Martin A. Nelson (February 21, 1889 – May 22, 1979) was an American attorney, politician, and jurist from

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 ...

. He served as an associate justice of the

Minnesota Supreme Court The Minnesota Supreme Court is the Supreme court, highest court in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The court hears cases in the Supreme Court chamber in the Minnesota State Capitol or in the nearby Minnesota Judicial Center. History The court wa ...

Early life and education

Nelson was born in

Hesper Township, Winneshiek County, Iowa Hesper Township is a township in Winneshiek County, Iowa Iowa () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sio ...

and received his early education there. He later moved to Minnesota and earned his law degree from

William Mitchell College of Law William Mitchell College of Law was a private, independent law school located in St. Paul, Minnesota, United States, from 1956 to 2015. Accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA), it offered full- and part-time legal education in pursuit of ...

(then the St. Paul College of Law) in 1916.

Career

Nelson practiced law in

St. Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississippi River, Saint Paul is a regional business hub and the center o ...

, prior to his enlistment. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Nelson served as an aviator and aviation instructor at American air training fields. From 1919 to 1944, he practiced law at

Austin, Minnesota Austin is a city in, and the county seat of, Mower County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 26,174 at the 2020 census. The town was originally settled along the Cedar River and has two artificial lakes, East Side Lake and Mill Po ...

. He served as a trustee of St. Olaf Hospital in Austin for 22 years including 10 years as board president. He was a delegate to the Republican National Conventions in 1928 and 1932. Nelson obtained the Republican gubernatorial nomination in 1934 and 1936, but lost both general elections to

Floyd B. Olson Floyd Bjørnstjerne "Skipper" Olson (November 13, 1891 – August 22, 1936) was an American politician and lawyer. He served as the 22nd Governor of Minnesota from January 6, 1931, to August 22, 1936, dying in office of stomach cancer. Olson wa ...

and Elmer A. Benson, respectively. In 1942, he was an independent candidate for 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 ...

from Minnesota, receiving 14.4% of the vote and coming in third place. In 1944, he was appointed a state court district judge in

. Governor C. Elmer Anderson appointed him to the

in 1953, to fill a vacancy caused by the elevation of

Roger L. Dell Roger L. Dell (July 19, 1897 – March 8, 1966) was an American businessman, lawyer, and jurist. Born in Bird Island, Minnesota, Dell graduated from Shakopee High School in Shakopee, Minnesota, in 1916. He received his law degree, in 1920, fr ...

to be chief justice. He served until his retirement in 1972. Nelson's fight to remain on the court despite his advanced age (he finally retired at eighty-two) spawned the law mandating retirement for state judges at the age of seventy.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson, Martin A. 1889 births 1979 deaths William Mitchell College of Law alumni Minnesota lawyers Minnesota state court judges Justices of the Minnesota Supreme Court American people of Norwegian descent American Lutherans People from Winneshiek County, Iowa 20th-century American judges 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century Lutherans