Russell A. Anderson (May 28, 1942 – September 15, 2020) was an attorney who 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 ...

. He served as an associate justice of the court from September 1, 1998, until he was sworn in as chief justice on January 10, 2006. He retired from the Supreme Court on June 1, 2008, at age 66, and was succeeded by

Eric J. Magnuson Eric John Magnuson (born January 27, 1951) is an American lawyer in private practice. He was the Chief Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court from 2008 to 2010. Education and professional background Magnuson was born in Morris, Illinois. He gra ...

. Anderson died in September 2020 at the age of 78.Former Minnesota Chief Justice Russell Anderson dies at 78
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Early life and education

Anderson graduated from

St. Olaf College St. Olaf College is a private liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota, United States. It was founded in 1874 by a group of Norwegian-American pastors and farmers led by Pastor Bernt Julius Muus. The college is named after the King and th ...

in Northfield in 1964, then went on to the

University of Minnesota Law School The University of Minnesota Law School is the law school of the University of Minnesota, a public university in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The school confers four law degrees: a Juris Doctor (J.D.), a Master of Laws (LL.M.), a Master of Science in Pa ...

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 ...

, earning his J.D. in 1968. He later attended

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, earning his

Master of Laws A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is a postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in another subject. In many jurisdi ...

degree in 1977.

Career

His first legal experience came while in military service. Lieutenant Commander Anderson served in the Judge Advocate General's Corps of the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest displacement, at 4.5 million tons in 2021. It has the world's largest aircraft ...

. He acted as prosecutor and defense attorney for general and lesser courts-martial, as military judge for special and summary court-martial, and as civil and criminal staff attorney in the Office of Judge Advocate General,

He was in private practice in Bemidji from 1976 to 1982. He was the Beltrami County Attorney from 1978 to 1982. Anderson had worked as judge on the Ninth District Court since 1983, having been appointed by Governor

Al Quie Albert Harold "Al" Quie ( ; September 18, 1923 – August 18, 2023) was an American politician and farmer. Quie served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1958 to 1979 and as Governor of Minnesota from 1979 to 1983. Re ...

. He was named to the state's high court in 1998 by Governor

Arne Carlson Arne Helge Carlson (born September 24, 1934) is an American politician who served from 1991 to 1999 as the 37th governor of Minnesota. Carlson is considered a liberal Republican. Before his governorship, he served as the Minnesota State Audito ...

References

External links

Minnesota Public Radio Article 3/10/2008: "Minnesota Chief Justice Russell Anderson to retire"
1942 births 2020 deaths People from Bemidji, Minnesota Military personnel from Minnesota St. Olaf College alumni University of Minnesota Law School alumni Chief justices of the Minnesota Supreme Court Minnesota state court judges George Washington University Law School alumni United States Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps {{Minnesota-state-judge-stub