James Madison Morton Jr. (August 24, 1869 – June 26, 1940) was a

United States circuit judge In the United States, a federal judge is a judge who serves on a court established under Article Three of the U.S. Constitution. Often called "Article III judges", federal judges include the chief justice and associate justices of the U.S. Su ...

of the

United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit (in case citations, 1st Cir.) is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts: * District of Maine * District of Massachusetts ...

and previously was a United States District Judge of the

United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts The United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts (in case citations, D. Mass.) is the United States district court, federal district court whose Jurisdiction (area), territorial jurisdiction is the Commonwealth (U.S. state), C ...

Education and career

Born on August 24, 1869, in Fall River,

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

, Morton's father, James Madison Morton Sr., was a prominent Boston lawyer who eventually served on the state supreme court. Morton received an Artium Baccalaureus degree in 1891 from

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

and received an

Artium Magister A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

degree in 1894 from the same institution. He received a

Bachelor of Laws A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

in 1894 from

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 ...

. He was in private practice in Fall River from 1894 to 1912.

Federal judicial service

Morton was nominated by President

William Howard Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) served as the 27th president of the United States from 1909 to 1913 and the tenth chief justice of the United States from 1921 to 1930. He is the only person to have held both offices. ...

on August 9, 1912, to a seat on the

vacated by Judge Frederic Dodge. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

on August 12, 1912, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on January 19, 1932, due to his elevation to the First Circuit. Morton was nominated by President

Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was the 31st president of the United States, serving from 1929 to 1933. A wealthy mining engineer before his presidency, Hoover led the wartime Commission for Relief in Belgium and ...

on December 15, 1931, to a seat on the

vacated by Judge George W. Anderson. He was confirmed by the Senate on January 6, 1932, and received his commission on January 9, 1932. He assumed senior status on September 30, 1939. His service terminated on June 26, 1940, due to his death in Fall River.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morton, James Madison Jr. 1869 births 1940 deaths Harvard Law School alumni Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts United States district court judges appointed by William Howard Taft Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit United States court of appeals judges appointed by Herbert Hoover People from Fall River, Massachusetts Harvard College alumni