James Gilfillan (judge) - Misplaced Pages

American judge

James Gilfillan
James Gilfillan, c. 1890

Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice
In office 1869–1870
In office 1875–1894

James Gilfillan (March 9, 1829 – December 16, 1894) was an American lawyer and judge from Minnesota. He served as Chief Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court from 1869 to 1870 and again from 1875 to 1894.

Life and career

Gilfillian was born on March 9, 1829, in Bannockburn, Scotland. His parents emigrated to the United States when he was young and settled in Oneida County, New York. He studied law in Chenango County, New York, and Ballston Spa, New York, and was admitted to the bar in 1850. After continuing to study law in Buffalo, New York, for a few years, he decided to relocate to St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1857. He opened a law firm with his brother, Charles Duncan Gilfillan, though the American Civil War brought their partnership to an end. Gilfillian served with the 7th Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment and was later named the colonel of the 11th Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment. After the war ended, he returned to St. Paul to pursue a career in law. When Chief Justice Thomas Wilson resigned from the Minnesota Supreme Court in 1869, Gilfillian was named his interim replacement him by Governor William Rainey Marshall. When Chief Justice Samuel J. R. McMillan resigned in 1875, Gilfillian was again named as an interim replacement by Governor Cushman Kellogg Davis. This time he stood for re-election and won. He served on the Minnesota Supreme Court until his death in 1894.

v t e Chief justices of the Supreme Court of Minnesota
Emmett T. Wilson Gilfillan Ripley McMillan Gilfillan Start Brown S. Wilson Devaney Gallagher Loring Dell Knutson Sheran Amdahl Popovich Keith Blatz Anderson Magnuson Gildea Hudson

v t e Minnesota Supreme Court justices
Territorial (1849–1858)	Goodrich Cooper Meeker Fuller Hayner Chatfield Sherburne Welch R. Nelson Flandrau
State (since 1858)	Flandrau Atwater Emmett T. Wilson McMillan Berry Gilfillan Ripley Young Cornell Mitchell Clark Dickinson Vanderburgh Collins Buck Canty Start C. Brown Lovely Lewis Douglas Jaggard Elliott O'Brien Simpson Bunn P. Brown Holt Hallam Schaller Quinn Dibell S. Wilson Stone Hilton Olsen Loring Devaney Olson H. Peterson H. Gallagher Streissguth Pirsig Youngdahl T. Gallagher Magney Matson W. Christianson F. Gallagher Knutson T. Christianson Dell M. Nelson Murphy Loevinger Otis Rogosheske Sheran C.D. Peterson F. Kelly Todd MacLaughlin Yetka Scott Wahl Amdahl Simonett G. Kelley Coyne Popovich Keith Tomljanovich Ogren Page P. Anderson Stringer Blatz Gilbert R. Anderson Ericksen Meyer Hanson G.B. Anderson Gildea Dietzen Magnuson Stras Wright Lillehaug Hudson Chutich McKeig Thissen Moore Procaccini Hennesy Gaïtas

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