Ralph Justin Anderson (October 17, 1888 – August 8, 1962) was a justice of the

Montana Supreme Court The Montana Supreme Court is the supreme court, highest court of the state court system in the U.S. state of Montana. It is established and its powers defined by Article VII of the 1972 Montana Constitution. It is primarily an appellate court w ...

from 1933 to 1938.

Biography

Born in Kinderhook, Illinois, Anderson received his law degree from the

University of Colorado The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: the University of Colorado Boulder, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, the University of Colorado Denver, and the U ...

in 1912, and later that year moved to

Lewistown, Montana Lewistown is a city in and the county seat of Fergus County, Montana, United States. The population was 5,952 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Lewistown is located in the geographic center of the state, southeast of Great Falls, Mo ...

. Anderson was elected to the

Montana House of Representatives The Montana House of Representatives is, with the Montana Senate, one of the two houses of the Montana Legislature. Composed of 100 members, the House elects its leadership every two years. Composition of the House In the event that the parti ...

for

Fergus County, Montana Fergus County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 11,446. Its county seat is Lewistown, Montana, Lewistown. The county was founded in 1885 and na ...

, in 1914, and in 1917 was appointed deputy County Attorney for Fergus County. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, he was called to duty in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

on June 30, 1918, and was sent to

Vancouver Barracks The Vancouver Barracks was the first United States Army base located in the Pacific Northwest, established in 1849, in what is now contemporary Vancouver, Washington. It was built on a rise above the Fort Vancouver fur trading station establish ...

, Washington.Form No. 724-1½, A.G.O. for Anderson, Ralph J, Army serial number 3,415,887, available in the "Montana, U.S., Military Records, 1904-1918" collection on

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. He was in the 25th Company Casual Detachment Signal C for about 5 weeks, the 15th Company Casual Detachment

Spruce Production Division The Spruce Production Division was a unit of the United States Army established in 1917 to produce high-quality Sitka spruce timber and other wood products needed to make aircraft for the United States' efforts in World War I. The division was p ...

for 1 month, and the 144th

Spruce Squadron The Spruce Production Division was a unit of the United States Army established in 1917 to produce high-quality Picea sitchensis, Sitka spruce timber and other wood products needed to make aircraft for the United States' efforts in World War I. ...

in Joyce, Washington until his discharge as a private in January 1919. During this time, he served in the Aviation Section of the Army Signal Corps."Ralph J. Anderson, Former High Court Judge, Dies"
''The Independent Record'', Helena, Montana, volume XIX, number 259, page 1. (obituary) He was elected to the

in November 1932 and served until the end of 1938. He is credited with being the only attorney in the state to have argued four cases in one day before the Montana Supreme Court. He became a member of the State Board of Law Examiners in 1943 and was chair of that body from 1951 to 1962.

Personal life and death

On February 24, 1919, he married Lauretta Kelly; they had no children. Anderson died August 8, 1962, in Helena, Montana, at the age of 73 and is buried at Resurrection Cemetery in Helena.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Ralph J. 1888 births 1962 deaths People from Pike County, Illinois University of Colorado alumni Members of the Montana House of Representatives Justices of the Montana Supreme Court Military personnel from Illinois United States Army Air Forces soldiers 20th-century members of the Montana Legislature