Viewing Territorial Bench & Bar Category (82) found:Penny A. Petersen: "Isaac Atwater." (2014).Isaac Atwater arrived in St. Anthony Village in late 1850, at the urging of John Wesley North, a fellow lawyer and friend from New York. He was 32 years old. North and Atwater practiced law together less than a year. Thereafter, Atwater continued to practice law, bought and sold land claims, and s... Aaron Goodrich: "Early Courts of Minnesota" (1851), with recollections of Goodrich by William P. Murray, Edward Sullivan, Charles Francis Adams, Jr., Carl Schurz, Thomas M. Newson, and Concluding with GoodrichOn March 4, 1851, Chief Justice Aaron Goodrich wrote a letter to the Secretary of the Minnesota Historical Society describing the organization of the courts after the formation of the territory two years earlier. The first several paragraphs are vintage Goodrichese.
"Minutes of the Supreme Court of the Territory of Minnesota, January 1850 - July 1853 Terms. Part One."The handwritten minutes of the Clerk of the Minnesota Territorial Supreme Court for the first three terms are posted here. His handwriting has faded to such an extent that it is illegible.
The Minutes of the Territorial Supreme Court, January 1855 Term. Part Four."The handwritten minutes of the Clerk of the Minnesota Territorial Supreme Court for January 1855 (the sixth term) are posted here. Pages 69 - 84. ... Douglas A. Hedin & Elsa Prigozy, "Chief Justice Henry Z. Hayner (1802-1874)."Henry Zachariah Hayner was the third chief justice of the Supreme Court of Minnesota Territory. He served from October 6, 1852 to April 5, 1853, when he was replaced by William Welch.
Drawings, Engravings and Photographs of the Justices of the Supreme Court of Minnesota Territory, 1849-1858.Portraits of Chief Justices Aaron Goodrich, Jerome Fuller and William H. Welch, and Associate Justices Bradley B. Meeker, David Cooper, Andrew Chatfield, Moses Sherburne, Rensselaer R. Nelson and Charles E. Flandrau are posted in this album.
Douglas A. Hedin: Documents regarding the terms of the justices of the Supreme Court of Minnesota Territory, 1849-1858: PART ONE (Introduction). (2009-2010)Part ONE is an introduction to Parts TWO and THREE. Here previous accounts of the terms of the members of territorial supreme court are traced and discussed. The 1870 "Minnesota Legislative Manual" listed many erroneous or incomplete dates of the terms of the justices who served on that court. These... Douglas A. Hedin: Documents regarding the terms of the justices of the Supreme Court of Minnesota Territory, 1849-1858: PART TWO-A. (Justices Goodrich and Cooper) (2009-2010).The process of becoming a justice on the territorial supreme court had four steps: 1) be nominated by the President or receive a recess appointment by him; 2) if nominated, be confirmed by the U. S. Senate; 3) receive a commission from the President, and accept it; and 4) take the oath of office in... Douglas A. Hedin: Documents regarding the terms of the justices of the Supreme Court of Minnesota Territory, 1849-1858: PART TWO-B. (Justice Meeker) (2009-2010).The process of becoming a justice on the territorial supreme court had four steps: 1) be nominated by the President or receive a recess appointment by him; 2) if nominated, be confirmed by the U. S. Senate; 3) receive a commission from the President, and accept it; and 4) take the oath of office in... Douglas A. Hedin: Documents regarding the terms of the justices of the Supreme Court of Minnesota Territory, 1849-1858: PART TWO-C. (Chief Justices Fuller and Hayner) (2009-2010).The process of becoming a justice on the territorial supreme court had four steps: 1) be nominated by the President or receive a recess appointment by him; 2) if nominated, be confirmed by the U. S. Senate; 3) receive a commission from the President, and accept it; and 4) take the oath of office in... Douglas A. Hedin: Documents regarding the terms of the justices of the Supreme Court of Minnesota Territory, 1849-1858: PART TWO-D. (Justices Welch and Chatfield) (2009-2010).PART TWO-D covers Chief Justice William H. Welch and Associate Justice Andrew G. Chatfield. Both men were commissioned by President Pierce on April 6, 1853. ... Douglas A. Hedin: Documents regarding the terms of the justices of the Supreme Court of Minnesota Territory, 1849-1858: PART TWO-E. (Justices Sherburne and Nelson) (2009-2010).PART TWO-E covers Associate Justices Moses Sherburne and Rensselaer R. Nelson. Justice Sherburne was commissioned by President Pierce on April 6, 1853. Justice Nelson received a recess appointment from President Buchanan on April 21, 1857. ... Douglas A. Hedin: Documents regarding the terms of the justices of the Supreme Court of Minnesota Territory, 1849-1858: PART TWO-F. (John Pettit and Justice Flandrau) (2009-2010).PART TWO-F covers Associate Justice Charles E. Flandrau, who received a recess appointment by President Buchanan on July 17, 1857.
Douglas A. Hedin: "Documents regarding the terms of the justices of the Supreme Court of Minnesota Territory, 1849-1858: PART THREE-A (Oaths of Office)" (MLHP, 2014)Part Three-A consists of copies of the original handwritten oaths of office of the ten territorial justices. Several used blue-lined paper, which makes these copies illegible. ... Douglas A. Hedin: "Documents regarding the terms of the Justices of the Supreme Court of Minnesota Territory, 1849-1858: PART THREE-B. (Salary legislation, opinions of the U. S. Attorney General, and Meeker Manifesto)." (MLHP, 2009)To encourage judges to remain at their posts, Congress enacted legislation in 1851-1853 that barred payment of salaries to judges who were absent from the territory for longer than sixty days. Legislation on the salaries of absentee judges is posted in this Part.
Douglas A. Hedin: " 'Rotation in Office' and the Territorial Supreme Court." (2010)Each of the four presidents who served during Minnesota's territorial period, March 1849 to May 1858, implemented a system of appointments known as "rotation in office." Under rotation, a newly-elected president replaced incumbents, placed there by his predecessor, with his own appointees, who were... Douglas A. Hedin: "Advisory Opinions of the Territorial Supreme Court, 1852-1854." (2009)During Minnesota's territorial period, and for several years after statehood, a law authorizing the legislature to request advisory opinions from the supreme court was in effect. It provided:
Douglas A. Hedin: "Lawyers and Booster Literature in the Early Territorial Period."On June 21, 1851, the "St. Anthony Express" published an editorial, "Who are Wanted in Minnesota," in which it promoted the Territory of Minnesota and described the types of settlers who were wanted there--farmers, mechanics, ministers, young ladies, and lawyers.
Douglas A. Hedin: "Holcombe vs. McKusick and the U. S. Supreme Court's Reaction to the Codification Movement of the 1850s."On May 18, 1858, the United States Supreme Court, in an opinion by Justice Samuel Nelson, dismissed Holcombe vs. McKusick, an appeal from the Supreme Court of Minnesota Territory, because it lacked jurisdiction. The opinion is noteworthy because Nelson concluded with a tirade against the "complicate... Aaron Goodrich: "A History of the Character and Achievements of the So-called Christopher Columbus."(1874).Aaron Goodrich served as Chief Justice of the Minnesota Territorial Supreme Court from May 1849 to October 1852, when he was dismissed by President Millard Fillmore. He remained in Minnesota and was active in the Republican Party. In 1859 he and Carl Schurz campaigned for the Republican ticket in ... "The Goodrich Library." (1887).Aaron Goodrich, the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Minnesota Territory, was an inveterate collector of old books. He went on a book buying binge when he served as secretary of the American Legation in Brussels, Belgium, 1861-1869. After his death on June 24, 1887, his widow invited a ... "Catalogue of the Private Library of the Late Hon. Aaron Goodrich" (1887).During his lifetime, Aaron Goodrich, who served from 1849 to 1851 as the first Chief Justice of Minnesota Territory, accumulated a large library. After his death on June 24, 1887, at age seventy-nine, his widow put the library up for sale. Realizing it contained many rare, important and valuable ... In Memoriam: Chief Justice Aaron Goodrich (1807-1887).Aaron Goodrich was the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Minnesota Territory, serving from May 1849 to October 1851. He died in St. Paul on June 24, 1887, at age seventy-nine. The next day, the St Paul Daily Globe carried his obituary on its front page. ... United States ex rel. Aaron Goodrich v. James Guthrie, Secretary of the Treasury, 58 U. S. 284 (1855).Aaron Goodrich was the first Chief Justice of the Territory of Minnesota. Nominated by President Taylor on March 19, 1849, he was confirmed by the Senate and took his oath of office at St. Croix on May 22, 1849. His term was four years. Because of complaints about his behavior, President Fillmor... Isaac Atwater: "Minnesota Courts and Lawyers in the Days of the Territory." (1879).In December 1879 Isaac Atwater read a short paper on territorial judges and lawyers at a meeting of the Department of American History of the Minnesota Historical Society. Atwater arrived in Minnesota Territory in 1850 and knew each of the six lawyers and ten judges he sketched. His paper was late... Isaac Atwater, "Territorial Bench of Minnesota: Part I" (1887).In 1887-1888 "Magazine of Western History" carried three articles by former Supreme Court Justice Isaac Atwater on the ten judges who served on Minnesota's Territorial Supreme Court. The first article, published in December 1887, covered Chief Justices Goodrich and Welch and Associate Justices Coop... Isaac Atwater, "Territorial Bench of Minnesota: Part II" (1888).Issac Atwater's second article on Minnesota's Territorial Supreme Court was published in the February 1888 issue of "Magazine of Western History." It covered Chief Justices Fuller, Hayner and Welch and Associate Justices Sherburne and Chatfield. It is posted here. ... Isaac Atwater, "Territorial Bench of Minnesota: Part III" (1888).Isaac Atwater's third article on the men who served on Minnesota's Territorial Supreme Court was published in the April 1888 issue of "Magazine of Western History." It covered Associate Justices Rensselaer R. Nelson and Charles E. Flandrau. It also included a lengthy profile of General John B. San... Charles E. Flandrau: "Lawyers and Courts of Minnesota Prior to and During its Territorial Period." (1897)In January 1896, Charles E. Flandrau gave a nostalgic speech to the annual meeting of the Minnesota Historical Society in which he told stories and reminisced about lawyers and judges of the 1850s-a period he called "those light-hearted days." In March 1897, the monthly "Minnesota Law Journal" publi... Loren Warren Collins: "An Incomplete History of the Establishment of Courts in Minnesota." (1912)The author of this paper was Loren Warren Collins, who served as associate justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court from 1887 to 1904. He died before he could finish it. It was to be a longer, written version of a speech he gave in 1911 to the Hennepin County Bar Association on the history of the benc... Judge Chatfield's First Court Session in Winona. (1853).This article describes Judge Andrew Chatfield's first court session on June 28, 1853, in Winona. It appeared first in a history of Wabasha and Winona Counties published in 1884. ... Patrick Cudmore: "Territorial Bar." (1897)In 1897, Patrick Cudmore, a practicing lawyer and prolific author, wrote a short article in which he recalled lawyers who had practiced in Rice, Steele and Waseca Counties during the previous four decades. Most, it seems, he knew personally. His article was published in "The Faribault Republican" o... Douglas A. Hedin: "Chief Justice Jerome Fuller (1808-1880)."Jerome Fuller, a New York lawyer, Whig politician and newspaper editor, served as Chief Justice of Minnesota Territory from October 1851 through August 1852. During his term, he presided over sessions of the district court in Washington, Ramsey and Chisago Counties. He also presided over the secon... Judge Meeker's First Court Session in Hennepin County (1853).On April 4, 1853, Judge Bradley B. Meeker presided over a session of the district court in Hennepin County, which had been formed a year earlier. The St. Anthony Express ran an account of it four days later.
Bradley B. Meeker (1813- 1873).Bradley B. Meeker served on the Territorial Supreme Court from 1849 to 1853. He died on February 19, 1873, at age sixty. His obituary was published in Minnesota newspapers. On April 16, 1873, a committee of the bar delivered a memorial to him in the Minnesota Supreme Court. ... J. Fletcher Williams: "Memoir of Judge David Cooper." (1870s)David Cooper served as associate justice on the territorial supreme court from 1849 to 1853. Sometime after Cooper's death "during the early part of 1876," J. Fletcher Williams, a newspaper reporter, editor and later secretary of the Minnesota Historical Society, wrote a short "memoir" of him. It d... J. Fletcher Williams: "Memoir of Judge B. B. Meeker." (1870s)Bradley B. Meeker served as associate justice on the territorial supreme court from 1849 to 1853. Sometime after Meeker died on February 19, 1873, J. Fletcher Williams, an early newspaper reporter, editor and later secretary of the Minnesota Historical Society, wrote a short "memoir" of him. It do... J. Fletcher Williams: "Memoir of Judge Andrew G. Chatfield." (1870s)Andrew G. Chatfield served as associate justice on the territorial supreme court from 1853 to 1857. After Chatfield's death on October 3, 1875, J. Fletcher Williams, who was a journalist and later secretary of the Minnesota Historical Society, wrote a "memoir" of him. It was published by "The Chat... George E. Warner & Charles M. Foote, "The Territorial Courts and Bar of Hennepin County" (1881).This short article about lawyers and courts in Hennepin County in the 1850s was included in a county history published in 1881. The authors repeat humorous anecdotes, list lawyers and judges and, unexpectedly, make acute observations about the bar that make reading it worthwhile. ... "The Courts and Bar of Hennepin County." (1891).In 1891, the Minneapolis Journal published "Illustrated Minneapolis: A Souvenir of the Minneapolis Journal," an oversized, hardbound book. It has chapters on various industries and professions of the city. The chapter on "The Courts and Bar of Hennepin County" is comprised of sketches of thirty-ei... William Pitt Murray, "Pioneer Days of the District Court" (1902).On November 9, 1902, the St. Paul Sunday Globe published a "remembrance" by William Pitt Murray of a term of the territorial district court in Sauk Rapids in June 1851.
Edward D. Neill: "The Territorial Court in Houston County." (1882)On the docket of the first session of the Territorial Court held in Caledonia on August 20, 1855, there were three criminal cases, including two for perjury in making land claims. Chief Justice William Welch presided. At the second, held on June 23, 1856, there were four cases. The first petition... "Livingston's Law Register." (1851).The 1851 edition of "Livingston's Law Register" listed 24 lawyers and one law firm practicing in Minnesota Territory. ... "Judicial History of Rice and Steele Counties During the Territorial Period." (1910)A chapter in a joint history of Rice and Steele Counties published in 1910 describes court sessions in those counties during Minnesota's territorial period, 1849-1858. ... William Mitchell: "Reminiscences of the Establishment of the Territorial Courts, Judges, Justices and Members of the Bar of Winona County." (1889).On August 30, 1889, an address written by Associate Justice William Mitchell was read to the Winona County Old Settlers' Association by his former law partner, William H. Yale. The subjects of Mitchell's paper were the judges and lawyers of the county during the territorial period, 1849 to 1858. ... Oscar F. Perkins: "Law Being at a Discount." (1882)Oscar F. Perkins, a twenty-five year old lawyer, migrated from Vermont to Minnesota in 1854. He settled in Faribault the next year. In a talk to an old settlers association in 1875, he described his experiences as a lawyer, farmer and preacher in 1854 and 1855. His recollections appeared first in ... "Jury Sequestration in 1850."On September 12, 1849, Isaiah McMillan shot and killed Heman Snow in St. Paul. McMillan was tried in Stillwater in February, 1850, and found guilty of manslaughter. During the trial, Judge David Cooper ordered the jury sequestered, which provoked a colorful commentary by James Goodhue in "The Minnes... Frank G. O'Brien: "Pioneer Attorneys and Jurymen." (1904)This is a chapter of names of lawyers and members of an early grand and petit jury who served, presumably, in Minneapolis, where the author, a journalist, lived. It appeared in a book of reminiscences published in 1904. ... Michael E. Ames (1822-1862).Michael Ames was a well known lawyer in Minnesota during its territorial period. He arrived in 1849 and set up shop in Stillwater, later moving to St. Paul, where he practiced alone or with others for the next twelve years. He served as Speaker of the Legislative Assembly in 1851 and as a Democrati... 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, ... David M. Hanson (1826-1856).A year after he arrived in Minnesota Territory in 1853, David M. Hanson was elected to the Territorial Assembly, representing Hennepin County in the House of Representatives. A year later he ran for a seat on the Territorial Council and again was elected. Toward the end of his term on the Council,... William M. Hollinshead (1820-1860).Leaving a large practice in Pennsylvania, thirty-year-old William Hollinshead moved to Minnesota in 1850. With Edmund Rice and George Becker he formed a law firm that soon had more business than any other in the Territory. The calendars of the district courts and supreme court from 1851 to 1855 li... Henry Jackson -- St. Paul's First Justice of the Peace." (2012).Henry Jackson (1811-1857) arrived in St. Paul in 1842; the next year he was appointed the city's first justice of the peace, and the year following became the first postmaster. A successful merchant, he was a fount of facts and opinions that impressed frontiersmen.
Parker McCobb Reed: "Charles Dunn." (1882)From July 1836 to October 1848, Charles Dunn served as Chief Justice of Wisconsin Territory, which included Minnesota. In June 1847, he held court in Stillwater, and presided over the first jury trial in the future state.
Proceedings in the District Courts of Minnesota Territory, 1851.In 1851, the Territorial Supreme Court convened once, in July, and decided nine appeals. Each of the three justices was also assigned to a judicial district by the Legislative Assembly. That year, the justices presided over six district court sessions, which were the subject of articles in territo... Rules of Practice of the Territorial Supreme Court (1852).The Rules of Practice of the Territorial Supreme Court and District Courts, adopted July 26, 1852, are posted here. ... The Territorial Supreme Court's First Rules of Practice (1850).On January 16, 1850, the Minnesota Territorial Supreme Court adopted three sets of rules of practice: for itself, the district courts and the court of chancery. These were the first rules of the courts of Minnesota Territory. They were published as a pamphlet later that year. They were superseded... Decisions of the Minnesota Territorial Supreme Court, 1851-1858.In July 1858, after Minnesota became a state, the opinions of the Territorial Supreme Court were collected by Harvey Officer, a St. Paul lawyer, and published as the first volume of Minnesota Reports. He also prepared a useful chronology of the Supreme Court's sessions and included in an Appendix t... Statutes of Minnesota Territory (1851) and Decisions of the Territorial Supreme Court in July Terms, 1851 and 1852.In 1853 the Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Minnesota authorized the printing of the Territorial Statutes and the decisions of the Territorial Supreme Court issued in the July 1851 and 1852 terms. The book is posted here. ... Journal of the Legislative Council (Extra Session 1857).Posted here is The Journal of the Legislative Council during the extra session of the Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Minnesota from April 27 to May 25, 1857. The transcript of the regular session is posted separately. ... Journal of the Legislative Council (1857).Posted here is The Journal of the Legislative Council during the eighth session of the Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Minnesota from January 7 to March 7, 1857. The transcript of the extra session that year is posted separately. ... Journal of the Legislative Council (1856).Posted here is The Journal of the Legislative Council during the seventh session of the Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Minnesota from January 2 to March 2, 1856. ... Journal of the Legislative Council (1855).Posted here is The Journal of the Legislative Council during the Sixth session of the Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Minnesota from January 3 to March 3, 1855. ... Journals of the Legislative Council (1853-1854).Posted here are The Journals of the Legislative Council during the fourth and fifth sessions of the Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Minnesota. The fourth session ran from January 5 to March 5, 1853, and the fifth from January 4 to March 2, 1854. They are published in one volume. ... Journal of the Legislative Council (1852).Posted here is the Journal of the Legislative Council during the third session of the Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Minnesota from January 7 to March 6, 1852. ... Journal of the Legislative Council (1851).Posted here is The Journal of the Legislative Council during the Second session of the Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Minnesota. The Second session ran from January 1 to March 31, 1851. ... Journal of the Legislative Council (1849).Posted here is The Journal of the Legislative Council during the first session of the Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Minnesota from September 3 to November 1, 1849. ... Journal of the House of Representatives (1859-1860).Posted here is The Journal of the House of Representatives during the second session of the Legislature of the State of Minnesota from December 5, 1859 to March 12, 1860. ... Journal of the House of Representatives (Extra Session 1857).Posted here is The Journal of the House of Representatives during the extra session of the Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Minnesota from April 27 to May 25, 1857. ... Journal of the House of Representatives (1857).Posted here is The Journal of the House of Representatives during the eighth session of the Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Minnesota from January 7 to March 7, 1857. The transcript of the extra session that year is posted separately. ... Journal of the House of Representatives (1856).Posted here is The Journal of the House of Representatives during the seventh session of the Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Minnesota from January 2 to March 2, 1856. ... Journal of the House of Representatives (1855).Posted here is The Journal of the House of Representatives during the sixth session of the Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Minnesota from January 3 to March 3, 1855. ... Journals of the House of Representatives (1853-1854).Posted here are The Journals of the House of Representatives during the fourth and fifth sessions of the Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Minnesota. The fourth session ran from January 5 to March 5, 1853, and the fifth from January 4 to March 2, 1854. They are published in one volume. ... Journal of the House of Representatives (1852).Posted here is The Journal of the House of Representatives during the third session of the Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Minnesota from January 7 to March 6, 1852. ... Journals of the House of Representatives (1851-1852).Posted here are The Journals of the House of Representatives during the second and third sessions of the Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Minnesota. The second session ran from January 1 to March 31, 1851, and the third from January 7 to March 6, 1852. They are published in one volume. ... Journal of the House of Representatives (1849).Posted here is The Journal of the House of Representatives during the first session of the Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Minnesota from September 3 to November 1, 1849. ... Gov. Ramsey's proclamation establishing the territorial judicial districts. (1849).On June 11, 1849, Governor Alexander Ramsey issued a proclamation setting the geographic boundaries of the three judicial districts in the territory. He assigned Chief Justice Aaron Goodrich to the First District, Associate Justice Bradley Meeker to the second, and David Cooper to the third. He al... "Minutes of the Supreme Court of the Territory of Minnesota, September 1853 Term. Part Two."The handwritten minutes of the Clerk of the Minnesota Territorial Supreme Court for September 1853 (the fourth term) are posted here. Pages 32- 46. His handwriting is somewhat legible. ... "Minutes of the Supreme Court of the Territory of Minnesota, 1854 Terms. Part Three."The handwritten minutes of the Clerk of the Minnesota Territorial Supreme Court for 1854 (the fifth term) are posted here. Pages 46-68. ... "The Minutes of the Territorial Supreme Court, January 1856 Term. Part Five."The handwritten minutes of the Clerk of the Minnesota Territorial Supreme Court for January 1856 term (the seventh term) are posted here. Pages 85 - 121. ... "The Minutes of the Territorial Supreme Court, January 1857 Term. Part Six."The handwritten minutes of the Clerk of the Minnesota Territorial Supreme Court for January 1857 term (the eighth term) are posted here. Pages 124 - 160. ... "The Minutes of the Territorial Supreme Court, January 1858 Term. Part Seven."The handwritten minutes of the Clerk of the Minnesota Territorial Supreme Court for January 1858 term. ... |