The Saint Paul globe., 1904-12-15
MEMORY OF JUDGE
NELSON IS HONORED
Bench and Bar Pay Eloquent
Tribute to Jurist's
Career

Tributes from men who had known
him both as state and federal judge
were heard in the state supreme court
yesterday at a memorial for R. r. Nell
son, late judge of the federal court for
the district of Minnesota. Judge Nelson
was a supreme court justice during
1S57-185S and resigned to become a
federal Judge. He served continuously
on the United States district court
bench from his appointment, in 1858,
until 1896. when he was retired by the
age limit
The memorial was under the auspices
of the Minnesota State Bar association
and the addresses will be incorporated
in the annual publication of the asso-
citation. The full court sat on the
bench during the memorial services,
and the proceedings will appear in the
1904 report of the supreme court.
The memorial for Judge Nelson was
not dissimilar to the exercise held
Tuesday, Dec. 6, in the United States
district court. E. C. Stringer, presi-
dent of the State Bar association. Of
fered a memorial, Charles F'arnham
read euIogy prepared by Judge NJ. j.
Severance, of Mankato, and memorials
were presented by Judge Austin Il
Young, of Minneapolis; Judge G. w.
Batchelder, of Faribault, and John M.
Gilman, of St. Paul.
At the conclusion of the addresses
Chief Justice c. M. Start announced
that Associate Justice John A. Lovely,
because of his long and intimate asso-
citation with Judge Nelson, would speak
for the court. For tWenty-four years
Judge Lovely practiced in Judge Mel
sons court and knew him intimately
Judge LoVeIyS remarks were in the
nature of an appreciation ofathe public
services of Judge Nelson.
Judge Lovely's Tribute
During the last twenty-four years
of Judge Nelson's judicial services he
said, Il was engaged in the trial Of
many cases in the court over which he
presided. We became quite intimate
in our personal associations and 1
enjoyed the valuable privilege of his
federal judge of the district of Mime
sofa, appointed in 1853, upon its ad-
mission into the union, and from that
time until his voluntary retirement in
| 1896, at the age of seventy, he had
! served uninterruptedly. His service
! extended through what must be re-
| garded as a very important period of
| of the country and the extension of
! federal Jurisdiction of the national
courts, arising from the constitutional
amendments adopted Immediately after
| the civil war. S
while his professional experience
| before his appointment must have been
necessarily limited he had a thorough
| legal training, considerable general cul-
! ture and much knowledge of the world.
| T1o ayp6TtjOnS1IU frno from narrow
prejudices, possessed a catholic dispo-
] sition toward his fellowmen and always
inclined to apply the golden rule of the
| gospel to the affairs of life. He was
| learned in the procedure which applied
| under the old rules of equity and the
| COMMON law, though never constrained
| by their useless cOnstraints, for he was
progressive and displayed an anxiety to
adapt the capacities of the law to the
demand of modern times. -S-e 1
Exceptional judicial Ability
Judge Nelson's long and successful
| judicial career is almost phenomenal
The recorded decisions which he de-
livered display ability of a high order,
but his purpose was to be right rather
| than brilliant, and in this aim he was
! more successful" eszss7
D. T. Calhoun, of st. Cloud, who was
at the state capitol yesterday, said, in
speaking of Judge Nelson:
HE was absolutely fair I have
heard him deliver the charge to many
juries. His mind was so evenly bal
anced and his honesty of purpose sc
| highly developed that he was one OF
the very few judges whom / have
| known to be able to deliver a charge
to a jury without the faintest indica-
ton to the jury of what he himself
| thought of the case. In him the virtue
of absolute impartiality had its fullest
development"