| Charles Nelson Pray | |
|---|---|
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| Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Montana | |
| In office April 10, 1957 – September 12, 1963 | |
| Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Montana | |
| In office 1948–1957 | |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | William Daniel Murray |
| Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Montana | |
| In office February 8, 1924 – April 10, 1957 | |
| Appointed by | Calvin Coolidge |
| Preceded by | Seat established by 42 Stat. 837 |
| Succeeded by | William James Jameson |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Montana's at-large district | |
| In office March 4, 1907 – March 3, 1913 | |
| Preceded by | Joseph M. Dixon |
| Succeeded by | John M. Evans |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Charles Nelson Pray (1868-04-06)April 6, 1868 Potsdam, New York |
| Died | September 12, 1963(1963-09-12) (aged 95) Great Falls, Montana |
| Resting place | Hillcrest Lawn Memorial Cemetery |
| Political party | Republican |
| Education | Middlebury College Chicago-Kent College of Law (LL.B.) |
Charles Nelson Pray (April 6, 1868 – September 12, 1963) was a United States representative from Montana and a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Montana.
Education and career
Born on April 6, 1868, in Potsdam, St. Lawrence County, New York, Pray attended the public schools of Salisbury and Middlebury, Vermont, and graduated from Middlebury Union High School. He attended Middlebury College and received a Bachelor of Laws in 1891 from the Chicago College of Law (now the Chicago-Kent College of Law). He was admitted to the bar in 1892 and entered private practice in Chicago, Illinois from 1893 to 1895. He continued private practice in Fort Benton, Montana from 1896 to 1906. He was an assistant prosecutor for the Twelfth Judicial District in Chouteau County, Montana from 1897 to 1898, and Prosecutor for the same district from 1899 to 1906, being elected to that post in 1898, 1900, 1902 and 1904.
Congressional service
Pray was elected as a Republican to the United States House of Representatives of the 60th, 61st and 62nd United States Congresses, serving from March 4, 1907, to March 3, 1913. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1912 to the 63rd United States Congress. He resumed the practice of law in Great Falls, Cascade County, Montana starting January 1, 1914. He was an unsuccessful candidate for election to the United States Senate in 1916.
Federal judicial service
Pray was nominated by President Calvin Coolidge on January 21, 1924, to the United States District Court for the District of Montana, to a new seat authorized by 42 Stat. 837. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on February 8, 1924, and received his commission the same day. He served as Chief Judge from 1948 to 1957. He assumed senior status on April 10, 1957. His service terminated on September 12, 1963, due to his death in Great Falls, Montana. He was interred in Hillcrest Lawn Memorial Cemetery.
Papers
Pray's papers 1878–1963, including diaries and correspondence, are lodged at the University of Montana in Missoula.
Honor
The town of Pray, Montana is named for Pray.
See also
References
- ^ "Charles Nelson Pray". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- "Charles Nelson Pray Papers, 1878-1963". Orbis Cascade Alliance. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
- ^ Charles Nelson Pray at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
- "Archives West: Charles Nelson Pray Papers, 1878-1963". archiveswest.orbiscascade.org.
- Whithorn, Doris (2001) Images of America: Paradise Valley on the Yellowstone, p. 92. Mount Pleasant, SC: Arcadia Publishing, ISBN 0-7385-0805-5
Sources
- "Charles Nelson Pray". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- Charles Nelson Pray at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| First | Republican nominee for U.S. Senator from Montana (Class 1) 1916 |
Succeeded byCarl W. Riddick |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded byJoseph M. Dixon | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Montana's at-large congressional district 1907–1913 |
Succeeded byJohn M. Evans |
| Legal offices | ||
| Preceded bySeat established by 42 Stat. 837 | Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Montana 1924–1957 |
Succeeded byWilliam James Jameson |
| Preceded byOffice established | Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Montana 1948–1957 |
Succeeded byWilliam Daniel Murray |
| Members of the United States House of Representatives from Montana | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Territorial (1865–1889) |
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| One at-large seat (1889–1913) |
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| Two at-large seats (1913–1919) |
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| Districts (1919–1993) |
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| One at-large seat (1993–2023) |
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| Districts (2023–present) |
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- 1868 births
- 1963 deaths
- Politicians from Great Falls, Montana
- Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Montana
- United States district court judges appointed by Calvin Coolidge
- 20th-century American judges
- Middlebury College alumni
- People from Potsdam, New York
- Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Montana
- People from Fort Benton, Montana
- 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives