John Knauf (April 5, 1868 – September 19, 1952) was an American judge who served as a justice 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 ...

in 1906. He was first appointed to the court in 1906 after justice Newton C. Young resigned, and he did not win re-election later that year, making his tenure of four and one half months on the court the shortest in North Dakota history. He died in

Fargo, North Dakota Fargo ( /ˈfɑɹɡoʊ/) is a city in and the county seat of Cass County, North Dakota, United States. According to the 2020 census, its population was 125,990, making it the most populous city in the state and the 219th-most populous city in ...

in 1952 at age 84.

Early life and education

Knauf was born in Waterloo,

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

on April 5, 1868. When he was young, his parents died and along with his brothers and sisters he moved to Stutsman County,

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 1883. Knauf was educated in the school system of Jamestown, North Dakota. For higher education, he spent one year at

Jamestown College , mottoeng = Light and Truth , established = , type = Private university , religious_affiliation = Christian , endowment = $45 million , staff = , faculty = , president = Polly Peterson , p ...

and one year at St. John's University in Collegeville,

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

before enrolling at the

University of Michigan School of Law The University of Michigan Law School (Michigan Law) is the law school of the University of Michigan, a public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Founded in 1859, the school offers Master of Laws (LLM), Master of Comparative Law ...

where he received a law degree in 1892.

Legal and judicial career

After receiving his law degree, Knauf was admitted to practice law in the state of

. He was admitted to the North Dakota Bar in 1893 and thereafter opened a legal office in Jamestown. While in Jamestown, he served for a time as a Stutsman County judge. In 1906, a 38-year-old Knauf was appointed to 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 ...

, filling the seat vacated by the retirement of Newton C. Young. Knauf was defeated in the general election to a full term in the seat later that year. After leaving the Supreme Court, Knauf returned to private legal practice in Jamestown. He died on September 19, 1952 at the age of 84.

External links

North Dakota Supreme Court biography

References

Justices of the North Dakota Supreme Court 1868 births 1952 deaths People from Jamestown, North Dakota University of Michigan Law School alumni People from Jackson County, Michigan {{NorthDakota-politician-stub