SCHS: Court History — Rosette Detail

Pierce Butler, 1923-1939

Justice Pierce Butler, 1923-1939
PIERCE BUTLER was born in Northfield, Minnesota, on March 17, 1866. He attended Carleton College and was graduated in 1887 with degrees in both arts and science. He moved to St. Paul and read law for one year at a law firm and was admitted to the bar in 1888. Three years later, Butler became an Assistant County Attorney of Ramsey County, which embraces the city of St. Paul. In 1893, he was elected County Attorney and served until 1897. While serving as County Attorney, Butler joined a law partnership and eventually became senior partner in a successor firm. In 1910, the Attorney General of the United States engaged Butler to represent the government in a number of antitrust cases. Butler served as a Regent of the University of Minnesota from 1907 to 1924. President Warren G. Harding nominated Butler to the Supreme Court of the United States on November 23, 1922. The Senate confirmed the appointment on December 21, 1922. Butler served on the Supreme Court for sixteen years and died on November 16, 1939, at the age of seventy-three.