John Franklin McGee (January 1, 1861 – February 15, 1925) was a

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district. Each district covers one U.S. state or a portion of a state. There is at least one feder ...

of the

United States District Court for the District of Minnesota The United States District Court for the District of Minnesota (in case citations, D. Minn.) is the United States district court, federal district court whose jurisdiction is the state of Minnesota. Its two primary courthouses are in Minneapolis ...

Education and career

Born in

Amboy, Illinois Amboy is a city in Lee County, Illinois, United States, along the Green River. The population was 2,500 at the 2010 census. The chain of Carson Pirie Scott & Co. began in Amboy when Samuel Carson opened his first dry goods store there in 1854 ...

, McGee

read 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 un ...

to enter the bar in 1882. He was in private practice in Devils Lake, Dakota Territory (now North Dakota) from 1883 to 1887, and in

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

, Minnesota from 1887 to 1897. He was a judge of the Fourth Judicial District of Minnesota from 1897 to 1902, thereafter returning to private practice in Minneapolis until 1923. In 1917, when the United States entered

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, McGee was appointed by Minnesota Governor Joseph A.A. Burnquist to chair the Minnesota Commission of Public Safety. The Commission mobilized resources to support the American war effort. Under McGee, the Commission harassed labor organizers and sought to suppress labor agitation. McGee testified before congress regarding antiwar activity in Minnesota, accusing the

German American German Americans (, ) are Americans who have full or partial German ancestry. According to the United States Census Bureau's figures from 2022, German Americans make up roughly 41 million people in the US, which is approximately 12% of the pop ...

and

Swedish American Swedish Americans () are Americans of Swedish descent. The history of Swedish Americans dates back to the early colonial times, with notable migration waves occurring in the 19th and early 20th centuries and approximately 1.2 million arrivi ...

communities in Minnesota of fostering sedition. McGee advocated for the use of firing squads to execute alleged traitors for undermining the war effort.

Federal judicial service

On February 28, 1923, McGee was nominated by President

Warren G. Harding Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) was the 29th president of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death in 1923. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he was one of the most ...

to a new seat on the

created by 42 Stat. 837. 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 March 2, 1923, and received his commission the same day. McGee served in that capacity until February 15, 1925, when he committed

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

with a revolver in his chambers. He left a note stating that he was suffering exhaustion and depression due to his heavy workload. His seat was abolished upon his death as it had been established as a temporary judgeship.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:McGee, John F. 1861 births 1925 deaths 1925 suicides 19th-century American lawyers 20th-century American lawyers North Dakota lawyers Lawyers from Minneapolis Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota Minnesota state court judges People from Amboy, Illinois Suicides by firearm in Minnesota United States district court judges appointed by Warren G. Harding United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law