of a federal judge. The article concludes:
While Souter's mother wasn't entirely surprised by her Souter's nomination to the nation's highest court -- he had been on the short list for the post for some time -- she was somewhat skeptical when White House counsel C. Boyden Gray [OT 1968/Burger] called Mrs. Souter prior to the nomination looking for her son. Former U.S. Sen. Warren Rudman said in 1990 that Mrs. Souter almost wouldn't give Gray the number, because she thought the call was a prank.
And when Justice Souter's made his first visit to the White House, the visit included a call by then-President George Bush to Mrs. Souter in Concord. As Justice Souter recounted in 1990, Bush told Mrs. Souter he had brought the justice nominee to the White House, settled him down and gave him a drink. "'I want you to know he's okay,"' Souter recalled, "'he's doing just fine."'
It sounds like Helen Souter was a truly wonderful woman, who loved her son very much and was deeply proud of his impressive accomplishments. May she rest in peace.
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