Arthur H. Noyes (April 15, 1853 – March 19, 1915) was a lawyer in Minnesota and

Dakota Territory The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of No ...

who was appointed a Republican federal judge in the

Territory of Alaska The Territory of Alaska or Alaska Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States from August 24, 1912, until Alaska was granted statehood on January 3, 1959. The territory was previously Russian America, 1784–1867; the ...

during the Alaskan gold rush era.McGrath, Hugh J. et al
History of the Great Northwest and Its Men of Progress
pp. 516-17 (1901) He was corrupt. Beach, Rex E. (February 1906)

/ref>The Looting of Alaska: The True Story of a Robbery by Law
''Appleton's Booklovers Magazine''(28 October 1901)
Weeding Out Noyes' Gang Up At Nome
''San Francisco Call''

Biography

Noyes was born in

Baraboo, Wisconsin Baraboo is a city in the Midwest and the county seat of Sauk County, Wisconsin, United States. The largest city in the county, Baraboo is the principal city of the Baraboo Micropolitan Statistical Area. Its 2020 population was 12,556. It is situ ...

to D. K. Noyes, a colonel in the army and lawyer, and Clara Lucinda (Barnes) Noyes. He went to public school in Baraboo and the state university (

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

) where he received a law degree in 1878.Eriksmoen, Curt (20 March 2010)
Grand Forks attorney, others, involved in gold swindle
''

The Bismarck Tribune ''The Bismarck Tribune'' is a daily newspaper with a weekly audience of 82,000 unique readers, printed daily in Bismarck, North Dakota. Owned by Lee Enterprises, it is the only daily newspaper for south-central and southwest North Dakota. Histo ...

'' He entered into a partnership with his brother and classmate R. E. Noyes and relocated to

Grand Forks Grand Forks is the third-largest city in the state of North Dakota (after Fargo and Bismarck) and the county seat of Grand Forks County. According to the 2020 census, the city's population was 59,166. Grand Forks, along with its twin city o ...

in 1882 and then Minnesota in 1887. He belonged to the Elks, was part of a Masonic order, Knights Templar, and Shriner. He married Nancy Hawthorn in 1894. He was one of three judges dispatched to Alaska in the summer of 1900,(17 June 1900)
Judge Noyes to Start for Alaska
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' his appointment being secured by Republican North Dakota political boss Alexander McKenzie. McKenzie knew that Noyes was an excessive drinker and had financial problems, which could be exploited. In Alaska, McKenzie pursued a spurious claim over the richest mining stakes in the district, and got Noyes to issue an injunction allowing McKenzie to start mining the claims to the exclusion of the rightful owners. Noyes denied the owners' claims and denied them a right to appeal to federal Ninth Circuit in San Francisco. On September 24, 1900 (McKenzie had continued to mine the whole time), the Ninth Circuit's order demanding that McKenzie cease mining arrived in Alaska. McKenzie ignored the order and Noyes did not enforce it. The Ninth Circuit then had McKenzie arrested and sentenced him to a year in prison (President McKinley pardoned him after a few months). Noyes' decisions were rejected by the appellate court, but Noyes remained in office until the fall of 1901. He was found guilty of contempt, fined $1,000, and removed from office. Returning to Baraboo, he died there in March 1915.Cravez, Pamela
The Biggest Damned Hat: Tales from Alaska's Territorial Lawyers and Judges
p. 14 (2017)(10 November 1901)
Judge Arthur H. Noyes Takes the Witness Stand In Own Behalf In Nome Contempt Investigation
''San Francisco Call''(22 March 1915)
Judge Noyes Dies In East
''Daily Alaskan'' Commissioner

James Wickersham James Wickersham (August 24, 1857 – October 24, 1939) was a district judge for Alaska, appointed by U.S. President William McKinley to the Third Judicial District in 1900. He resigned his post in 1908 and was subsequently elected as Alaska ...

handled the proceedings against him and his co-conspirators. McKinley appointed Alfred S. Moore as Noyes' replacement on the bench.(5 June 1902)
No headline
''Alaska Prospector'' (rightmost column) A couple of senators came to his defense.(April 1901)
A curious case
''Law Notes'', p. 2

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Noyes, Arthur H. 1853 births 1915 deaths People from Baraboo, Wisconsin 19th-century American lawyers 20th-century American lawyers University of Wisconsin Law School alumni North Dakota lawyers Wisconsin lawyers Alaska Territory judges 19th-century American judges

Biography

See also

References

External links