John Hugh McNary (January 31, 1867 – October 25, 1936) was an American attorney and jurist in the state of

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 ...

. He served as a

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the United States federal judiciary, U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each United States federal judicial district, federal judicial district, which each cover o ...

of the

United States District Court for the District of Oregon The United States District Court for the District of Oregon (in case citations, D. Ore. or D. Or.) is the United States district court, federal district court whose jurisdiction comprises the state of Oregon. It was created in 1859 when the sta ...

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 ...

. A native of Oregon, he also served as a district attorney and as an assistant district attorney in Salem. His brother

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*k ...

would serve as a

United States senator The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...

Early life and education

McNary was born on January 31, 1867, on a farm in Marion County,

, to Hugh Linza McNary and Margaret Claggett McNary. The McNary family farm was north of Salem, where McNary's parents would raise ten children. McNary's grandfather was James McNary who immigrated to

Oregon Country Oregon Country was a large region of the Pacific Northwest of North America that was subject to a long dispute between the United Kingdom and the United States in the early 19th century. The area, which had been created by the Treaty of 1818, co ...

from

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

in 1845, while his maternal grandfather immigrated from

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

in 1852. His father Hugh was a former brickyard operator and school teacher. His mother died in 1878; his father died in 1883. McNary was educated in the local public schools in Marion County before attending

Willamette University Willamette University is a private liberal arts college with locations in Salem and Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest college in the Western United States. Originally named the Oregon Institute, the school was an unaffiliated ...

.Colmer, Montagu, and

Charles Erskine Scott Wood Charles Erskine Scott Wood or C.E.S. Wood (February 20, 1852January 22, 1944) was an American author, civil liberties advocate, artist, soldier, attorney, and Georgist. He is best known as the author of the 1927 satirical bestseller, ''Heavenly D ...

. ''History of the Bench and Bar of Oregon''. Portland, Or: Historical Pub. Co, 1910. pp. 180–81. John received his college education at the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...

in Eugene. In 1890, he was elected as the recorder for Marion County. After college he

read law Reading law was the method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship under the ...

under the guidance of George H. Burnett, and passed the state

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

in June 1894 and federal bar on July 17, 1901. On January 29, 1892, he married Esther Hall. A

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, he also served as President of the county's bar association.

Career

Beginning in 1897, McNary taught the law to his younger brother

Charles L. McNary Charles Linza McNary (June 12, 1874February 25, 1944) was an American Republican Party (United States), Republican politician from Oregon. He served in the United States Senate, U.S. Senate from 1917 to 1944 and was Party leaders of the United ...

in Salem. Charles passed the bar in 1898 and joined his brother in practicing law in Salem. McNary was in private practice from 1898 until 1913. During this time, he served as deputy district attorney for Marion County between 1898 and 1904, and in 1905 became the district attorney for Oregon’s third judicial district. While in office he helped to prosecute some of those involved in the

Oregon land fraud scandal The Oregon land fraud scandal of the early 20th century involved U.S. government land grants in the U.S. state of Oregon being illegally obtained with the assistance of public officials. Most of Oregon's U.S. congressional delegation received ...

. When McNary was the district attorney, his brother worked under him as an assistant district attorney. In 1912, he taught at the

Willamette University College of Law Willamette University College of Law is the law school of Willamette University. Located in Salem, Oregon, and founded in 1883, Willamette is the oldest law school in the Pacific Northwest. It has approximately 24 full-time law professors and e ...

as a professor of corporations under his brother who was the dean.

Federal judicial service

McNary was nominated by President

Calvin Coolidge Calvin Coolidge (born John Calvin Coolidge Jr.; ; July 4, 1872January 5, 1933) was the 30th president of the United States from 1923 to 1929. Born in Vermont, Coolidge was a History of the Republican Party (United States), Republican lawyer ...

on February 26, 1927, to a seat on the

vacated by Judge Charles E. Wolverton. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

on February 28, 1927, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on October 25, 1936, due to his death.

Death and funeral

McNary died in

, Oregon on October 25, 1936. He was buried at the

Salem Pioneer Cemetery Salem Pioneer Cemetery (also known as the I.O.O.F. Cemetery or Oddfellows Cemetery) is a cemetery in Salem, Oregon, United States. Overview Salem Pioneer Cemetery is one of two historic cemeteries located next to each other at the intersection ...

, with his funeral attended by others in the legal community including E. M. Page,

James Alger Fee James Alger Fee (September 24, 1888 – August 25, 1959) was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and previously was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Di ...

, James U. Campbell, John O. Bailey, Harry H. Belt,

John L. Rand John Langdon Rand (October 28, 1861 – November 19, 1942) was an American politician and jurist in the state of Oregon. He served as the 22nd Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court. Overall he was on Oregon’s highest court from 1921 to 1942 ...

, George Rossman, Percy R. Kelly, and Henry J. Bean.John Hugh McNary
Salem Pioneer Cemetery. Retrieved September 5, 2007.

References

External links

Keizer Times: The McNary Family
{{DEFAULTSORT:McNary, John Hugh 1867 births 1936 deaths Oregon Republicans District attorneys in Oregon University of Oregon alumni Politicians from Salem, Oregon Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Oregon United States district court judges appointed by Calvin Coolidge 20th-century American judges Willamette University alumni Willamette University College of Law faculty Lawyers from Salem, Oregon United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law