Cordenio Arnold Severance (1862—1925) was an American

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

from

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

. He co-founded the

American Law Institute The American Law Institute (ALI) is a research and advocacy group of judges, lawyers, and legal scholars established in 1923 to promote the clarification and simplification of United States common law and its adaptation to changing social needs. ...

and served as president of the

American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Founded in 1878, the ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of acad ...

. His wife, known as Mrs. Cordenio A. Severance published the book ''Indian Legends of Minnesota'' and survived the sinking of the RMS ''Republic'' in 1909.

Biography

Severance was born in

Mantorville, Minnesota Mantorville is a city in Dodge County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 1,197 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Dodge County. Founded in 1854, the city is one of the oldest in Minnesota. Mantorville shares a school sy ...

in 1862. He attended

Carleton College Carleton College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota. Founded in 1866, it had 2,105 undergraduate students and 269 faculty members in fall 2016. The 200-acre main campus is between Northfield and the 800-acre Cowling ...

from 1877 to 1880 and then read law from 1882 to 1883 in

Kasson, Minnesota Kasson ( ) is a city in Dodge County, Minnesota, Dodge County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 6,851 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. The city is located west of Rochester, Minnesota, Rochester along U.S. Route 14 i ...

. He was admitted to the state bar and by 1887, he had entered into partnership in

St. Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

with former U.S. Attorney and Governor Cushman Davis and future U.S. Senator and Secretary of State

Frank Kellogg Frank Billings Kellogg (December 22, 1856December 21, 1937) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served in the U.S. Senate and as U.S. Secretary of State. He co-authored the Kellogg–Briand Pact, for which he was awarded the ...

. The law firm of Davis, Kellogg & Severance (known today as Briggs and Morgan) won national acclaim to such an extent that

U.S. Steel United States Steel Corporation, more commonly known as U.S. Steel, is an American integrated steel producer headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with production operations primarily in the United States of America and in severa ...

retained Severance to defend them against the federal government in various lawsuits before the

U.S. Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

. Through his personal connections, Severance also maintained a high profile in civic affairs. From 1917 to 1918, he served as the Chairman of the

Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...

Commission to

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...

, a country he returned to following the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

as a trustee of the Carnegie Foundation. From 1921 to 1922, Severance served as president of the

, nine years after his old law partner Kellogg. In 1923, with

Elihu Root Elihu Root (; February 15, 1845February 7, 1937) was an American lawyer, Republican politician, and statesman who served as Secretary of State and Secretary of War in the early twentieth century. He also served as United States Senator from N ...

and others, he organized and incorporated the

. Severance married Mary Frances Harriman (1863-1925), a daughter of Colonel Samuel H. Harriman, in 1889. They had two children who both died in infancy. Mary Severance published the book ''Indian Legends of Minnesota'' and survived the sinking of the British ocean liner, the RMS ''Republic'' in January 1909 in which six died. Severance died of a heart attack in

Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. I ...

in 1925. The Cordenio Severance House, a mansion also known as Cedarhurst, is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Severance, Cordenio 1862 births 1925 deaths People from Mantorville, Minnesota Minnesota lawyers People from Cottage Grove, Minnesota Carleton College alumni 19th-century American lawyers

Biography

Further reading

External links