St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-10-04
JUDGE JOHN T.. macDONALD.


JUDGE JOHN L.. asacDONALD.
A Man Whose Record is Clean and
Unassailable.
Judge John l.. Macdonald is a native of
the City of Glasgow, Scotland. He was born
in 1888, and is therefore 4S years of age.
While quite young. his father, DR.. J. A. Mac
Donald immigrated to the United States and
located in PittSburg, Pa, where the family
resided number of years. In the spring of
1885 the subject of this sketch removed with
his fathers family to Minnesota, and settled
the same year in Belle Plaine, Scott county,
and took 'claim," and subsequently pre-
empted it. He is, emphatically. one Of the
Minnesota pioneers, as this location and
settlement WAS made in advance of the gov
eminent surveyors and before the Indians
had removed to their reservations further
west. After two years spent laboring
UPON HIS CLAIM
he entered the law Office of Judge Chatfield
and engaged in the study of law with that
eminent juriSt, and remained there, prose-
cutting his studies, until he was admitted to
the bar, in 1859. In 1860 he became editor of
the Belle Plaine Inquirer, and continued to
publish that paper into the fall of 1861, when
he removed to Shakopee and established tn e
Shakopee Argus, which latter paper he pub
lished until 1862. when he disposed of it. HI
has been in public life almost continualle
was elected judge of probate of Scott couutye
which Office he held until the close of his
term, when
HE GAVE IT UP
to accept another. He has held succe ssively
the offices of judge of probate, county at
torney, county superintendent of schools,
member of the house of representatives and
state senate, and judge Of the Eighth judicia al
district, which position he now occupies. He
has represented that county in both branches
Of the legislature great many terms, and
his conduct while in the legislature proved
eminently satisfactory to his constituents.
Of his ability as a legislator we can do no
better than quote the following Republican
estimate Of him, which appeared among
Pencil Portraits of members of the senate,
in the st. Paul Daily Press of March 6, 1874:
AS LEGISLATOR.
He is well-read lawyer, pungent and fluent
speaker bright and quick in debate, and man
who seems cut out for leader or one who would
at least, in an assembly. make a frst-class COM
mander. Judge Macdonald can do more iegi sla-
tive work in a given time, especially when man
aging a committee of the whole, than any man in
the senate. In debate his perceptions are clear,
with adaptability to grasp the salient points in
controversy, and to enforce them In a logical,
forcible and well-delivered speech. He is uni
versally esteemed as genial gentleman nd one
who never shuns any legislative work, of which
there is always plenty to do, and comparatively
few to do it.
ELECTED JUDGE.
In 1876 he was elected judge of the Eighth
judicial district, defeating, after somewhat
spirited contest, Judges Baxter aud L. M.
Brown. BIS conduct upon the bench has
been such as to win from all, and especially
those who had opposed him. the highest com
pliments for his ability as jurist and the
impartial and courteous manner in which he
has discharged the duties of his Office and
presided at every term of court So thor
oughly satisfactory was he to the people of
the Eighth judicial district that in 1858 he was
reelected without opposition, his warmest
supporters for reelection having among them
many who had been equally Jealous, seven
years before, in opposing his election. His
proposed
RETIREMENT FROM THE BENCH
is on account of business reasons, and not a
desire to enter political life. His many
friends and acquaintances having learned
that he contemplated Withdrawing from the
jud ciary, immediately began to urge him
upon the attention of the Third congressional
district as the proper person to nominate for
congress, and although strongly urged to be-
come candidate. it was not until shortly be-
fore the meeting of the convention that he
agreed to accept the nomination. Judge
Ma cDonald was always an active member OF
the Democratic party until he was elected to
the judicial position which he now holds, yet
his political action was always such as to be
not offensive to those with whom he differed,
and no man was ever member Of the legis-
lature who gained for himself and has retained
the personal
FRIENDSHIP OF HIS ASSOCIATES,
Republican or Democrat, more than ne has.
At the breaking out of the rebellion he was a
war Democrat, and when Sumter was fired
upon took strong ground in his paper in favor
of the suppression of the rebellion by force
of arms. During the war, when it became
necessary to encourage eniSJments, ne was
commissioned to recruit volunteers for the
Union army, and while acting as such en-
listed and mustered into the service many
men who were distributed among different
organizations. His family can show as good
a record for loyalty to the Union cause as
that of anyin the country. His father was
surgeon in the First Minnesota cavalrt +.
His brother. Col. James Fl. Macdonald, began
service
IN THE UNION CAUSE
with the cam paign of Gen. Lyons, in Mis-
souri,, and ended his four years service in
command of the Sixtieth Illinois. His
brother. Hon. c. F. Macdonald, of St. Cloud,
served in the Ninth Minnesota from its or
ganlzation until it was finally mustered out;
and Il younger brother, too young to be re-
ceived as a volunteer. but connected with
the army, proved his zeal for the cause by,
participating upon his own hook. in the
battle OF Nashville. No man is better fitted
by experience and thorough knowledge of
the wants of our people to represent them III
congress than is Judge Macdonald, and we
predict that SO well known is this fact among
the people of the Third congressional district
that
HE WILL BE ELECTED
without the necessity of any extraoi binary
effort on his part. When we say that Mime
or naS influential effect
i've representative in congress than he will
prove to be, we simply repeat what is to be
heard on all Sides and from Republicans as
well as Democrats. His ability is unQues-
toned, and his record clean and unassailable,
and the people of the Third congressional