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 United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two fi ...

Education and career

Born on April 6, 1868, in Potsdam,

St. Lawrence County St. Lawrence County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 108,505. The county seat is Canton. The county is named for the Saint Lawrence River, which in turn was named for the Christian saint L ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, Pray attended the public schools of Salisbury and Middlebury, Vermont, and graduated from

Middlebury Union High School Middlebury Union High School (MUHS) is an Addison Central Unified School District public high school in Middlebury, Vermont Middlebury is the shire town (county seat) of Addison County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the ...

. He attended

Middlebury College Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college in Middlebury, Vermont. Founded in 1800 by Congregationalists, Middlebury was the first operating college or university in Vermont. The college currently enrolls 2,858 undergraduates from all ...

and received a Bachelor of Laws in 1891 from the

Chicago College of Law Chicago-Kent College of Law is the law school affiliated with the Illinois Institute of Technology. It is the second oldest law school in the state of Illinois. It is ranked 91st among U.S. law schools, and its trial advocacy program is ranked in ...

(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 Chouteau County is a county located in the North-Central region of the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,895. Its county seat is Fort Benton. The county was established in 1865 as one of the original nine count ...

, 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 The 63rd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1913, to ...

. He resumed the practice of law in

Great Falls Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements * Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size * Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent People * List of people known as "the Great" *Artel Great (born ...

, 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 Calvin Coolidge (born John Calvin Coolidge Jr.; ; July 4, 1872January 5, 1933) was the 30th president of the United States from 1923 to 1929. Born in Vermont, Coolidge was a History of the Republican Party (United States), Republican lawyer ...

on January 21, 1924, to the

, 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

, 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.Whithorn, Doris (2001) ''Images of America: Paradise Valley on the Yellowstone'', p. 92. Mount Pleasant, SC: Arcadia Publishing,

References

Sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pray, Charles Nelson 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