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Sarah Hill Biography & Facts

Sarah Althea Hill (March 26, 1850 – February 14, 1937) was a socialite, mistress, and mentally unstable woman with a history of violent behavior who became a national celebrity when she sued millionaire Senator William Sharon for divorce, citing adultery, in 1883. She claimed he had secretly married her three years earlier in a private contract. She was known to carry a small-caliber Colt revolver in her purse and did not hesitate to threaten all who crossed her. The divorce case and related lawsuits set legal precedent and spawned numerous spinoff lawsuits that dragged on for nearly a decade. Two months after Sharon died, she married her attorney David S. Terry. Early years Hill was born in Pleasant Hill, Missouri, the daughter of attorney Samuel H. Hill and Julia Sloan. Her older brother was Hiram Morgan Hill, for whom the California town of Morgan Hill is named. Both of their parents died while they were minors, leaving them to be cared for by relatives. When they came of age, they received $20,000 (or about $509,000 today) each as their inheritance from their parents. In 1871, at the age of 21, Hill came to San Francisco with her brother, where they lived with their relatives, William and Ada Bryan. In 1880, she had a love affair with attorney Reuben H. Lloyd. When he ended the affair, she attempted suicide on May 10, 1880, in his office by drinking poison. She was saved when her stomach was pumped. San Francisco socialite In the fall of 1880, at age 30, Hill met millionaire Senator William Sharon, the president of the Bank of California, the owner of the Palace Hotel, and other properties. At the time, he was 60, a widower, and one of the richest men in the country. He gave her $500 (about $16,000 today) per month and a room in the San Francisco Grand Hotel, adjoining the Palace Hotel where he lived, for the pleasure of her companionship. After just over a year, he tried to end the relationship, but she would not agree. He finally evicted her from the room by having the carpets ripped up and the door hinges removed, along with a $7,500 (around $245,000) payment. When he began a relationship with another woman, she claimed to be his wife and sued him for divorce, claiming adultery. One of her attorneys was David S. Terry. Sharon claimed he had hired Hill merely as his mistress. Hill produced a marriage contract dated August 20, 1880, and said Sharon had sworn her to secrecy for two years. His reasons, she testified, were that he was up for re-election and could not afford the scandal that would result when his mistress back east heard about the marriage. Sharon countersued, claiming that the marriage contract she produced was fraudulent. Sharon vs. Sharon Hill initially won the first case in December 1884. Judge Jeremiah F. Sullivan declared her the legal wife of William Sharon and awarded her alimony and the right to half of his accumulated wealth since the date of their marriage. Because of continuing counter-suits and appeals, Hill never received any of Sharon's money. William Sharon died on November 13, 1885. Hill produced a handwritten will, supposedly made not long before his death, that she said she found in his desk. Those who knew Sharon doubted its authenticity. It gave Sharon's entire estate to Hill and nothing to his son Frederick and son-in-law Frank Newlands. On January 7, 1886, Hill married one of her lawyers, former California Supreme Court Justice David S. Terry. Terry was well known for killing Senator David C. Broderick in a duel in 1859. Hill and Terry were married at St. Mary's Church in Stockton, California, Terry's home town. The Sharon family continued to fight Hill. As was the custom at the time, U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Stephen Johnson Field was assigned to assist the California Circuit Court. He was coincidentally assigned to the Sharon vs. Sharon case. After William Sharon died, his son and son-in-law carried on the case. Many were suspicious of the authenticity of the will Hill claimed to have found. Hill's expenses were primarily bankrolled by her friend, Mary Ellen Pleasant, an elderly black entrepreneur. The lawsuit propelled Hill into the national spotlight and earned her the nickname, The Rose of Sharon. In January 1886, a U.S. Circuit Court Judge and a U.S. District Court Judge sitting as a Circuit Judge rendered a decision against the defendants. They ruled that the marriage contract was a forgery and required the plaintiffs to turn over the document so that it could be nullified by the court. The Terrys refused to comply with the Court's order and were jailed. They returned to the court in March 1888, seeking further relief. On September 3, 1888, Field delivered the final Circuit Court opinion. He ruled that the will was a forgery. Sarah Althea Hill suddenly stood up, screamed obscenities at the judge, and fumbled in her handbag for her revolver. When Marshal John Franks and others attempted to escort her from the courtroom, attorney Terry rose to defend his wife and drew his Bowie knife. He hit Franks, knocking out a tooth, and the marshals drew their handguns. Spectators subdued Terry and led him out of the courtroom, where he pulled his Bowie knife and threatened all around him. David Neagle was among the Marshals present and put his pistol in Terry's face. Both Terrys were subdued and placed under arrest. Justice Field had them returned to the courtroom and sentenced both to jail for contempt of court. David Terry got six months in jail, and Sarah Terry got one month. While being transported to jail and while serving their sentences, Terry and his wife repeatedly threatened Justice Field. The Terrys suffered several more setbacks. Both David and Althea were indicted by a federal grand jury on criminal charges arising out of their behavior in the courtroom before Justice Field. In May 1889, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to review the order that invalidated Althea Terry's marriage contract with Senator Sharon. Then, in July, with only one of the four judges who had earlier ruled in their favor, the California Supreme Court reversed itself. It ruled that because Althea Terry and Sharon had kept their alleged marriage a secret, they were never legally married. While in jail or shortly afterward, pregnant Althea suffered a miscarriage. Attack expected The newspapers followed the case and repeatedly speculated about the likelihood of an attack on Field. When Field returned to California as a circuit riding judge for the 9th Circuit Court again the next year, U.S. Attorney General William Miller instructed Marshal Franks on May 6, 1889, to appoint Neagle as a Marshal with the responsibility to protect Field. It is due to the dignity and independence of the court, and the character of its judge, that no effort on the part of the government shall be spared to make them feel entirely safe and free from anxiety in the discharge of their high duties. Terry killed When David and Althea Terry were released from.... Discover the Sarah Hill popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Sarah Hill books.