Newton Whitfield McConnell (May 22, 1832 – December 22, 1915) was chief justice of the Territorial

Montana Supreme Court The Montana Supreme Court is the supreme court, highest court of the state court system in the U.S. state of Montana. It is established and its powers defined by Article VII of the 1972 Montana Constitution. It is primarily an appellate court wh ...

, appointed by President

Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in American ...

, serving from 1887 to 1889. Born in Marshall County, Tennessee, McConnell attended Allegheny College in Pennsylvania from 1853 to 1855. He taught for a short time and then began

reading the 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 ...

in preparation for the Bar. McConnell served in the Tennessee Cavalry during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, retiring as a captain. He was admitted to the Tennessee Bar in 1867 after the war and served in the Tennessee Senate and as a Tennessee circuit judge for eleven years. In 1887, President

appointed him Chief Justice of the Montana Territorial Supreme court, in which position he remained until 1889. He married Nancy Elizabeth McCall on February 26, 1856 and they had three children. In 1903, McConnell retired to

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

. He died in

Topeka, Kansas Topeka ( ; Kansa language, Kansa: ; iow, Dópikˀe, script=Latn or ) is the Capital (political), capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the County seat, seat of Shawnee County, Kansas, Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the ...

, at the age of 83, but was buried in

Helena, Montana Helena (; ) is the capital city of Montana, United States, and the county seat of Lewis and Clark County. Helena was founded as a gold camp during the Montana gold rush, and established on October 30, 1864. Due to the gold rush, Helena would ...

References

1832 births 1915 deaths People from Marshall County, Tennessee Allegheny College alumni U.S. state supreme court judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law Confederate States Army officers Tennessee state senators Justices of the Montana Supreme Court United States Article I federal judges appointed by Grover Cleveland {{Montana-state-judge-stub