Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1895-12-19

II. 1873. he was appointed chief jus.
tice of the supreme court of Dakota.
which position he accepted because IL
was in the line of his profession and
studies, and he served in that capacity
Until Jan. 3. 1SS2, when he resigned.
His judicial Lbors in Dakota are
well known to the older settlers. In
1878 lie held the June and September
terms Of court for all North Dakota Mt
Pemhina. He appointed United States
commissioners at Pembina, Fargo and
Bismarck, and set the wheels OF regu-
lar legal practice In motion. In the
all OF 1873, at Fargo. he obtained from
his old friend, George w. Cass. then I'm
charge of the Northern Pacific rail
road, a verbal agreement for the lots
upon which the court house at Fargo
how stands. He .laized the first
territorial grand jury that ever sat for
this part of Dakota. He framed our
first admiralty rules for the regulation
Of navigation OH the Red and Missouri
rivers.
In 1874. shortly after the removal OF
Gov. Burbank, he was assigned to the
lankton district, and Judge Barnes
came To this, the northern district. At
Gankton he introduced the proper
writ and forms into the practice of the
United States court, and framed and
enforced throughout the whole dis
trict such saiutary rules as Were so
much needed to preserve uniformity
and discipline in the courts. Thus dis
order gave way TO order, and good
fruits were o visible. His work
was incessant; for, besides two terms
a year of the federal court and OF the
supreme court. he had to hold all the
local courts of his district; and, in fact.
for two years owing to Judge Ben
nett's removal to the Black Hills, he
was obliged TO hold all the courts from
the ~forty-ffth parallel south to the
Missouri river. This condition remain
ed until the coming of a fourth Judge.
And as from time to time new courts
were established by the legislature. he
was Obliged to hold them. He pre-
sided over the first courts ever held at
Pierre, Huron and for the Mitchell
subdivision at Alexandria. And all
this arduous labor without n in
crease in salary. He has held court as
early as 9 O'clock in the morning and
as late as midnight.
Apart from this industry, the Record
has heretofore published an account OF
his great share in the revision and cod
~ification of our laws.
Some months after his retirement
from the bench he was appointed I'M
der President Arthur's administration
one of the Sioux Indian commission TO
negotiate for the purchase of the land
between the White and Cheyenne
rivers. In this new duty he rendered
very valuable service. Attorney Gen
eral Brewster also appointed him to-
hold a court of inquiry in Montana, as
to charges against some federal offi-
Gals there, and on this mission he
spent the months of May, June and
July. 1883, receiving the thanks of the
department. for his report.
We have thus noticed all the public
positions ever held by Peter G. shan
non, and we have this to say-that no
one of them was obtained by any. not
even the slightest, solicitation on his
part.
In Pennsylvania his ancestry can be
traced back for n hundred and fifty
years, his grandfather having been n
revolutionary soldier. and the judge
himself Is deseryedly a member of the
Grand Army Of the Republic.
lie is n most excellent gentleman,
an accomplished scholar, n righteous
judge, and in the fuilneSs of years is
waiting the call Of the Master.