served from March 4, 1875 to March 3, 1881. He served as the chairman of the Committee on Mines and Mining in the 45th United States Congress. Sharon spent the majority of his term in office living in California, missing more than 90% of votes. Sharon vs. Sharon Sarah Althea Hill was a 30-year-old mentally unstable woman with a history of violent behavior. She carried a small-caliber Colt revolver in her purse and did not hesitate to threaten all who crossed her. She attracted the attention of 60-year-old Sharon. He was at the time reportedly earning over $100,000 per month. He gave her $500 (about $) a month and a room in the San Francisco Grand Hotel, adjoining the Palace Hotel where he lived, and enjoyed her companionship from time to time. After just over a year, he tried to end the relationship, but she would not allow it, and kept inviting herself to his office and sent repeated pleas for him to reconsider his decision. He finally evicted her from her room by having the carpets ripped up and the door hinges removed, along with a $7,500 (around $) payment. Sued for adultery When he began a relationship with another woman, she claimed to be his wife and sued him for adultery. One of her attorneys was former Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court David S. Terry. Sharon countersued, claiming that the marriage contract she produced was fraudulent. As was the custom at the time, U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Stephen J. Field was assigned to assist the California Circuit Court. He was assigned to the Sharon vs. Sharon case. Coincidentally, Fields had in 1859 replaced David Terry on the California Supreme Court after Terry killed California United States Senator David Colbreth Broderick in a duel. Although he was not charged with a crime, he resigned and left the state. After William Sharon died on November 13, 1885, his son Frederick and son-in-law carried on the case. Hill produced a handwritten will that she said she had found in his desk. Many were suspicious of its authenticity. It gave her all of Sharon's estate. She soon married her attorney Terry. Forged marriage contract In January 1886, a U.S. Circuit Court Judge and a U.S. District Court Judge sitting as a Circuit Judge rendered a decision that the marriage contract was a forgery. The Terrys were jailed when they