Guy C. H. Corliss (July 4, 1858 – November 24, 1937) was an American judge who was one of the first three justices of the

Supreme Court of North Dakota The North Dakota Supreme Court is the highest court of law in the state of North Dakota. The Court rules on questions of law in appeals from the state's district courts. Each of the five justices are elected on a no-party ballot for ten year te ...

from 1889 to 1898.

Early life and education

He was born in Poughkeepsie, New York on July 4, 1858. He attended

elementary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ed ...

in Poughkeepsie and later graduated Poughkeepsie High School at the age of 14 in 1873. Afterwards, he clerked in a store while studying law at the office of Poughkeepsie attorney J. S. Van Cleef.

Career

Corliss was admitted to the New York Bar in September 1879 at the age of 21. He practied law in New York until he moved 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 ...

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 ...

in 1883. In Grand Forks, he practiced law in partnership with J. H. Bosard until the fall of 1889 when he was elected at the age of 31 to serve as a judge of the

North Dakota Supreme Court The North Dakota Supreme Court is the highest court of law in the state of North Dakota. The Court rules on questions of law in appeals from the state's district courts. Each of the five justices are elected on a no-party ballot for ten year te ...

and became the first chief justice. He was then nominated for reelection in 1892, running with no opposition. He served on the court for eight years and eight months, resigning on August 15, 1898. After retiring from the court, Corliss returned to Grand Forks to practice law. He also organized the

University of North Dakota School of Law The University of North Dakota School of Law is located in Grand Forks, North Dakota at the University of North Dakota (UND) and is the only law school in North Dakota. It was established in 1899. The law school is home to approximately 240 studen ...

alongside the university's president,

Webster Merrifield Webster Merrifield (July 27, 1852 in Newfane, Vermont One thousand men
by Dorman B. E. Kent; publi ...

and served as the inaugural dean of the law school from 1889 until 1902. He then returned to legal practice, but remained a part-time professor of law until moving out of the state of

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...

in 1912. In 1930, Corliss received a

Doctor of Laws A Doctor of Law is a degree in law. The application of the term varies from country to country and includes degrees such as the Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D. or S.J.D), Juris Doctor (J.D.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), and Legum Doctor (LL. ...

degree from the

University of North Dakota The University of North Dakota (also known as UND or North Dakota) is a public research university in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It was established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of ...

Legacy

The Phi Alpha Delta legal fraternity chapter at the law school was named the Guy C.H. Corliss Chapter upon being founded.

Family

He married Miss Effie V. Edson of Clifton Springs, New York on April 6, 1883, and had four children. His grandson, Kenneth Corliss, won a bronze star in World War II.

Death

He died in

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

in on November 24, 1937, at the age of 79.

References

External links

North Dakota Supreme Court biography

Corliss, Guy C.H. 1858 births 1937 deaths Deans of law schools in the United States University of North Dakota faculty University of North Dakota alumni North Dakota lawyers People from Poughkeepsie, New York People from Grand Forks, North Dakota 19th-century American judges People from Dakota Territory {{NorthDakota-state-judge-stub