Samuel James Renwick McMillan (February 22, 1826October 3, 1897) was an American lawyer, judge and

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 ...

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

. He served on the Minnesota District Court, the

Minnesota Supreme Court The Minnesota Supreme Court is the 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 was first assemb ...

and as U.S. Senator 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 ...

Life and career

McMillan was born in

Brownsville, Pennsylvania Brownsville is a borough in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, United States, first settled in 1785 as the site of a trading post a few years after the defeat of the Iroquois enabled a post-Revolutionary war resumption of westward migration. The Tradin ...

in 1826. His parents Thomas Long and Jane McMillan (née Gormly) were of Scottish and Irish ancestry. He attended the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the univers ...

(then known as the

Western University of Pennsylvania The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the univers ...

) in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

and studied law under

Edwin M. Stanton Edwin McMasters Stanton (December 19, 1814December 24, 1869) was an American lawyer and politician who served as U.S. Secretary of War under the Lincoln Administration during most of the American Civil War. Stanton's management helped organize ...

, graduating in 1846. In 1850 he married Harriet Butler. McMillan and his wife moved to Minnesota in 1852, initially settling in Stillwater and later moving to

St. Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

. When Minnesota achieved statehood in 1858 McMillan was named as the first judge of the newly formed Minnesota District Court. During the

Dakota War of 1862 The Dakota War of 1862, also known as the Sioux Uprising, the Dakota Uprising, the Sioux Outbreak of 1862, the Dakota Conflict, the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862, or Little Crow's War, was an armed conflict between the United States and several ban ...

McMillan served as a Second Lieutenant in a militia unit known as the Stillwater Frontier Guards which was only briefly active. In 1864 he was appointed to the Minnesota Supreme Court as one of two new justices to replace the recently resigned Justices Charles Eugene Flandrau and

Isaac Atwater Isaac Atwater (May 3, 1818 – December 22, 1906) was an American jurist. Biography Born in Homer, New York, Atwater graduated from Yale University and then received his law degree from Yale Law School. Atwater was admitted to the New York bar ...

. In 1874 he was promoted to Chief Justice to replace Christopher G. Ripley who had also resigned. In 1875, the Minnesota Legislature elected him to serve as U.S. Senator. He served in the 44th, 45th, 46th, 47th, 48th, and 49th United States Congresses from March 4, 1875, to March 3, 1887. McMillan did not stand for re-election in 1886 and returned to his law practice after the end of his term. He died in

Saint Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

on October 3, 1897. He is buried in Oakland Cemetery in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Samuel James Renwick McMillan family papers, 1818-1956. Minnesota Historical Society

Ravi D. Goel collection of Samuel James Renwick McMillan family papers, 1818-1956, Minnesota Historical Society
The collection includes photos, personal letters, transcribed documents, and printed publications from 1818 to 1956. These papers span five generations & include a direct connection to the Revolutionary War and the 1890 Battle of Wounded Knee. A collection overview and inventory is available via thi
blog post

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McMillan, Samuel J. R. 1826 births 1897 deaths People from Brownsville, Pennsylvania Minnesota Republicans Chief Justices of the Minnesota Supreme Court Minnesota state court judges Republican Party United States senators from Minnesota University of Pittsburgh alumni Minnesota lawyers 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American judges 19th-century American lawyers