Donald Brown Anderson (October 28, 1904 – December 16, 1956) was a justice of the

Idaho Supreme Court The Idaho Supreme Court is the state supreme court of Idaho and is composed of the chief justice and four associate justices. The decisions of the Idaho Supreme Court are binding on all other Idaho state courts. The only court that may reverse ...

from 1955 to 1956. He received his LL.B. from the

University of Idaho College of Law The University of Idaho College of Law is the law school of the University of Idaho, with its main location in Moscow and a second campus in the state capital of Boise. As of the entering class of 2017–18, students may take all three years of ins ...

in 1927.

Early life

Born in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

at Cardston,

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

, Anderson's family moved to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

in his childhood and farmed near Weiser, Idaho. He graduated from

Weiser High School Weiser High School is the only high school in Weiser, Idaho. In 2006, it had an enrollment of 514 in grades 9–12. Every June, it hosts the National Oldtime Fiddlers' Contest & Festival. the school takes students who live in Annex, Oregon. A ...

, received his LL.B. degree from the

in 1927, and entered the practice of law in Canyon County at

Caldwell Caldwell may refer to: People * Caldwell (surname) * Caldwell (given name) * Caldwell First Nation, a federally recognized Indian band in southern Ontario, Canada Places Great Britain * Caldwell, Derbyshire, a hamlet * Caldwell, East ...

Public service

Anderson served as the prosecuting attorney of Canyon County for six years in the 1930s, and was a probate judge for four years, from 1937 to 1941. In April 1941, he joined the

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...

(FBI), working in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

and

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, ultimately becoming a special assistant to the

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

J. Howard McGrath James Howard McGrath (November 28, 1903September 2, 1966) was an American politician and attorney from Rhode Island. McGrath, a Democrat, served as U.S. Attorney for Rhode Island before becoming governor, U.S. Solicitor General, U.S. Sen ...

. Anderson returned to Idaho in 1948 to resume the practice of law, and served as a judge of the Idaho Seventh Judicial District from 1950 to 1954, when he was elected to the state supreme court, where he remained until his death.

Personal life and death

On September 2, 1955, Anderson married Lois Nichols of Boise, with whom he had a son, Ross Nichols Anderson. On December 16, 1956, Anderson was reported missing from his home, and a search ensued. Early the following day, Anderson's body was found near his vehicle, approximately off of

U.S. Highway 30 U.S. Route 30 or U.S. Highway 30 (US 30) is an east–west main route in the system of the United States Numbered Highways, with the highway traveling across the northern tier of the country. With a length of , it is the third longest ...

just west of Caldwell, with two bullet wounds to the head, and a

.38 caliber .38 caliber is a frequently used name for the caliber of firearms and firearm cartridges. The .38 is considered a large firearm cartridge; anything larger than .32 is considered a large caliber.Wright, James D.; Rossi, Peter H.; Daly, Kathleen ...

revolver A revolver (also called a wheel gun) is a repeating handgun that has at least one barrel and uses a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) for firing. Because most revolver models hold up to six roun ...

by his side. It was determined that the first shot had failed to penetrate the skull, and the death was ruled a

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

. Anderson was buried at Canyon Hill Cemetery in Caldwell.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Donald B. 1904 births 1950s missing person cases 1956 deaths 1956 suicides Canadian emigrants to the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation agents Formerly missing people Justices of the Idaho Supreme Court Multiple gunshot suicides Missing person cases in Idaho Suicides by firearm in Idaho University of Idaho College of Law alumni 20th-century American judges

Early life

Public service

Personal life and death

See also

References