John McCourt (February 26, 1874 – September 12, 1924) was an American attorney and jurist in the state of

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

. He served as the 51st justice of the

Oregon Supreme Court The Oregon Supreme Court (OSC) is the highest State court (United States), state court in the U.S. state of Oregon. The only court that may reverse or modify a decision of the Oregon Supreme Court is the Supreme Court of the United States.

. Prior to joining the court, McCourt had worked as United States District Attorney for the District of Oregon. A native of

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, he was also a state court judge and member of the

Oregon House of Representatives The Oregon House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oregon Legislative Assembly, the upper house being the Oregon State Senate. There are 60 members of the House, representing 60 districts across the state, each with a population of ...

Early life

John McCourt was born on February 26, 1874, in Listowel, Ontario, Canada.Corning, Howard M. ''Dictionary of Oregon History''. Binfords & Mort Publishing, 1956. His parents, James McCourt and Emma Farnscomb, and the rest of the family moved to California when John was young. There he received his primary education before he moved to

in 1890. In Oregon he attended

Willamette University Willamette University is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college with locations in Salem, Oregon, Salem and Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest college in the Western United ...

in the literary department.Last Names -- Mcb to Mcm.
Salem Pioneer Cemetery. Retrieved on January 22, 2008. He then switched to the

law school A law school (also known as a law centre/center, college of law, or faculty of law) is an institution, professional school, or department of a college or university specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for b ...

where he graduated in 1896 and began practicing law in

Salem, Oregon Salem ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County, Oregon, Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, w ...

. He passed the bar in June 1896.

Legal career

In 1898, McCourt was elected and served as a Republican from

Marion County, Oregon Marion County is one of the Oregon counties, 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. The population was 345,920 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of counties in Oregon, 5th most populous county in Oregon. The ...

, in the

during a special session. He returned the following year for the regular legislative assembly. McCourt then moved to Eastern Oregon in 1900 where he practiced law in Pendleton until 1908. On March 17, 1908, he was appointed as United States Attorney for the District of Oregon and served in Portland, Oregon until 1913 when he entered private practice. In November 1918 he was appointed as circuit judge for

Multnomah County, Oregon Multnomah County is one of the Oregon counties, 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the county's population was 815,428. Multnomah County is part of the Portland metropolitan area. The stat ...

. On October 8, 1921, Oregon Governor Ben W. Olcott appointed him to the state supreme court to replace Charles A. Johns.Oregon State Archives: Governor's Records Guides.
Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved on January 22, 2008.Oregon Blue Book: Earliest Authorities in Oregon - Supreme Court Justices of Oregon.
Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved on January 22, 2008. McCourt then won election to a full six-year term in 1922, but died in office on September 12, 1924. He died in Salem of septic poisoning from an infection of the teeth and is buried at the

Salem Pioneer Cemetery Salem Pioneer Cemetery (also known as the Oddfellows, I.O.O.F. Cemetery or Oddfellows Cemetery) is a cemetery in Salem, Oregon, United States. It has been listed as a National Register of Historic Places since 2013, under the name Odd Fellows Ru ...

Family

His father was born 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 ...

and his mother in

. John McCourt married on June 28, 1898, to Vera Boothby. The couple had two boys together. McCourt is buried in Salem’s Pioneer Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McCourt, John Justices of the Oregon Supreme Court Oregon state court judges 1874 births 1924 deaths Members of the Oregon House of Representatives Willamette University College of Law alumni Burials at Salem Pioneer Cemetery Politicians from Salem, Oregon United States attorneys for the District of Oregon Lawyers from Salem, Oregon 19th-century American lawyers