Adrian Lawrence Greene (April 10, 1848 – July 28, 1907) was a

Justice In its broadest sense, justice is the idea that individuals should be treated fairly. According to the ''Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy'', the most plausible candidate for a core definition comes from the ''Institutes (Justinian), Inst ...

of the

Kansas Supreme Court The Kansas Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority in the U.S. state of Kansas. Composed of seven justices, led by Chief Justice Marla Luckert, the court supervises the legal profession, administers the judicial branch, and serves as t ...

from January 15, 1901, to July 28, 1907.

Early life

Greene was born April 10, 1848, in

Canton, Missouri Canton is a city in Lewis County, Missouri, Lewis County, Missouri, United States. The population was 2,774 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Canton is the home of Culver-Stockton College, a small liberal arts college affiliated with ...

, to Joel R. and Rosa Ann (née Black) Greene. He moved with his parents in 1865 to

Saline County, Missouri Saline County is a county located along the Missouri River in the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population was 23,333. Its county seat is Marshall. The county was established November 25, 1820, and named for the region' ...

, where he farmed for five years with his father.

Law career

Greene was educated in the common schools of Canton and began

reading law Reading law was the primary method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship u ...

in 1870. He was admitted to the Missouri Bar in 1871 and practiced for eight months in

Miami, Missouri Miami ( ) is a city in Saline County, Missouri, United States. The population was 175 at the 2010 census. History Miami was originally called Greenville, under which name it was platted in 1838. A post office called Miami has been in operation ...

, before moving to

Newton, Kansas Newton is a city in and the county seat of Harvey County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 18,602. Newton is located north of Wichita, Kansas, Wichita. The city of North ...

, in September 1871. In 1882, Greene was elected county attorney for

Harvey County, Kansas Harvey County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. Its county seat and most populous city is Newton. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 34,024. The county was named for James Harvey, a U.S. senator and the fifth ...

. He served for six years (two and one-half terms) as county attorney before resigning. During his service, Greene worked diligently to break up illegal alcohol traffic in Harvey County. Although he never held political office again until being appointed to the Kansas Supreme Court, Greene was very active in Republican Party politics both at the county and state levels. In 1886 and 1887 he was a member of the Republican state executive committee, and in 1895 and 1896 he was a member of the Republican state central committee. When the Kansas Supreme Court was expanded by a state constitutional amendment in 1900, Greene was appointed a Justice by

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

William E. Stanley. He was nominated by the Republican Party in 1902 for a second term to the Kansas Supreme Court and won a seat on the court that he would have held until 1909.

Personal life

Greene first married Anna E. Baker (1851-1885) on February 2, 1876; they had one daughter, Gertrude (b. 1877). He then married Elizabeth Sarah Thurston (1865-1921) in 1890 and they had two children: Winifred Elizabeth (b. 1892) and Adrian Lawrence Jr. (b. 1896).

Death

Two weeks before his death, Greene was taken to

Battle Creek, Michigan Battle Creek is a city in northwestern Calhoun County, Michigan, United States, at the confluence of the Kalamazoo River, Kalamazoo and Battle Creek River, Battle Creek rivers. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a tota ...

, after suffering for many years with acute kidney pain. He died there on July 28, 1907, and is buried Greenwood Cemetery in Newton.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Greene, Adrian Lawrence Justices of the Kansas Supreme Court 1848 births 1907 deaths U.S. state supreme court judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law People from Canton, Missouri 19th-century American judges