Courtland Craig Gillen (July 3, 1880 – September 1, 1954) was an American lawyer and jurist who served one term as a
U.S. Representative
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...
from
Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
from 1931 to 1933.
Biography
Courtland Craig Gillen was born on July 3, 1880, in
Roachdale, Indiana
Roachdale is a town in Franklin Township, Putnam County, Indiana, Franklin and Jackson Township, Putnam County, Indiana, Jackson townships, Putnam County, Indiana, Putnam County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 926 at the 2010 cens ...
. Gillen attended the rural schools. After graduating from Fincastle High School in 1897. He taught at common schools and a high school from 1897 to 1904. From 1901-1903, he attended
De Pauw University at
Greencastle, Indiana
Greencastle is a city in Greencastle Township, Putnam County, Indiana, United States, and the county seat of Putnam County. It was founded in 1821 by Ephraim Dukes on a land grant. He named the settlement for his hometown of Greencastle, Pennsylv ...
and later graduated from the law of department of the predecessor of what is now known as the
Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law
The Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law (IU McKinney) is located on the campus of Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) in Indianapolis, Indiana, the urban campus of Indiana University. In the summer of 2001 ...
in 1905. In 1904 he was
admitted to the bar
An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...
.
Career
Gillen commenced a law practice in
Greencastle, Indiana
Greencastle is a city in Greencastle Township, Putnam County, Indiana, United States, and the county seat of Putnam County. It was founded in 1821 by Ephraim Dukes on a land grant. He named the settlement for his hometown of Greencastle, Pennsylv ...
. He later served as county attorney from 1909-1914, and as a prosecuting attorney of the sixty-fourth judicial circuit in 1917 and 1918. He also served as delegate to the Democratic State convention in 1924.
He was a member of the Gillen & Lyon law firm.
Congress
Gillen was elected as a
Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
to the
Seventy-second Congress (March 4, 1931 – March 3, 1933). He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1932.
Later career
Gillen was elected judge of the sixty-fourth judicial circuit (Putnam Circuit Court) in 1934 and served from January 1, 1935, until his resignation on April 15, 1939. After, he resumed the private practice of law.
Personal life
Gillen married and had three children, Mary Elizabeth, Rachel and Wayne.
Gillen died on September 1, 1954, in
Greencastle, Indiana
Greencastle is a city in Greencastle Township, Putnam County, Indiana, United States, and the county seat of Putnam County. It was founded in 1821 by Ephraim Dukes on a land grant. He named the settlement for his hometown of Greencastle, Pennsylv ...
. He was interred in
Forest Hill Cemetery in Greencastle.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gillen, Courtland Craig
1880 births
1954 deaths
Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law alumni
DePauw University alumni
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Indiana
People from Putnam County, Indiana
People from Greencastle, Indiana
20th-century American legislators