James Gilfillan (March 9, 1829 – December 16, 1894) was an American

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

and

judge A judge is a person who wiktionary:preside, presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a judicial panel. In an adversarial system, the judge hears all the witnesses and any other Evidence (law), evidence presented by the barris ...

from

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

. He served as Chief Justice of the

Minnesota Supreme Court The Minnesota Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The court hears cases in the Supreme Court chamber in the Minnesota State Capitol or in the nearby Minnesota Judicial Center. History The court was first assemb ...

from 1869 to 1870 and again from 1875 to 1894.

Life and career

Gilfillian was born on March 9, 1829, in

Bannockburn Bannockburn () is an area immediately south of the centre of Stirling in Scotland. It is part of the City of Stirling. It is named after the Bannock Burn, a stream running through the town before flowing into the River Forth. History Land in ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

. His parents emigrated to the United States when he was young and settled in

Oneida County, New York Oneida County ( ) is a county in the state of New York, United States. As of February 26, 2024, the population was 226,654. The county seat is Utica. The name is in honor of the Oneida, one of the Five Nations of the Iroquois League or '' ...

. He studied law in

Chenango County, New York Chenango County is a County (United States), county located in the south-central section of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 47,220. Its county seat is Norwich, ...

, and

Ballston Spa, New York Ballston Spa is a village and the county seat of Saratoga County, New York, United States, located southwest of Saratoga Springs. It is part of the Capital Region. The population of the village, named after Rev. Eliphalet Ball, a Congregational ...

, and was admitted to the bar in 1850. After continuing to study law in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...

, for a few years, he decided to relocate to

St. Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (often abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 311,527, making it Minnesota's second-most populous city a ...

, in 1857. He opened a law firm with his brother, Charles Duncan Gilfillan, though the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

brought their partnership to an end. Gilfillian served with the

7th Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment The 7th Minnesota Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment in the Union Army that served in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. Service The 7th Minnesota Infantry Regiment was mustered into Federal service at Camp Release, Fort Sne ...

and was later named the colonel of the 11th Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment. After the war ended, he returned to St. Paul to pursue a career in law. When Chief Justice Thomas Wilson resigned from the Minnesota Supreme Court in 1869, Gilfillian was named his interim replacement him by Governor

William Rainey Marshall William Rainey Marshall (October 17, 1825January 8, 1896) was an American politician. He was the fifth Governor of Minnesota from January 8, 1866, to January 9, 1870, and was a member of the Republican party. He served as the Colonel of the 7t ...

. When Chief Justice Samuel J. R. McMillan resigned in 1875, Gilfillian was again named as an interim replacement by Governor

Cushman Kellogg Davis Cushman Kellogg Davis (June 16, 1838November 27, 1900) was an American United States Republican Party, Republican politician who served as the List of Governors of Minnesota, seventh Governor of Minnesota and as a United States Senate, U.S. Senat ...

. This time he stood for re-election and won. He served on the Minnesota Supreme Court until his death in 1894.

References

1829 births 1894 deaths People of Minnesota in the American Civil War Minnesota lawyers Chief justices of the Minnesota Supreme Court Minnesota state court judges People from Stirling (council area) 19th-century Minnesota state court judges 19th-century American lawyers {{Minnesota-state-judge-stub