John Francis Kilkenny (October 26, 1901 – February 17, 1995) was a

United States circuit judge In the United States, federal judges are judges who serve on courts established under Article Three of the U.S. Constitution. They include the chief justice and the associate justices of the U.S. Supreme Court, the circuit judges of the U.S. Cou ...

of the

United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (in case citations, 9th Cir.) is the U.S. federal court of appeals that has appellate jurisdiction over the U.S. district courts in the following federal judicial districts: * District ...

and previously was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Oregon.

Early life

Kilkenny's father and uncle immigrated to Morrow County,

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 ...

, from County Leitrim in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

in the 1890s. They worked for the railroads until they had saved enough money to buy land. John Kilkenny was born in Heppner, Oregon on October 26, 1901. He was raised on a

sheep Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus ''Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated s ...

farm A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used fo ...

and attended the one-room Alpine School before being sent to

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, where he attended the private boys' boarding school Columbia Preparatory. After graduation, Kilkenny went on to the

Notre Dame Law School Notre Dame Law School is the professional graduate law school of the University of Notre Dame. Established in 1869, it is the oldest continuously operating Catholic law school in the United States. ND Law is ranked 22nd among the nation's "Top 1 ...

, graduating in 1925 with ''

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'' honors earning a

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

. At Notre Dame, Kilkenny tried out for the

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

team, then coached by

Knute Rockne Knut (Norwegian and Swedish), Knud (Danish), or Knútur (Icelandic) is a Scandinavian, German, and Dutch first name, of which the anglicised form is Canute. In Germany both "Knut" and "Knud" are used. In Spanish and Portuguese Canuto is used whi ...

, but a knee injury kept him from playing. He helped manage one of the teams and was assigned by Rockne the task of acquiring four horses for the Four Horsemen photograph in 1924 due to his experience growing up on a ranch.

Legal career

Upon graduation he became a practicing attorney in

Pendleton Pendleton may refer to: Places ;United Kingdom *Pendleton, Lancashire, England *Pendleton, Greater Manchester, England ;United States *Pendleton, Indiana * Pendleton, Missouri *Pendleton, New York *Pendleton, Oregon *Pendleton, South Carolina *Pe ...

Oregon, until his appointment to the federal bench in 1959. In 1931 he married Virginia Brannock in Pendleton and had two children. While in private practice he served as president of the

Oregon State Bar The Oregon State Bar Association (OSBA) is a public corporation and instrumentality of the Oregon Judicial Department in the U.S. state of Oregon. Founded in 1890 as the private Oregon Bar Association, it became a public entity in 1935 that regulat ...

from 1943 to 1944. He then was a trustee from 1956 to 1958 of the

Oregon State Library The State Library of Oregon in Salem, is the library for the U.S. state of Oregon. The mission of the State Library of Oregon is to provide leadership and resources to continue growing vibrant library services for Oregonians with print disabil ...

and the

University of Portland , mottoeng = The truth will set you free , established = 1901 , type = Private university , religious_affiliation = Catholic (Congregation of Holy Cross) , endowment = $218 million , president = Robert D. Kelly , students = 3,731 (fall 20 ...

Federal judicial service

Kilkenny was nominated by President

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

on February 19, 1959, to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of Oregon vacated by Judge Claude C. McColloch. 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 July 28, 1959, and received his commission on July 30, 1959. Upon appointment to the federal district court, Kilkenny became Oregon's first

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

federal judge since Oregon had become a state in 1859. His service terminated on September 26, 1969, due to his elevation to the Ninth Circuit. Kilkenny was nominated by President

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

on May 12, 1969, to the

, to a new seat authorized by 82 Stat. 184. He was confirmed by the Senate on September 12, 1969, and received his commission on September 16, 1969. He assumed

senior status Senior status is a form of semi-retirement for United States federal judges. To qualify, a judge in the Federal judiciary of the United States, federal court system must be at least 65 years old, and the sum of the judge's age and years of servi ...

on November 1, 1971. His service terminated on February 17, 1995, due to his death.

Later life

In 1984, the federal courthouse in Pendleton, Oregon was renamed in his honor and is now the John F. Kilkenny U.S. Post Office and Courthouse. While on the bench, Kilkenny worked to preserve Portland, Oregon's

Pioneer Courthouse The Pioneer Courthouse is a federal courthouse in Portland, Oregon, United States. Built beginning in 1869, the structure is the oldest federal building in the Pacific Northwest, and the second-oldest west of the Mississippi River. Along with ...

, receiving an award for this work in 1974 from the American Association for State and Local History. Kilkenny was a student of

Irish American , image = Irish ancestry in the USA 2018; Where Irish eyes are Smiling.png , image_caption = Irish Americans, % of population by state , caption = Notable Irish Americans , population = 36,115,472 (10.9%) alone ...

history, and wrote ''Shamrocks and Shepherds: The Irish of Morrow County'' (1981), about the history of Irish settlement in Eastern Oregon. In the same year, he received an award of merit from the Oregon State Bar. He donated funds to both

Blue Mountain Community College Blue Mountain Community College is a community college located in Pendleton, Oregon, United States, and serves Umatilla and Morrow counties as well as most of Baker County. It was established in 1962 and currently offers Associate of Arts degr ...

and his alma mater, Notre Dame Law School. Kilkenny died in Beaverton, Oregon, at the age of 93 on February 17, 1995. He is buried at Olney Cemetery in Pendleton.

References

Sources

Further information

* Kilkenny, John F. "Oral History with John F. Kilkenny." Interview conducted on June 12 and October 3, 1984, by Rick Harmon. U.S. District Court of Oregon Collection,

Oregon Historical Society The Oregon Historical Society (OHS) is an organization that encourages and promotes the study and understanding of the history of the Oregon Country, within the broader context of U.S. history. Incorporated in 1898, the Society collects, preser ...

, Portland, Oregon, 1984. Audiotape, 15 hours, 10 minutes. {{DEFAULTSORT:Kilkenny, John Francis 1901 births 1995 deaths People from Pendleton, Oregon Notre Dame Law School alumni University of Portland people Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Oregon United States district court judges appointed by Dwight D. Eisenhower 20th-century American judges Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit United States court of appeals judges appointed by Richard Nixon People from Heppner, Oregon American people of Irish descent 20th-century American lawyers Catholics from Oregon