Edward James Devitt (May 5, 1911 – March 2, 1992) was a United States representative from Minnesota and a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota.

Education and career

Born in

Saint Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

Ramsey County, Minnesota Ramsey County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 552,352, making it the second-most populous county in Minnesota. Its county seat and largest city is Saint Paul, the state capital and ...

, Devitt graduated from St. John's College Preparatory High School in Collegeville, Minnesota in 1930, and attended St. John's University from 1930 to 1932 before receiving a Bachelor of Laws from the University of North Dakota School of Law in

Grand Forks Grand Forks is the third-largest city in the state of North Dakota (after Fargo and Bismarck) and the county seat of Grand Forks County. According to the 2020 census, the city's population was 59,166. Grand Forks, along with its twin city o ...

, North Dakota in 1935, and a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of North Dakota in 1938. Devitt was in private practice in East Grand Fords, Minnesota from 1935 to 1939, serving at the same time as a municipal judge of the Minnesota Municipal Court in East Grand Forks. He was an assistant state attorney general of Minnesota from 1939 to 1942. He served in the United States Naval Reserve during World War II as a Lieutenant Commander from 1942 to 1946.

Congressional service

Devitt was elected as a Republican to the 80th congress (January 3, 1947 – January 3, 1949). He was unsuccessful in his bid for reelection to the

81st congress The 81st 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 January 3, 194 ...

in 1948. Following his departure from Congress, he returned to private practice in Saint Paul from 1949 to 1950. He then served as a Judge of the Minnesota

Probate Probate is the judicial process whereby a will is "proved" in a court of law and accepted as a valid public document that is the true last testament of the deceased, or whereby the estate is settled according to the laws of intestacy in the sta ...

Court for Ramsey County, Minnesota from 1950 to 1954.

Federal judicial service

On December 10, 1954, Devitt received a recess appointment from President Dwight D. Eisenhower to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota vacated by Judge

Matthew M. Joyce Matthew M. Joyce (April 29, 1877 – January 12, 1956) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota. Education and career Born on April 29, 1877, in Emmetsburg, Iowa, Joyce attended the U ...

. Formally nominated to the same seat by President Eisenhower on January 10, 1955, Devitt was confirmed by the United States Senate on February 4, 1955, and received his commission on February 7, 1955. He served as Chief Judge from 1959 to 1981, assuming senior status on May 1, 1981. In 1979, Devitt presided over the criminal trial for the five Red Lake Reservation uprising defendants, imposing a 26-year prison sentence on uprising leader Harry S. Hanson Jr. Devitt would also impose prison sentences ranging from 10 to 16 years against Hanson's four co-defendants. He served as a board member of the

Federal Judicial Center The Federal Judicial Center is the education and research agency of the United States federal courts. It was established by in 1967, at the recommendation of the Judicial Conference of the United States. According to , the main areas of respo ...

from 1968 to 1971. He served as a judge of the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court from 1985 to 1992. Devitt remained in senior status until his death, in Saint Paul on March 2, 1992.

Legacy

The American Judicature Society has awarded the Edward J. Devitt Distinguished Service to Justice Award each year since 1983 to an Article III judge. The first recipient was

Albert Branson Maris Albert Branson Maris (December 19, 1893 – February 7, 1989) was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and previously was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for t ...

References

External links