Aad John Vinje (November 10, 1857March 23, 1929) was a

Norwegian American Norwegian Americans () are Americans with ancestral roots in Norway. Norwegian immigrants went to the United States primarily in the latter half of the 19th century and the first few decades of the 20th century. There are more than 4.5 milli ...

immigrant, lawyer, and jurist. He was the 12th chief justice of the

Wisconsin Supreme Court The Wisconsin Supreme Court is the Supreme court, highest and final court of appeals in the state judicial system of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. In addition to hearing appeals of lower Wisconsin court decisions, the Wisconsin Supreme Court also ...

, serving from 1922 until his death in 1929. He previously served 15 years as a Wisconsin circuit court judge in the northwest of the state.

Background

Aad John Vinje was born on the Vinje farm (''Winje nedre'') in Vangen parish in

Voss Voss () is a Municipalities of Norway, municipality and a Districts of Norway, traditional district in Vestland Counties of Norway, county, Norway. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of Vossevangen. Other villages inclu ...

Hordaland Hordaland () was a county in Norway, bordering Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Telemark, and Rogaland counties. Hordaland was the third largest county, after Akershus and Oslo, by population. The county government was the Hordaland County Munici ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

. His father died from injuries received in an accident in 1859 and his mother subsequently remarried. The family came to the United States in 1869 when Vinje was 12 years old. His parents, Mons Knudsen Vinje (1831-1923) and Ingeborg Davidsdatter (Klove) Vinje (1824–1901), immigrated together with their five children. His family settled in

Marshall County, Iowa Marshall County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,105. The county seat and largest city is Marshalltown. The county was formed on January 13, 1846, and named after John Marshall, Chief ...

, where Vinje attended Iowa College (now

Grinnell College Grinnell College ( ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Grinnell, Iowa, United States. It was founded in 1846 when a group of Congregationalism in the United States, Congregationalis ...

) at

Grinnell, Iowa Grinnell ( ) is a city in Poweshiek County, Iowa, United States. The population was 9,564 at the time of the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census. It is best known for being the home of Grinnell College, as well as being the location of the ...

from 1873 to 1874 and Northwestern University at

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Iowa, most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is the county seat of Polk County, Iowa, Polk County with parts extending into Warren County, Iowa, Wa ...

from 1874 to 1875.

Career

Vinje earned his law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School (B.A., 1884; LL.B., 1887). While in school, he worked in the State Law Library. Vinje served as assistant Supreme Court reporter until 1891, when he established a law office in Superior, Wisconsin. In 1895, Vinje was appointed judge for the 11th Wisconsin Judicial Circuit where he served until 1910. He won election to 10-year terms on the Supreme Court in 1911 Wisconsin Supreme Court election, 1911 and 1921 Wisconsin Supreme Court election, 1921 . Upon the death of Chief Justice Robert G. Siebecker in February 1922, Vinje became the Chief Justice, a position he occupied until his death in 1929.

Selected works

*"The Legal Aspect of Industrial Consolidations" (February 16, 1904), in ''Reports of the Proceedings of the Meetings of the State Bar Ass'n of Wisconsin'', 1904–05, at 167, 171 (1906).

Personal life

Vinje was married in 1886 to Alice Idell Miller (1863-1954). They were the parents of four children. Aad J. Vinje died during 1929 and was buried at the Forest Hill Cemetery in Dane County, Wisconsin.Ellis Baker Usher, Usher, Ellis Baker. ''Wisconsin: Its Story and Biography, 1848-1913, Volume 5''. Lewis Publishing Company, 1914, p. 1237.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vinje, Aad John 1857 births 1929 deaths People from Voss Norwegian emigrants to the United States Grinnell College alumni University of Wisconsin Law School alumni Wisconsin circuit court judges Chief justices of the Wisconsin Supreme Court Politicians from Superior, Wisconsin 19th-century American lawyers 20th-century American lawyers Burials at Forest Hill Cemetery (Madison, Wisconsin)