Viewing Obituaries/Memorials Category (156) found:Hennepin County Bar Memorials: 1986.At a special session of the Hennepin County District Court on April 23, 1986, the county bar association presented memorials to twenty-seven lawyers:
Hennepin County Bar Memorials: 1990.At a special session of the Hennepin County District Court on April 25, 1990, the county bar association presented memorials to twenty-one lawyers:
Hennepin County Bar Memorials: 1985.At a special session of the Hennepin County District Court on April 24, 1985, the county bar association presented memorials to twenty-five lawyers:
Hennepin County Bar Memorials: 1978.At a special session of the Hennepin County District Court on February 15, 1978, the county bar association presented memorials to twenty-two lawyers:
Hennepin County Bar Memorials: 1989.At a special session of the Hennepin County District Court on April 26, 1989, the county bar association presented memorials to twenty-two lawyers:
Judge Frank C. Barnes (1889-1963).For a quarter century, Frank Barnes was the municipal court judge in Fergus Falls, and for another decade judge of probate and juvenile court. He died on December 11, 1963, the last day of his 73rd year. Terrence M. Walters: "Remembering Judge Foley" (2002).Daniel F. Foley (1921-2002) received his B.A. from St. Thomas College, LL.B from Fordham University, and LL.D. from Mexican Academy of International Law. A World War II veteran, he served as National Commander of The American Legion, 1963-1964. He was in private practice in Wabasha from 1948 to 1966, when he was appointed to the Third Judicial District bench. He was reelected three times. In 1983, he was appointed to the newly established Minnesota Court of Appeals and served until 1991, when he retired---technically, that is, because he still sat on panels of the court right up to his death on August 17, 2002.
Charles E. Callaghan (1863-1926).In 1898, Charles Elwin Callaghan and George Granger formed a law firm that soon became one of the most successful in southwestern Minnesota. It dissolved in 1915, when Granger was appointed to the district court bench, a post he held only two years before resigning. Callaghan was then appointed to fill the vacancy; he was elected to a full term in 1918, and reelected in 1924. He died in office on August 13, 1926, at age seventy-three. The following year, a committee of the Wabasha County Bar presented a "sketch" of his life in district court. Ozro B. Gould (1841-1907).Except for a brief stint on the bench, Ozro B. Gould practiced law in Winona from 1867 to January 1907, when he died. For over seventeen of those years, from 1877 to 1895, he practiced in partnership with Arthur H. Snow.
William L. Parsons (1858-1939).William L. Parsons arrived in Fergus Falls in 1882 to practice law. He was twenty-fours years old and already a member of the New York bar. In 1886, he formed a partnership with James A. Brown, and their firm soon became one of the most prominent in the area. In 1913, a third judgeship was added to the Seventh Judicial District, and Governor Eberhart appointed Parsons to fill this slot. He served until late 1927, when he resigned. He died on January 13, 1939, and the following day the Fergus Falls Daily Journal published his obituary. Cyrus Brady McCune (1850-1920).A graduate of Princeton University and a member of the Indiana bar, Cyrus McCune moved to Benson, Minnesota in 1884, and began practicing law with Walter A. Foland. They shared an interest in newspaper publishing and founded the "Benson Times." Their association lasted over two decades, ending only when Foland became the clerk of the district court. McCune died on October 20, 1920, at age seventy. At the annual convention of the Minnesota State Bar Association in 1921, a memorial was presented to him. Judge Frank W. Lyon (1856-1921).Like many other lawyers in the nineteenth century, Frank Lyon was born, educated and read law in another state before he removed to Minnesota. He graduated Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois, in 1878, apprenticed in Peoria, was admitted to the Illinois bar, and practiced four years in Toulon, his home town. Restless, he and his wife moved to Minneapolis in 1885, and two years later to Little Falls where he opened his own shop. He served three terms as Morrison County attorney. In 1915, the legislature authorized the establishment of a municipal court in Little Falls, and he was elected its first judge.
Donald T. Winder (1894-1968).After his discharge from the Marine Corps in 1946, Lieutenant Colonel Donald Winder moved to Winona and started practicing law. He was fifty-three years old, and had not practiced in Minnesota before. He became involved in civic activities, many of which concerned his fellow veterans. As a result of his work for the local chapter of the American Legion, the U. S. Savings Bond campaign and the county polio chapter, he became known as Winona's most Patriotic Marine. He died on September 18, 1968, at age seventy-three. In April of the following year, the Winona County Bar Association presented a memorial to him in district court. Charles G. Bowdish (1870-1922).Charles Bowdish was appointed court reporter of the Eighth Judicial District on "the evening before Christmas night, 1904," and held that post until his death on February 22, 1922, at the age of 52. On May 8, 1922, the Bar of the Eighth Judicial District presented memorials to him in McLeod County District Court. Hennepin County Bar Memorials: 1994.At a special session of the Hennepin County District Court on April 27, 1994, the county bar association presented memorials to twenty-five lawyers:
Judge William A. Kerr (1867-1919).When he was twenty-one, William Kerr moved to Minneapolis from New Brunswick, Canada, where he had read law and been admitted to the bar. He was admitted to the Minnesota bar in 1889 and joined a prominent law firm. He must have moved easily in legal and political circles because less than six years later he received the endorsement of the Republican party for Special Judge of the Minneapolis Municipal Court. He was elected in November 1894. He returned to private practice at the end of his six year term. In 1902, he published a 519 page treatise, "The Law of Insurance: Fire, Life, Accident, Guarantee," known to the bar as "Kerr on Insurance."
Ferdinand Barta (1857-1928).Ferdinand Barta practiced law and politics in St. Paul for forty-five years. A stalwart Republican, he was elected to the state House of Representatives in 1894 and 1896, but was defeated in a bid for the state Senate in 1898. He died in 1928 at age seventy.
Patrick Fitzpatrick (1857-1908).Patrick Fitzpatrick was elected Winona County attorney in 1881, only a year after he was admitted to the bar. Re-elected several times, he acquired a reputation among the local bar for his competency, protection of the interests of taxpayers and "fearlessness" in not being stampeded by "public passion" over a particular case. In 1894 he ran as a Democrat in heavily Republican Winona for the state senate and lost by a wide margin to former Lieutenant Governor William Yale. Two years later he ran against incumbent James Tawney for Congress and was trounced. In 1898, however, he was elected to the state senate, re-elected in 1902 without opposition, and almost doubled his Republican opponent's vote in 1906 --- his last election.
Memorials to Deceased Members of the Fillmore County Bar (1948).This is a transcript of memorial proceedings in Fillmore County District Court on April 12, 1948, for four lawyers, George W. Bartle, Samuel C. Pattridge, J. C. White, and Henry A. Larson, and the clerk of court, Carl Johnson. Memorials to deceased members of the Eleventh Judicial District Bar Association delivered in St. Louis County District Court (1948).This is a transcript of proceedings in St. Louis County District Court on January 7, 1948, when the Eleventh Judicial District Bar Association delivered memorials to nine lawyers and one judge who died the previous year. The men commemorated were Frank Crassweller, Ralph E. Burdick, Henry Paull, James H. Whitely, Hubert d'Autremont, Frank J. Erchul, Clarence J. Hartley, Edgar MacPherran, Judge Bert Fesler, and Francis H. De Groat. Hennepin County Bar Memorials: 1968.At a special session of the Hennepin County District Court on May 28, 1968, the county bar association presented memorials to twenty-six lawyers and one judge:
Hennepin County Bar Memorials: 1977.At a special session of the Hennepin County District Court on February 24, 1977, the county bar association presented memorials to twenty-five lawyers:
Hennepin County Bar Memorials: 1982.At a special session of the Hennepin County District Court on April 28, 1982, the county bar association presented memorials to twenty-four lawyers:
Hennepin County Bar Memorials: 1993.At a special session of the Hennepin County District Court on April 28, 1993, the county bar association presented memorials to twenty-one lawyers:
Scott County Bar Memorials: 1942.On March 23, 1942, memorial proceedings were held in the Scott County Court House, Shakopee, for eight lawyers:
Winona County Bar Memorials: 1905.On May 13, 1905, the Winona County Bar Association presented memorials to the following four lawyers in District Court:
Harold J. Alton (1903-1937).Admitted to the bar in 1927, shortly after graduating from the St. Paul College of Law, Harold J. Alton practiced less than ten years before he died in Wabasha after a brief illness. At that time, he was city attorney and partner of John Murdoch, a pillar of the bar. Several months later, a committee of the county bar association, one of whom was Murdoch, presented a tribute to him in district court. His professional ethics, integrity and ability to make and keep friendships were recalled, and, poignantly, that he "gave great promise of attaining eminence in his profession" -- a promise unfilled because of his early and untimely passing. Evan H. Anderson (1893-1933).Evan H. Anderson graduated the St. Paul College of Law in 1919, and thereafter practiced law, primarily criminal defense, in St. Paul until his death in 1933, at the age of 40.
Alexander T. Ankeny (1837-1917).Alexander Thompson Ankeny was active in civic affairs and politics in Minneapolis from the 1870s to his death in 1917, at age seventy-nine. He also found time to practice law. He was elected to several terms on the school board and acquired a reputation for being an authority on public education. An ardent Democrat, he ran unsuccessfully for municipal court, district court and mayor. He was an influential voice for reform within that party. In 1886, he persuaded the State Democratic Central Committee to endorse the "Australian ballot" or secret ballot in its platform that year. Three years later the legislature required use of the secret ballot in cities with a population exceeding 10,000; in 1891, it extended that law throughout the state. Isaac Atwater (1818-1906)Isaac Atwater served as associate justice on the first Minnesota Supreme Court following statehood. He was a prominent lawyer in St. Anthony and Minneapolis before and after his service on the court. Frank W. Baer (1854-1931).After working for a railroad, several mercantile companies, and in the office of city treasurer, Frank W. Baer studied at the St. Paul College of Law, and was admitted to the bar in 1906. Thereafter he was employed as Chief Deputy Sheriff of Ramsey County, a position he held when he died on February 27, 1931.
George L. Bargen (1900-1955).George L. Bargen practiced law in Bemidji for almost thirty years. He died on December 30, 1955, at the age of 55. A memorial service was held for him in the Beltrami County District Court on October 1, 1956. This is a transcript of those proceedings. John O. Barke (1850-1921).John O. Barke lived his first twenty years in Norway. After his family emigrated in 1870, he spent the next ten years working and attending various colleges, eventually graduating from the law department of Drake University in 1880. He promptly moved to Fergus Falls, where he practiced until death in January 1921. Judge Charles Bechhoefer (1864-1932).After arriving in St. Paul in 1885, Charles Bechhoeffer began an apprenticeship with the John B. and W. H. Sanborn firm. There he remained for about two years. He then opened his own practice, specializing in real estate, probate and tax law. In 1923, he was appointed to the bench of the Second Judicial District. He served on the district court until 1931, when he resigned because of illness.
Morris A. Bennett (1833-1861)Morris A. Bennett died in Winona on April 23, 1861, at the age of 28. Articles about him appeared in the "Winona Daily Republican" on April 23 and 24, 1861. Burr D. Blair (1858-1940).Burr Blair practiced law in Winona from 1900 to 1913, when he became employed at the Winona Savings Bank. He worked at that bank until 1928, when he retired. He was active in the affairs of the city, serving eight years on the school board, twenty-four years on the library board, and twelve years on the Board of Municipal Works. Although he had ceased practicing law, he was a member of the Winona County Bar Association, which presented a memorial to him in district court after his death on July 10, 1940, at age eighty-two. Virginia B. Blythe (1877-1954)A graduate of the University of Minnesota School of law, Virginia Blythe was admitted to the bar on June 14, 1912. She became interested in juvenile delinquency and seems to have concentrated her practice in this field. But she led a very active life outside the profession by participating in many women's organizations: the Women's Welfare League, the Women's Cooperative Alliance, the Minneapolis Council of Federated Church Women, and the Minneapolis Women's Rotary Club.
Alf E. Boyesen (1857-1935)A Memorial of Alf E. Boyesen, who died on October 27, 1934, at age seventy-seven, was presented to the Ramsey County District Court on April 20, 1935. James A. Brown (1853-1929).In 1886, after a three year apprenticeship, James Brown, a native New Yorker, was admitted to the bar in Otter Tail County. He formed a partnership with William L. Parsons, another recent arrival in Fergus Falls. Parsons & Brown soon became one of the most prominent law firms in the western part of the state. It was dissolved in 1913 when Parsons accepted an appointment to the district court bench. Brown practiced alone until 1920, when he hired a young associate, Roger L. Dell. They practiced as Brown & Dell until shortly before Brown's death on May 10, 1929. The following day the Fergus Falls Daily Journal carried Brown's obituary. John Harrison Brown (1824-1890)John H. Brown served as a judge in the Twelfth Judicial District from March 13, 1875, to his death on January 20, 1890. Julian Edmund Brown (1884-1934).Julian E. Brown graduated from the St. Paul College of Law in 1906. Thereafter he practiced law and was engaged in civic affairs in St. Paul until his death in 1934 at the age of 53.
S. D. J. Bruski (1901-1963).Admitted to the bar in 1930, Sylvester D. J. Bruski developed specialties in real estate and probate law. Due to his "phenomenal addiction to details," as one lawyer recalled, he became the "Dean of Real Estate and Dean of Abstract Examiners" in Winona County.
Harry Lee Buck (1861-1952).Admitted to the bar after clerking with former Chief Justice Thomas Wilson in Winona, Harry L. Buck completed his legal education by attending the University of Wisconsin law School, receiving a LL.B in 1883. He returned to his hometown where he was a trial lawyer and probate specialist in partnership with others or by himself for decades. Like his father, Cornelius Buck, also a lawyer, he was active in politics, as a Democrat. He served the community as a judge and as a member of several important city boards. He was probate judge for ten years, municipal court judge for two terms, city postmaster for nine years, director of the Winona State Normal School for four years, a member of the Public School Board for four more, and president of the Library Board for a quarter century. The Judge died on November 15, 1952, at age ninety-one and five months later the Winona County Bar Association presented a memorial to him in district court. Charles A. Bucknam (1849-1940).Charles A. Bucknam practiced law in Minneapolis from 1886 to his death at age ninety-one on February 6, 1940. On February 17th, a memorial was presented to him in Hennepin County District Court. George Edward Budd (1864-1930).Immediately after George E. Budd graduated from the University of Michigan Law Department in 1885, he came to St. Paul, where he practiced law, specializing in real estate law, until his death in 1930. On April 4, 1931, a memorial was held for him by the Ramsey County Bar Association. John Ely Burchard (1864-1934).John Ely Burchard practiced law in St. Paul from 1900 to his death in 1934. He specialized in real estate and was a long time trustee of the Minnesota Mutual Life insurance Company.
Fitzhugh Burns (1870-1933).Fitzhugh Burns graduated from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1895, after which He engaged in private practice for a few years. In 1900, he became employed by a bonding company, and in that field he worked until his death in August 1933. On March 31, 1934, the Ramsey County Bar Association delivered a memorial to him. William Burns (ca. 1867-1917).William Burns arrived in Winona in 1882, attended school, and read law in the offices of former Chief Justice Thomas Wilson. He began practicing law in Winona in 1885, when he was admitted to the bar; he also served as Referee in Bankruptcy from 1902 to March 1917, when he died. The following month, the Winona County Bar Association presented a tribute to him in district court. Proceedings in Memory of Pierce Butler (1940).Pierce Butler served as Associate Justice on the U. S. Supreme Court from December 21, 1922, to his death on November 16, 1939, at the age of 73. Memorial proceedings for him were held in the Supreme Court on January 27, 1940, and May 20, 1940. They are posted in their entirety in this article. Alexander W. Caldwell (1872-1928).Alexander W. Caldwell worked for the St. Paul Dispatch and Pioneer Press newspapers from 1895 to 1927. During the last decade, he was an editorial writer. In 1924, he began attending law school at night, graduated in 1926, and was admitted to the bar in November of that year. He was 54 years old. He died in August 1928. A memorial service was held for him by the Ramsey County Bar Association on March 30, 1929. Chester L. Caldwell (1864-1935).Chester L. Caldwell took night classes at the St. Paul College of Law, graduated "with the first complete class of the college," and was admitted to the Minnesota bar in 1903. As a lawyer he specialized in real estate and probate work. He became active in the county and state bar associations, serving as Presidents of both the Ramsey County Bar Association and the Minnesota State Bar Association. He died on January 6, 1935. On April 20 of that year, the Ramsey County Bar Association held a memorial service for him. Samuel L. Campbell (1824-1910).Samuel Lewis Campbell, a native New Yorker, arrived in Minnesota Territory in 1855, and was admitted to the bar the next year. He then opened an office in Wabasha and practiced law there for the next half century. He died on January 17, 1910, at age eighty-five. On November 10, 1910, a committee of the Wabasha County bar presented a tribute to him in district court. Edwin H. Canfield (1855-1936).Edwin Canfield arrived with his wife and two daughters in Luverne in June 1881, was admitted to the bar the next month, and died there 55 years later. In the intervening five decades, he built a substantial law practice and acquired a reputation for "brilliance" at the bar. He also filled many of the roles lawyers were expected to perform in their communities in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. He was county attorney for many years, state senator for one term, school board member, director of the local bank and---most important---the inspired founder of the local public library. In an editorial following his death, the "Rock County Herald" acknowledged the community's debt to him:
E. N. Card (1828-1910).Although he had an established law practice in Cooperstown, New York, and had even served a term as county judge, E. N. Card, at age forty-five, moved to Lake City in 1873, and began practicing law. After many years, he moved to St. Paul to practice before retiring. He died in Chicago in the summer of 1910, and was buried in Lake City. In November of that year, a committee of the Wabasha County Bar Association presented a memorial to him in district court. James A. Carley (1869-1952).At a memorial service for James A. Carley, who died on May 14, 1952, at age eighty-three, Martin Healy, a friend and fellow member of the Wabasha County bar, remarked that he was "destined for a long public life." In a profession not known for understatements, this certainly was one. By rough calculation, from his graduation from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1894, to his death, he held public office for about forty years. He was county attorney, village recorder and mayor of Plainview, state representative for one term, state senator from 1915 through 1929, and again from 1935 to 1952, when he died in office. But he may be remembered less for his legislative accomplishments than for a tract of land near Plainview that he and others donated to the state in 1948. Today, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources describes the Carley State Park as being "located in the Bluffland Landscape Region. Towering white pines stand amid an oak forest at this beautiful park. Delicate wildflowers bloom in April and May and the trail winds around the north branch of the Whitewater River." Frederick Miles Catlin (1859-1929).In 1884, after being admitted to the Pennsylvania bar, Frederick M. Catlin boarded a train for Seattle. But, while stopped in St. Paul for a change of cars, friends persuaded him to relocate there. He was admitted to the Minnesota bar that year. He served in the National Guard, and in the infantry during the Spanish-American War. He maintained an active private practice, but was drawn back to public service, even holding the post of Acting Chief of Police at one time. Twice he was appointed by the governor to fill the unexpired terms of judges on the Ramsey County District Court.
Harry P. Churchill (1888-1934).Harry P. Churchill graduated the St. Paul College of Law in 1911. He was elected to the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners in 1918, and served on it until his death, all the while maintaining a private law practice. As a commissioner, he took special interest in the Children's Preventorium, and was the county representative on the child welfare board.
Daniel Joseph Coleman (1876-1927).Graduating in 1902, Daniel J. Coleman was a member of the first class of graduates of the St. Paul College of Law. He was engaged in private practice in St. Paul from that date until his death in 1927. On April 7, 1928, the Ramsey County Bar Association delivered a memorial to him. David A. Connors (1859-1930).David Connors was elected Clerk of Court for Washington County in November 1912. Reelected in subsequent elections, he served until December 6, 1930, when he died. On January 12th of the following year, the Washington County Bar Association presented a memorial to him in District Court. Edward A. Cooper (1881-1933).After Edward A. Cooper graduated from the St. Paul College of Law in 1912, he engaged in private practice until his death in March 1933. The following month, the Ramsey County Bar Association delivered a memorial to him. James Cormison (1855-1931).Born in Ireland on October 30, 1855, James Cormison emigrated first to Canada, where he farmed, then in 1888 to the United States, where he studied law. He was a general practitioner in St. Paul from 1901 to his death on May 28, 1931.
John Stearns Crooks (1876-1933).John Stearns Crooks was raised and educated in St. Paul. He worked for his father who founded the Minnesota Shoe Company in the early 1880s, but he longed for the law. He enrolled in the University of Minnesota College of Law and graduated in 1898. He developed a large commercial practice, eventually specializing in probate law. Outside the office, he enjoyed gardening, and this gradually drew him from the law. He purchased 40 acres near Farmington where he grew iris, his favorite flower, and many others. And that was where he died on July 2, 1933.
Thomas C. Daggett (1879-1940).Throughout his career, which commenced right after graduation from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1900, Thomas C. Daggatt practiced either alone or in a two-man firm in St. Paul. He was a member of several fraternal organization as well as the county and state bar associations, eventually rising to the top. He was elected president of the Ramsey County Bar Association in 1925, and president of the Minnesota State Bar Association three years later. His death on February 23, 1940, at age sixty-two, was reported in the St. Paul Dispatch. Andrew Dahlen (1891-1934).Born in Norway in 1891, Andrew Dahlen moved to St. Paul in 1909. While employed as a street car conductor, he studied at Hamline University; he dropped out to serve in the Infantry in World War One; thereafter he returned to his studies, graduating from Hamline in 1920; he enrolled in the University of Minnesota Law School and graduated in 1924. He practiced in St. Paul from 1924 to July 14, 1934, when he was killed in an automobile accident.
Clark Bell: "Memorial to Cushman Kellogg Davis." (1900)At the annual meeting of the Medico-Legal Society on December 19, 1900, Clark Bell, the President of the Society and a New York lawyer, read a tribute to Senator Cushman Kellogg Davis, who had died in St. Paul a month earlier. It was subsequently printed in "The Medico-Legal Journal." George F. Hoar: "Cushman Kellogg Davis." (1903)Cushman K. Davis served as U. S. Senator from Minnesota from 1887 to November 27, 1900, when he died in St. Paul.
Joel Mark Dickey (1864-1933).Joel Mark Dickey was a fixture in the federal district court in St. Paul for forty-three years. He began employment in 1890, and served as clerk and Assistant U. S. Attorney from 1894 to 1920, when he entered private practice. But not for long. Upon the retirement of Charles L. Spencer, Judge Page Morris appointed Dickey Clerk of Court, a position he held until his death on August 10, 1933.
Bion A. Dodge (1859-1934)Bion A. Dodge practiced law in St. Paul from 1889 to 1898, when he was struck by gold fever. He moved to Alaska where he mined, practiced law--even served as U. S. Attorney--hunted, fished and, it seems, spent the best twenty years of his adventuresome life. In 1918, he returned to St. Paul to take care of his mother. He resumed practicing law. He died on March 18, 1934, and two weeks later a memorial was given for him by the Ramsey County Bar Association. Fred B. Dodge (1853-1935).In a memorial proceeding honoring Fred Dodge on Saturday, February 8, 1936, at a Special term of the Hennepin County District Court, Ralph Whelan began his tribute with an observation that applies to all lawyers:
John R. Donohue (1868-1929).John R. Donohue graduated from the Law Department of the University of Minnesota in 1896. Two years later, he moved to Grand Rapids and was elected county attorney of Itasca County. He returned to St. Paul in 1902 and resumed private practice. He died on November 22, 1929.
Christian G. Dosland (1872-1945).Armed with two law degrees, Christian Dosland began practicing law in Moorhead in 1899. In the following decades he attracted a corporate clientele that must have been the envy of the local bar, while devoting considerable time to civic development and improvement. He served two terms as Clay County attorney and was mayor of Moorhead, 1923-1927. His death on February 7, 1945, was reported in the Moorhead Daily News. Wallace Barton Douglas 1852-1930).Wallace Barton Douglas graduated from the law department of the University of Michigan in 1875. Eight years later, he moved to Moorhead, served as city attorney, and later county attorney of Clay County. After several terms in the state legislature, he was elected Attorney General, serving from 1899 to March 1904, when he resigned to accept appointment to the state supreme court. His tenure was very short. In the election of November 1904, he was defeated by Edwin Jaggard. He returned to private practice in St. Paul. He died on December 9, 1930. On April 4th of the following year, a memorial was held for him by the Ramsey County Bar Association. Judge Robert J. Kressel: "Memorial for Judge Nancy C. Dreher" (2013).Nancy C. Dreher was a Judge on the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Minnesota from January 25, 1988 to her death on November 23, 2012. This memorial was prepared by her former colleague on that court, Judge Robert J. Kressel. Daniel H. Dustin - U. S. Attorney (1854).Daniel Dustin served as United States Attorney for Minnesota Territory in 1853-1854. Little is know about his background, other than that he was a native New Yorker. In early July 1854, he suddenly died. The Daily Pioneer newspaper published his obituary, a tribute from a local fraternal society, and resolutions drafted and adopted by about a half dozen lawyers who met in the chambers of Justice Moses Sherburne. This appears to be the first bar memorial in Minnesota. Frank H. Ewing (1856-1934).Frank H. Ewing was admitted to the New York bar in 1878. Three years later, he relocated to Stillwater, which then was the hub of the flourishing lumber and logging industry on the St. Croix River. In 1888, he moved to St. Paul and was associated with several law firms until his death on January 22, 1934.
Charles Wells Farnham (1867-1931).The reputation of Charles Wells Farnham during the first three decades of the last century transcended the bar. While he was active in the county and state bar associations, and was an expert in insurance law, he also was an informal library consultant, advising St. Paul clubs on building their libraries. He was an avid book-collector, who gave readings from the works of James Whitcomb Riley and Theodore Roosevelt.
Neil Byron Ferguson (1853-1927).When Neil Ferguson died on April 9, 1927, he was convinced that his life was well-spent; he had "discovered" new evidence to correct a great error and he had done so in the face of hostility and indifference by the public and even his colleagues at the bar. His triumph, however, did not occur in the courtroom. Rather, as a result of years of archival research in England, he had proved beyond a reasonable doubt -- at least in his own mind -- that Lord Bacon had written the literary works attributed by most everyone else to William Shakespeare.
John R. Foley (1890-1953).John R. Foley was the patriarch of a legal-political dynasty in Wabasha County that has lasted most of the last century. He arrived in Wabasha in 1915 with his bride, sired nine children, several of whom became lawyers, including Judge Daniel F. Foley. He was a formidable trial lawyer who was one of the "big three" of the county bar, the others being James Carley and John Murdoch. He died on June 12, 1953, at age sixty-two. Six months later, Lawrence R. Lunde, a Lake City lawyer and friend, delivered a tribute to him in district court. John P. Galbraith (1866-1933).John P. Galbraith graduated from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1891, practiced law in St. Paul and Grand Forks, served three terms in the North Dakota Legislature, and returned in 1901 to St. Paul where he worked in several private companies handling credit matters until 1920 when he resumed private practice. It was with this wealth of commercial experience that he was appointed a Bankruptcy Referee in December 1927, succeeding Gideon Ives. He died on March 30, 1933, after only five years on the bench. Two weeks later, the Ramsey County Bar Association presented a memorial to him in district court. Allen J. Greer (1854-1905).Allen J. Greer, who practiced law in Lake City for a quarter-century and served in the state legislature from 1891 to 1902, died in California on March 14, 1905, at age fifty. Two months later, a committee of the Wabasha County Bar presented a memorial to him in district court. Anthony E. Harroun (1890-1956).During his thirty-seven years practicing law in Minneapolis, Anthony Harroun represented many plumbers and, as a consequence, developed a specialty in mechanics lien law. He died on October 14, 1956, at age sixty-six. Sometime later, his son delivered a memorial for him as part of the annual memorial ceremony of the Hennepin County Bar Association. He concluded his eulogy with an observation that could be written about most lawyers:
Lars O. Haug (1864-1938).The remarkable life of Lars Haug---a classic immigrant story that led from a village in Norway, where as a teenager he was a farm hand earning $4 and "keeps" a year, to Minneapolis where he practiced law and was an officer in the Sons of Norway---was celebrated in a memorial delivered by the Minneapolis Bar Association a few weeks after his death on January 28, 1938. Edward Welles Hawley (1867-1952).Edward Hawley was as close to the proverbial "Renaissance man" to ever serve on the Minneapolis City Council. An alderman for sixteen years, he was a polyglot, poet, student of literature, athlete and public lecturer who reportedly "was prepared on ten minutes notice to delver an hour's lecture on any one of seventeen subjects, without notes." He also practiced law in Minneapolis for almost a half century.
Walter H. Hennessey (1885-1936).Like many lawyers before and since, Walter Hennessey worked his way through law school. He was a railroad engineer before he was admitted to the University's night law school in 1909. For the next three years, he worked days as a bookkeeper for the telephone company while attending law school at night. He graduated in 1912, was admitted to the bar, and set up shop in Minneapolis. There he practiced law for the next two decades. He died of cancer on February 3, 1936. Several months later, a memorial was delivered to him in district court by Paul J. Thompson on behalf of the Hennepin County Bar Association. Lloyd J. Hetland (1892-1947).Memorial proceedings for Lloyd J. Hetland, who served as Norman County attorney from 1927 to his death in 1947, were held in the district court in the village of Ada on April 28, 1947. Edward P. Hilton (1850-1935).Shortly after he was admitted to the New York bar in the late 1870s, Edward Hilton and his wife headed west. They lived in Granite Falls, Minnesota for a few years, then Topeka, Kansas from the early 80s to the turn of the century, next stop, Chicago for five years, and finally Minneapolis where he practiced law for 30 years. Though plagued by ill health, he built a successful practice, and acquired a reputation among the trial bar for his tenacity and honesty. He was devoted to his wife and sister. He died on January 28, 1935, apparently the last of his immediate family. On February 8, 1936, the Hennepin County Bar Association delivered a memorial to him in district court. It concluded, "All in all, it was a good, helpful life he lived. He had a courageous soul ensconced in a none too strong body, at times. He faced death as he lived, without fear and without courting favor." Frederick Hooker (1845-1893)Frederick Hooker served as a judge on the Hennepin County District Court from 1888 until his death on September 11, 1893.
William Franklin Hunt (1865-1933).While clerking for the St. Paul firm of Christopher D. O'Brien and Thomas D. O'Brien in the early 1890s, William F. Hunt took night classes at the University of Minnesota Law Department. He graduated in 1895, was admitted to the bar, took more classes, and was awarded a degree of Master of Laws in 1896. Four years later, he was appointed receiver of the insolvent Allemannia Bank. In that capacity, he was a party in ten appeals to the state supreme court during the decade it took to wind up the bank's affairs. With a reputation for expertise in the law of banking, he attracted wealthy clients who needed advice on tax, real estate and other matters. He died on March 5, 1933, and the following month, the Ramsey County Bar Association presented a memorial to him in district court. Gideon S. Ives (1846-1927).In 1909, "Governor" Gideon Ives was appointed Referee in Bankruptcy. This appointment followed decades of public service in local and state government. He served St. Peter as city attorney and mayor, Nicollet County as state senator in 1887-1889, and the State of Minnesota as Lieutenant Governor in 1891-1893, whence the title "Governor." In 1903, he moved to St. Paul to practice law. He became active in several fraternal lodges, and served as President of the Minnesota Historical Society in 1918-1921. He was a Bankruptcy Referee until his death on December 20, 1927, at age eighty-one. In April of the following year the Ramsey County Bar Association presented a memorial to him in district court. Two Tributes to Justice Jaggard (1911).Edwin Ames Jaggard, Associate Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court, died in Bermuda on February 13, 1911, at the age of 51. Tributes to him appeared on page 584 of the April 1911, issue of "Case and Comment," and on page 4 of the "Annual Bulletin" of the ABA's Comparative Law Bureau, published on July 11, 1911. He was on the governing board of the latter organization. Henry Clay James (1849-1930).After graduating Harvard College in 1871, Henry C. James moved to St. Paul where he apprenticed in the law office of his brother-in-law, Morris Lamprey. He was admitted to the bar on June 7, 1874. For the next fifty years - a period of extraordinary change in the profession - he practiced in Ramsey County either in a family partnership or alone. He died on August 6, 1930, and the following year the Ramsey County Bar Association presented a memorial to him. George W. Kiefer (1891-1943).After graduating the St. Paul College of Law and being admitted to the bar in 1916, George Kiefer opened a law office in the town of Lewiston in Winona County but closed it the next year to enlist in the U. S. Army. He farmed for awhile after being discharged, and in 1921 reopened his law office in Lewiston. He served his community in many ways besides practicing law; he was postmaster for fourteen years, and state legislator from 1937 to his death on July 25, 1943, at age fifty-one. Two months later the Winona County Bar Association presented a memorial to him in which it noted a central tenet of his life: "He learned and knew the story of the poor, and did all in his power to alleviate those conditions." Wesley Kinney (1837-1926).After he was discharged from the Union Army in 1865, Wesley Kinney began practicing law in Mazeppa, Wabasha County. The next year he moved to Lake City, where he was city attorney for thirty-three years. With John N. Murdoch and a few others, he founded the county bar. He died on March 17, 1926, at age eighty-eight, and the following week the Lake City Graphic-Republican carried his obituary. Henry W. Lamberton (1831-1905).In 1856, twenty-five year old Henry Wilson Lamberton arrived in Winona and set up a law practice with his brother-in-law. The next year, he was elected the first city attorney. By the mid-1860s, his professional interests had migrated from law to business. He became the "land commissioner" at the Winona and St. Peter Railroad and, later, held the same position with the Winona and St. Peter Land Company after it bought a half million acres from the railroad. He also founded a bank in Winona. But the roads were in his blood. In the early 1890s he was elected president of the Winona and Southwestern Railway Company and, later, president of the Winona and Western Railway. He died on December 31, 1905, at age seventy-four. Sometime thereafter, the Winona County Bar Association presented a memorial to him. Gary A. Weissman: "A Tribute to Judge Earl Larson." (2001)Earl R. Larson served as United States District Court Judge from 1961 to 2001, when he died at age ninety. This tribute by Gary Weissman appeared first in the December 2001 issue of "The Hennepin Lawyer." Rudolph Lehmicke (1823-1894).Except for a two year interlude in 1881-1882, Rudolph Lehmicke served as Probate Judge of Washington County from 1875 to his death on December 19, 1894. Sometime thereafter, the Washington County Bar Association adopted a short resolution paying him the "highest encomium" possible -- that he was a "just judge." Abner Lewis (1801-1879)In 1856, fifty-five year old Abner Lewis, a former judge in Chautauqua County, New York, moved to Winona to practice law. After his death on October 11, 1879, his obituary appeared in the "Winona Daily Republican." Edward J. Libera (1898-1969).Admitted to the bar in 1921, Edward Libera practiced law in Winona for the next 48 years. He also served his community in multiple ways: as Winona County attorney for 8 years, judge of Municipal Court for 26 years, and judge of Probate and Juvenile Courts for 10. He held offices in the Winona and Minnesota State Bar Associations, and was an active member in numerous civic, fraternal and sporting organizations. He died on April 9, 1969, at age seventy-one. Two weeks later the Winona County Bar Association presented a memorial to him in district court. Elias J. Lien (1868 -1932).Elias Lien was assistant state law librarian from 1904 to 1911 when he was promoted to be state law librarian. He held that post for a decade, resigning to practice law. He died at age sixty-three on February 10, 1932. Robert E. Looby (1880-1937).In 1911, Robert Emmett Looby was admitted to the bar and began practicing in partnership with Henry Lamberton, a prominent Winona lawyer. Four years later, Looby was appointed judge of probate court, a position he held until death on October 14, 1937, at age fifty-seven. On February 4th of the following year, the Winona County Bar Association presented a memorial to him in district court. Hugh L. Lothrop (1888-1931).After graduating the University of Minnesota Law School in 1913, Hugh Lothrop practiced briefly in Zumbrota and Mazeppa. In 1916 he became a partner of John W. Murdoch in Wabasha, where they practiced as Murdoch & Lothrop until May 29, 1931, when he died at age forty-two. Six months later, the Wabasha County Bar Association presented a memorial to him in District Court. George M. Luethge (1887-1929).Following twenty-three year old George Luethge's admission to the bar on June 16, 1911, he was appointed an Assistant U. S. Attorney---thereby perhaps setting a record. He held that post for several years, then moved briefly to the clerk's office before becoming secretary to Ramsey County Probate Judge Edmund Bazille. He served in the Engineer Corps during the war, and was discharged a Master Engineer. Restless upon returning to civilian life, he held a succession of jobs, including a brief partnership with Michael Kinkead in the early 1920s. He was a sole practitioner when he died on December 4, 1929, at age forty-two. In his "obituary" delivered to the district court in April of the following year, the Ramsey County Bar Association Memorial Committee, which included his former partner, noted, "He had just begun." John W. Lynch (1860-1930).On February 2, 1899, two days shy of his thirty-ninth birthday, John Lynch became a lawyer. He was admitted to the bar that day, after apprenticing for three years in the law offices of James Michael, a future district court judge. For the next three decades he practiced law in St. Paul, concentrating on real estate transactions.
Buel A. Man (1840-1923).A native New Yorker, Buel Man enlisted in the Union Army in 1862, fought in several famous battles, and was discharged as an officer in 1865. He relocated to Minnesota in 1869. He had an ambition to become a lawyer and found time to read law on his own or under the guidance of some practitioner. In 1883, at age 43, he was admitted to the bar in Fillmore County. He moved to Winona a few years later and practiced there until his death on March 8, 1923. On August 28, 1923, the Winona County Bar Association presented a memorial to him in district court. Ralston J. Markoe (1854-1927).Ralston Markoe was admitted to the bar on October 13, 1882. He practiced law for some time in St. Paul but a "taste for engineering" led him to become a civil engineer. At the time of his death on December 27, 1927, he was employed as an engineer. On April 7, 1928, the Ramsey County Bar Association presented a memorial to him. James Allen Martin (1866-1932).James A, Martin graduated from the law department of the University of Michigan in 1889. He moved to St. Cloud, and was City Clerk from 1892 to 1900. He also became active in the Republican Party and managed several campaigns, including the unsuccessful bid by Associate Justice Loren Collins for the party's nomination for governor in 1904.
Michael Marx (1871-1922).After teaching school for most of the 1890s, Michael Marx attended the University of Minnesota College of Law, graduating in 1898. He soon found his way home -- to Wabasha County -- where he served as attorney for the village of Mazeppa, the city of Wabasha and county attorney. After his death in 1922, a court-appointed committee of the Wabasha County Bar Association presented a memorial in which he was recalled as "a man of forceful character, a keen student of human nature and an unflinching, uncompromising champion of the cause he believed it." William Marx (1879-1942).A trial lawyer with a "roving disposition," William Marx graduated from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1900, practiced in Wisconsin, then Minnesota, next Oregon for two decades, then back to Minnesota and Wisconsin, and finally Winona County, where he died on July 14, 1942, at age sixty-two. On September 21, 1942, the Winona County Bar Association presented a memorial to him in district court. John W. Mason (1846-1927).John W. Mason was a pioneer lawyer in Otter Tail County, the first mayor of Fergus Falls, the first president of the city's board of education, public speaker, civic leader, state legislator, a successful railroad lawyer, and county historian. A mammoth, two volume history of the county, which he edited, was published in 1916, and included a lengthy biographical sketch. He died at age eighty on August 7, 1927. As an indication of his prominence in the community, the Fergus Falls Daily Journal published a "Review of His Life and Times" three days later. Charles Monroe McCluer (1859-1894).A son of the late, revered William M. McCluer, long-time judge of the local district court, Charles M. McCluer was admitted to the bar in 1882 but never "practiced his profession." He went into business. He died on October 24, 1894, and the next day the Washington County Bar Association adopted several resolutions in his honor. Thomas I. McDermott (1876-1927)Thomas Ignatius McDermott received his Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Minnesota in 1900. He then worked for the City Attorney's Office in St. Paul until 1912, when he entered private practice. He engaged in general corporate work, specializing in advising public utilities, until his death at age 51 on June 20, 1927. In April of the following year, a memorial to him was presented by the Ramsey County Bar Association. Thomas Jefferson McDermott (1861-1939).After a clerkship, thirty-one year old Thomas Jefferson McDermott was admitted to the bar on April 6, 1892, but feeling inadequately prepared for practice, he entered the University of Minnesota Law Department and graduated with a LL.B in 1895, followed by a LL.M. in 1897.
Samuel H. McElhaney (1876-1969).In 1921, at age forty-five, Samuel McElhaney graduated from the University of Minnesota Law School. He returned to the city of St. Charles, where in 1927 he was elected judge of the Municipal Court, a post he held until 1964, when he retired. The Judge died on March 7, 1969, and the following month, the Winona County Bar Association presented a memorial to him in district court. John D. McGill (1920-1972).In 1948, John D. McGill graduated from the St. Paul College of Law and was admitted to the bar. He practiced law in Winona, his hometown, served a decade in the state legislature, and was Judge of Municipal Court from June 24, 1963 to February 27, 1972, when he died at age fifty-one. Two months later, the Winona County Bar Association presented a memorial to him in District Court. In that proceeding, his activities in the community were recalled -- besides his legislative and judicial posts, he belonged to five social organizations or fraternal orders in Winona as well as several bar associations. But the public side of his life was counterbalanced by a remarkable personal quality -- his stoicism. He suffered from a chronic heart condition and cancer yet never discussed his health publicly, never complained, and never lost interest in others, while maintaining a high level of devotion to his family and friends. John F. McGovern (1860-1905).John ("Mac") McGovern arrived in Wabasha in 1881 with a law degree from the law department of Iowa State. He was twenty-one years old. For almost the next quarter-century, he practiced law, published a local newspaper, befriended many, and ran for public office in Wabasha. He died on February 5, 1905, and three months later the Wabasha County Bar Association adopted resolutions in his memory. Ralph W. McGrath (1892-1957).After Ralph W. McGrath graduated from the St. Paul College of Law in 1918, he joined his father in the family lumber business in Stillwater. A decade later, he opened a law office there. He was appointed Stillwater City Attorney in 1931, and held that office continuously for the next twenty-six years. He died on May 13, 1957, at age sixty-four. On October 7, 1957, the Washington County Bar Association presented a memorial to him in District Court. William Eugene Miller (1880-1929).Eugene Miller, as he was commonly called, was born and raised in St. Charles, a town in southern Minnesota. After graduating the University of Minnesota Law School, he returned to his hometown and there practiced law the rest of his life. He also pursued interests outside the law---as a member of several fraternal societies, as a musician in the local band and orchestra, and as an outdoorsman who promoted nearby Whitewater State Park. He died on June 24, 1929, at age forty-eight. Several months later, the Winona County Bar Association presented a memorial to him in district court. Henry W. Morgan (1850-1918).On May 12, 1919, in a proceeding in District Court, a committee of the Wabasha County bar presented a memorial to Henry W. Morgan, a Lake City lawyer who died on June 13, 1918, at age 68. Edward Howard Morphy (1856-1934).After studying law at Osgood Hall in Toronto, Edward Morphy was admitted to the Ontario bar in 1880. He practiced in Toronto, then Winnipeg until mid-1886, when he relocated to St. Paul. There he practiced in his own firm, in partnership with others, until his death on December 9, 1934, at age 78. On April 20, 1935, the Ramsey County Bar Association delivered a memorial to him. Owen Morris (1858-1930).Admitted to the bar in 1886, Owen Morris quickly gained renown as an appellate lawyer. Between 1889 and 1905, he argued 20 cases before the state supreme court, winning 13. He appeared in other cases that set precedents in real estate law, landlord-tenant relations and mechanics' lien law, among others.
John H. Mullin (1842-1907).On April 23, 1861, one month and one week after he turned nineteen, John Mullin enlisted in the Union Army. He served during the entire war. Soon after it ended he came to Minnesota, where he was employed in a variety of business enterprises. For reasons long forgotten, he decided to become a lawyer. It is not known how long he studied or who proctored him, but he was admitted to the bar in 1884, at the age of forty-two. He practiced in Wabasha and served as Adjutant General during the administration of Governor William R. Merriam. He died on April 3, 1907, and a week later, Wesley Kinney, a senior member of the county bar, delivered a tribute to him in district court. John N. Murdoch (1831-1898).John Murdoch began practicing law in Wabasha in 1857. He was the first city attorney, served on the school board, and decades later wrote editorials for the local newspaper. He helped found the Republican party in Minnesota, and was an elector for the Lincoln-Johnson ticket in 1864.
John W. Murdoch (1869 - 1962).By the time he retired in 1942, John Murdoch had become a legend in Wabasha County, the Third Judicial District, and the state bar. He had been, his eulogist recalled years later, one of "The Big Three" of the county trial bar during the first third or so of the last century, the others being James A. Carley and John E. Foley.
John H. Niles (1857-1913).John Henry Niles opened a law office in Anoka in the summer of 1883. At a time when most lawyers in small towns were general practitioners, he began to specialize in abstracting titles to real estate. He became such a proficient abstractor that he could boast in 1900 that "for many years he has had the exclusive control of the abstracting in Anoka county." But he also found time to serve on the municipal court and school and library boards. He died on July 28, 1913, at age fifty-five, and the next day the "Anoka Herald" printed his obituary on its front page. William F. Odell (1878-1956).William Odell graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1900, then studied law with his father in Chaska until 1904, when he was admitted to the bar. He moved to Sibley County, and was elected County Attorney. In 1914, he returned to Carver County, where he practiced until his death on March 19, 1956, at the age of 78. On October 16, 1956, a committee of the Eighth Judicial District Bar presented a memorial to him in Carver County District Court. Frank Olin Osborne (1849-1931).Frank Olin Osborne, whose great grandfather served in General Daniel Morgan's militia which won the battle of Cowpens in January 1781, a brilliant American victory in the War for Independence, practiced law and engaged in business in St. Paul for many years. He died on June 4, 1931. On March 26, 1932, a memorial for him was presented by the Ramsey County Bar Association. Timothy Ruggles Palmer (1856-1908).Timothy R. Palmer was admitted to the New York bar in 1879. Two years later he relocated to St. Paul, where he was a member of several firms until 1902, when he left private practice to become President of Minnesota Mutual Life Insurance Company. On December 3, 1908, shortly after being demoted to general counsel of the company, he committed suicide. On May 3rd of the following year, a committee of the bar, which included William D. Mitchell, a former partner, presented a memorial for him in Ramsey County District Court. Judge Ralph J. Parker (1867-1922).Ralph Parker thrived on public service. He ran for office nine times and never lost an election. In November 1922, he was elected judge of the Tenth Judicial District, which covered Freeborn, Mower, Fillmore and Houston Counties. Shortly after the election, an illness recurred and he underwent an operation in a Rochester hospital. But his health deteriorated rapidly. On December 22nd, he took the oath of office in the hospital, and died five days later. In the following months, resolutions honoring him were adopted by the Minnesota House of Representatives, where he had served four terms, as well as the district and state bar associations. James E. Phillips (1866-1935).James Phillips was awarded a B. A. from the University of Minnesota in 1894, and began teaching in the Alexandria school system. But not for long: the law called and he enrolled in the University Law School, receiving a LL.B. in 1901. He returned to his hometown, Lake City, where he practiced law and participated in numerous civic enterprises, especially those concentrating on education, until September 18, 1935, when he died at age sixty-nine. Several weeks later, the Wabasha County Bar Association presented a memorial to him in district Court. Forrest R. Poppe (1886-1934).After Forrest Poppe graduated from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1907, he was employed by the St. Paul City Railway. He worked there until 1913, when he "retired" to recuperate from an injury sustained in an accident. By 1916, he had recovered and entered private practice, which he engaged in until his death on August 18, 1934, following complications from surgery.
Charles W. Quandt (1876-1954).Charles Quandt graduated from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1900, at the age of 24. For the next 53 years, he practiced law in Winthrop, Sibley County. He died on January 22, 1954, and on October 24th of the following year, a committee of the bar of the Eighth Judicial District presented a memorial to him in Sibley County District Court. Thomas H. Quinn (1854-1915).Thomas Quinn was known to his contemporaries as an "upbuilder" of the city of Faribault where he lived, raised his family and practiced law for almost fifty years. He was so highly respected that the mayor ordered an hour of official mourning to coincide with his funeral on December 30, 1915. William J. Quinn (1889-1932).William J. Quinn graduated from the St. Paul College of Law in 1911, at the age of 22. Aside from a partnership in 1928-9, he "always preferred the individual way of practicing law." In court he was a "feared adversary" while outside he was active in the Democratic party. He was an ardent supporter of Governor Alfred E. Smith for president in the 1920s.
Frank L. Randall (1856-1921)Admitted to practice in 1879, John Randall practiced law in Winona and several other southern Minnesota towns for the next two decades. He served one term as Winona County attorney and two years as a Bankruptcy Referee. In 1900, he was appointed superintendent of the State Reformatory in St. Cloud. He held that post for twelve years, building a national reputation for innovations in penal administration and rehabilitation. In 1912, he resigned to accept an executive position in the Massachusetts prison system, but declining health forced him to retire some years later. He died in Minneapolis on August 5, 1921, at age sixty-four. The following month the Winona County Bar Association presented a memorial to him in district court. Richard A. Randall (1863-1921).After graduating the University of Minnesota's Law Department in 1893, Richard Randall practiced law in Winona with his brother, Frank, until the latter was appointed Superintendent of the St. Cloud Reformatory in 1900. He continued to practice in Winona, served one term as county attorney, and in 1905 was appointed city attorney, a post he held until his death on November 23, 1921. In January 1922, the Winona County Bar Association presented a memorial to him in district court. Loren Risk (1875-1956).A graduate of the University of Iowa Law College, Loren Risk practiced law in Iowa for a dozen years before moving to Minneapolis in 1916. For the next fifty years, he maintained a law office in the Plymouth Building. He died on December 17, 1956, at age eighty-one. The following year, the Hennepin County Bar Association presented a memorial to him in district court. James Robertson (1869-1942).On the afternoon of September 29, 1912, employees of six milk companies met in a room in the Lumber Exchange Building in Minneapolis to raise the prices of milk and cream in the city. Sometime before that, James Robertson, the Hennepin County Attorney, learned the purpose and place of the meeting, and had a "dictograph" installed in the room. It was connected by wires to a receiver in an adjoining closet which was occupied by two detectives who listened and took shorthand notes of the conversations of the price-fixers. A grand jury indicted six corporations and eight individuals of violating the state price-fixing law. The Minneapolis Milk Company and an officer, Albert Ruhnke, were tried separately, convicted by a jury, and appealed. On December 12, 1913, the Minnesota Supreme Court affirmed their convictions.
Francis J. Rosenthal (1876-1932).Before Francis J. Rosenthal became a lawyer, he was a "musical instructor, choir master, and soloist" in operas and symphonies around the country. He "abandoned" his music career in 1910, and entered the St. Paul College of Law. Admitted to the bar in 1914, he practiced law in St. Paul until his death on August 22, 1932, at age fifty-five.
Edward P. Sanborn (1853-1934).In 1882, Edward Peyson Sanborn joined the famous John B. & W. H. Sanborn law firm in St. Paul. After the firm's dissolution in about 1904, he continued practicing law alone. He died on May 29, 1934, and a memorial service was given to him the following year by the Ramsey County Bar Association. Charles C. Sharp (1859-1928).A native New Yorker, Charles C. Sharp moved with his family to St. Paul in 1890. He was admitted to the bar of Minnesota in 1902, at age forty-three, and practiced law in St. Paul until 1912, when he moved to Tacoma, Washington. He died on January 20, 1928. On April 7th, the Ramsey County Bar Association presented a memorial to him in district court. Dryden Smith (1826-1899).A "resolution of respect and condolence" for Dryden Smith, a former probate judge who died on February 22, 1899, a few weeks short of his seventy-third birthday, was filed by a committee of the Fillmore County bar with the district court on April 20, 1899. Arthur H. Snow (1841-1915)An obituary of Arthur H. Snow, who served as a district court judge in Winona County from 1897 to his death on May 14, 1915, was published the following day in "The Winona Independent." Clement A. Spencer (1889-1940).Aside from attending law school in Minneapolis and serving in the army during World War One, "Clem" Spencer lived his entire life in St. Charles, Minnesota. There he practiced law, was active in his church, political party and veterans' organizations, and was a member of the local school board and volunteer fire department. He was city attorney for ten years. He died at age fifty on January 7, 1940. Several months later, the Winona County Bar Association presented a memorial to him in district court. Thomas Monroe Strickler (1899-1930).The law could not hold Thomas Strickler. He was an adventurer whose great passion was aviation. In 1923, he graduated the Minnesota College of Law, passed the bar examination, set up shop in St. Paul, and enlisted in the Air Squadron of the Minnesota National Guard. He was 24 years old. In 1928, he stopped practicing and accepted a position in a fledging airline. On October 10, 1930, while flying over the Rocky Mountains, his plane went down and he was killed. The following year, a memorial service was held for him by the Ramsey County Bar Association. Edwin S. Thompson (1852-1932).Before settling down in St. Paul the late 1880s, Edwin Thompson led a life that resembled a character in a novel by Jack London: he was a practicing lawyer at age twenty, seafarer, prosecuting attorney in wide-open Butte, Montana, buffalo hunter, and appreciator of good literature and poetry. From 1886 to 1925, he practiced law in St. Paul, specializing in personal injury suits. He was a superb draftsman, whose pleadings were "rarely demurrable."
John J. Trippe (1868-1906).John Trippe was born, raised, educated, worked and died in Winona. After graduating from the local high school, he worked briefly for former Chief Justice and Congressman Thomas Wilson, then attended business school in Milwaukee, where he learned stenography. He returned to work for several law firms and acquired the reputation for being "the fastest typist and one of the most reliable in the city." In 1898, he ran for clerk of the district court and won handily. He was re-elected in 1902. Midway through his second term, he developed diabetes. He died on February 28, 1906, at age thirty-seven. On February 1, 1907, the Winona County Bar Association presented a memorial to him in district court. William T. Valentine (1849-1919).In 1883, holding a degree from the University of Michigan Law Department, William T. Valentine returned to his home town of Winona and practiced there until the late 1890s when, suddenly, he closed his office and went prospecting in Alaska, but without luck. He relocated to Long Prairie in Todd County and ran for a seat on the district court in 1904, again without success. Returning to Winona, he reestablished his law practice, and served as an assistant city attorney, a municipal court judge and a federal bankruptcy referee from mid-1917 to January 23, 1919, when he died at age sixty-nine. In April of the following year, the Winona County Bar Association delivered a memorial to him in district court. Ole J. Vaule (1859-1938)Ole J. Vaule was the longest serving referee in the history of the bankruptcy court for the District of Minnesota. Appointed in 1898 by Judge William Lochren, he served to his death on August 6, 1938. It was a part-time position, and during these decades he maintained a private practice with William P. Murphy in Crookston.
Samuel Whaley (1855-1934).After an apprenticeship with the Sanborn firm, Samuel Whaley was admitted to the bar in 1876. He was 21 years old. He practiced law in St. Paul until 1906, when he was appointed United States Commissioner for the District of Minnesota, a position he held with successive appointments until 1930, when ill health forced him to retire. He died on July 22, 1934, at the age of 79. The Ramsey County Bar Association presented a memorial to him the following year. Howard Wheeler (1873-1931).In January 1922, forty-eight year old Howard Wheeler was appointed Probate Judge of Ramsey County. He stood without opposition in elections in November 1922, 1926, and 1930. By all accounts, he was an exemplary jurist. After the last election, he was appointed to the district court by Governor Christianson. His service there was brief. He died suddenly on September 2, 1931. On March 26th of the following year, memorials were presented to him by the Ramsey County Bar Association and Judge Richard A. Walsh, his successor.
John W. White (1842-1930).John White was born almost two decades before the Civil War and died a decade before the Second World War. He practiced real estate law in St. Paul from 1870 to his death in 1930. On April 4, 1931, the Ramsey County Bar Association presented a memorial to him in District Court. Edmund A. Whitford (1859-1914)A Memorial of Edmund A. Whitford, a Hastings lawyer, who died on February 13, 1914, at age fifty-four, was presented to the Dakota County District Court on April 28, 1914. Benjamin F. Wright (1861-1936)Benjamin Franklin Wright served as District Court Judge in Beltrami County from 1909 to his death in 1936. A memorial to him by a committee of the Beltrami County Bar Association was filed with the court on February 23, 1937. Frank T. Wilson (1856-1935).Frank T. Wilson moved to Stillwater in 1881, studied law, and was admitted to the bar in October of the following year. He practiced briefly, and then became a science instructor in the local high school. An education reformer, he eventually became superintendent of the city school system. That period of his life ended in 1897 when he became judge of the probate court of Washington County, a post he held for the next decade. In 1907, he resumed private practice. Throughout his life, he was active in numerous campaigns for "civic improvement." He died on February 14, 1935. A month later the Washington County Bar Association presented a memorial to him in which it noted, "there was very little for the betterment of Stillwater during his life that has not been, in part at least, a monument to his memory." He was, it seems, a community visionary who got things done. Wade Hampton Yardley (1861-1934).Wade Hampton Yardley practiced law in St. Paul from 1885 to his death in November 1934. The following year, the Ramsey County Bar Association presented a Memorial to him. The Bar Memorial Committee described Yardley as a specialist in real estate law, wryly noting that "unlike most lawyers, he was a keeper of records and orderly in an unusual degree in indexing his problems, findings and conclusions."
Frederick William Zollman (1860-1933).The forty-six years Frederick William Zollman practiced law in St Paul--from 1887 to 1933--could be divided into several chapters. For the first decade, he seems to have had a general practice; from 1897 to 1901, he was an Assistant Ramsey County Attorney and compiled the "special laws" pertaining to the county into a booklet, which still served the profession three decades later; next, he represented the Minnesota Brewers' Association until the Prohibition Amendment was ratified in January 1919; and in the last chapter, he represented insurance companies defending suits arising from accidents involving "motor driven vehicles." Always interested in public affairs, he became active in state and local organizations advocating stiffer qualifications for automobile drivers. He died, unexpectedly, on April 10, 1933, and five days later, the Ramsey County Bar Association presented a Memorial to him in District Court. |