The Irish standard., 1912-02-03
JUDGE L0CHREN,
NOTED JuR|sT, DEAD
Was Born in County Tyrone, Ireland,
and Taken to Americe When
but One Year Old.
His Varied Career Closely Identified
With the Early History of
Minneapolis.
Served With Honor in Civil War
With Company E, First Min
nesota Volunteers.

nesota Volunteers.
Judge William Lochren, distinguish
ed jurist. Civil War veteran and for
many years a prominent citizen of
this city, passed away at his home, 422
Tenth avenue southeast. Saturday aft
ernoon, Jan. 27. Judge Lochren's
health had been failing for number
Of years. In 1908 he resigned his po-
sition as judge Of the United States
district court, position which he had
filed for twelve years. Since that
time he had not been active owing to
i'll health.
Tyrone, Ireland. April 8. 1882. His
father died when he was a year old
and his mother found it necessary to
come to America with relatives who
migrated that year.
The mother settled in Franklin
county, Vermont, near the Canadian
border and there a part of the time on
the Canadian side William Lochren
lived until 1850. The farm work of
that period was hard and his tasks
Of early life were much more tire
some and difficult than are those of
tho average farmer Of today. He
worked in the heavy. work seasons of
neighborhood and in the winter
months he obtained such education as
was furnished by the country schools
of the time. He devoted as much of
his time as possible to study and from
the earliest time he had a strong am
bition for learning. When mere boy
he determined to have an advanced
education and follow a profession.
In 1850 he went to Auburn, Mass,
where while doing farm work and
working in the mills he employed his
spare hours SO industriously that he
succeeded in spite of the difficulties
in which he labored, in getting a fair
education. He was admitted to the
state bar in Vermont in 1856 and in
the fall of the following year came
west and opened up a law Office in
st. Anthony.
On April 20. 1861, he enlisted in
Company E, First Minnesota volun-
teers. Not long after the enlistment
he was made a sergeant. He was
with the regiment in all the battles
of the Potomac for three years. His
bravery and attention to military tac-
tics won him promotion Sept. %, 1862,
when he was made second lieutenant
In July of the following year he was
promoted to first lieutenant for his
distinction in the campaigns. He act
ed as adjutant from the battle Of Get
tysburg until the middle of the fol-
lowing October.
With his promotions came increased
labors and hardships and the strenu-
Gus campaigns in which he was en-
gagged impaired his health. Though he
aspired for higher honors at the time,
he was compelled to resign, Dec. 80,
1868. He was unaccustomed to the
climate to which he had been sent and
he found that short rest did not
bring the desired improvement in
health.
He returned reluctantly to St. An
thony and resumed the practice of law.
1t was like commencing life anew, for
the town had grown and new attor-
neys had come in to fill his place. He
built up a practice rapidly, however,
and after his return he acted as city
attorney for several years.
In 1868 he entered the political arena
and was elected state senator. He
served two years. In the following
spring he formed a partnership with
w. w. McNair and in 1871 ]. B. Gill
fillan became a member of the firm.
He was then elected city attorney for
the years 1877 and 1878.
Appointed a Judge.
The legal business Of the city and
county had grown so rapidly in the
years Immediately preceding 1881 that
a special act was passed by the iegis-
lature giving third Judge to the third
judicial district. John s. Pillsbury was
governor at the time and he appointed