Abram Bergen (often misreported with first name Abraham or last name Berger; March 1836 – February 5, 1906)Judge Abram Bergen Dead
, ''Garnett Independent Review'' (February 9, 1906), p. 4.Prominent Jurist Dead
, ''Coffeyville Daily Record'' (February 5, 1906), p. 1. was an American lawyer who served as a justice of the

New Mexico Territorial Supreme Court The New Mexico Supreme Court () is the highest court in the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is established and its powers defined by Article VI of the New Mexico Constitution. It is primarily an appellate court which reviews civil and criminal de ...

from 1869 to 1870.

Biography

Abram Bergen was born on a farm in

Morgan County, Illinois Morgan County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 32,915. Its county seat is Jacksonville, Illinois, Jacksonville. Morgan Co ...

in March 1836. He earned a bachelor's degree from

Illinois College Illinois College is a private liberal arts college in Jacksonville, Illinois. It is affiliated with the United Church of Christ and the Presbyterian Church (USA). It was the second college founded in Illinois but the first to grant a degree (in ...

, and attended

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, Harvard Law School is the oldest law school in continuous operation in the United ...

, but did not graduate. As a young attorney, he witnessed the "Almanac trial", in which

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

, as counsel for criminal defendant

Duff Armstrong William "Duff" Armstrong (c. 1833–1899) was an American Union Army soldier and the defendant in an 1858 murder prosecution in which he was defended by Abraham Lincoln, two years before Lincoln was elected President of the United States. The ca ...

, won his case by using an almanac to demonstrate that the prosecution witness was lying about there being a full moon enabling him to see clearly on the night of the crime. Later in life, Bergen confirmed in an interview that Lincoln had not modified the almanac, as some stories claimed. As of 1869, Bergen was serving in the

Minnesota Senate The Minnesota Senate is the upper house of the Minnesota Legislature, Legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. At 67 members, half as many as the Minnesota House of Representatives, it is the largest upper house of any State legislature (Unite ...

.News Condensations
, ''Mower County Transcript'' (February 14, 1906), p. 10. On April 13, 1869, it was reported that Bergen was among the nominees sent to Congress by the administration of President

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was the 18th president of the United States, serving from 1869 to 1877. In 1865, as Commanding General of the United States Army, commanding general, Grant led the Uni ...

,Nominations
, ''Western Home Journal'' (April 15, 1869), p. 2. having been nominated for a seat on the New Mexico territorial supreme court. Bergen was appointed from

Fillmore County, Minnesota Fillmore County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 21,228. Its county seat is Preston. Fillmore County is included in the Rochester metropolitan area. History Fillmore County was created on ...

.New Mexico Supreme Court,
Report of Cases Determined in the Supreme Court and Court of New Mexico, Volume 5
' (1896), p. 4. Bergen served on the New Mexico court for only a year before returning east, moving to

Garnett, Kansas Garnett is a city in and the county seat of Anderson County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 3,242. History Garnett was platted in 1857. Garnett is named for W. A. Garnett, a native of Louisville ...

, where "Bergen and L. K. Kirk formed a partnership, and together they practiced law for some time". Eventually, the partnership dissolved, and Bergen settled in

Topeka, Kansas Topeka ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, in northeastern Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2020 cen ...

, in 1882. At the time of his death, Bergen was described as "one of the best-known and most successful lawyers of the state", and "in the front rank in the legal profession", with a practice that "was not confined to Kansas, for his legal ability was known far and wide". Bergen died at his home in Topeka, after a brief illness. His death was caused by pneumonia and heart trouble, and it was reported that he had been ailing about three weeks, but was seriously sick for only a few days.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bergen, Abram 1836 births 1906 deaths People from Fillmore County, Minnesota Minnesota state senators Justices of the New Mexico Supreme Court Kansas lawyers Deaths from pneumonia in Kansas Illinois College alumni 19th-century members of the Minnesota Legislature