Richard Grace (November 8, 1868 – February 9, 1929) was an American lawyer and judge who served on 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 ...

from 1918 through 1922.

Early life and education

Grace was born near

Palmyra Palmyra (; Palmyrene: () ''Tadmor''; ar, تَدْمُر ''Tadmur'') is an ancient city in present-day Homs Governorate, Syria. Archaeological finds date back to the Neolithic period, and documents first mention the city in the early seco ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Roc ...

on November 8, 1868. His early education took place in country schools. At the age of fifteen, his education was interrupted for several years following the death of his father. He later studied the preliminary requirements that allowed him to be admitted to

Bushnell College Bushnell may refer to: Places United States * Bushnell, Florida, a city ** Bushnell Army Airfield, a World War II airfield * Bushnell, Georgia, an unincorporated community * Bushnell, Illinois, a city * Bushnell Township, McDonough County, Illino ...

near Peoria, Illinois. He attended Bushnell college for three years. Between 1889 and 1893 he studied law at a legal office in

Springfield Springfield may refer to: * Springfield (toponym), the place name in general Places and locations Australia * Springfield, New South Wales (Central Coast) * Springfield, New South Wales (Snowy Monaro Regional Council) * Springfield, Queenslan ...

, Illinois while working as a teacher. He moved to

Morris Morris may refer to: Places Australia *St Morris, South Australia, place in South Australia Canada * Morris Township, Ontario, now part of the municipality of Morris-Turnberry * Rural Municipality of Morris, Manitoba ** Morris, Manit ...

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 List of U.S. states and territories by population, 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minne ...

in 1893, and studied law at a legal office there while continuing to teach.

Legal and judicial careers

In 1895, Grace was admitted to the Minnesota Bar. He practiced law in Morris for ten years before moving to Mohall,

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minnesota to the east, S ...

in 1905. In Mohall he practiced law until 1916, when he defeated incumbent judge

Evan B. Goss Evan Benson Goss (December 8, 1872 – March 23, 1930) was an American judge who served as a justice of the Supreme Court of North Dakota from 1911 to 1916. Biography Evan B. Goss was born on December 8, 1872, in Michigan. Many years later he ...

for election to the

. He assumed his state judgeship at the age of 48. Grace retired as a judge after six years, returning to private practice by opening a legal office in Bismarck, North Dakota. Grace practiced law in Bismarck for two years, before moving to

Sioux City Sioux City () is a city in Woodbury and Plymouth counties in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 85,797 in the 2020 census, making it the fourth-largest city in Iowa. The bulk of the city is in Woodbury 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 Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wiscon ...

for a year, after which time he moved to

Minot Minot ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Ward County, North Dakota, United States, in the state's north-central region. It is most widely known for the Air Force base approximately north of the city. With a population of 48,377 at the 2 ...

, North Dakota and practiced law there fore three years. He then moved back to Mohall, North Dakota, residing there until his death at the age of sixty on February 9, 1929.

References

Justices of the North Dakota Supreme Court 1868 births 1929 deaths Lawyers from Springfield, Illinois People from Morris, Minnesota People from Bismarck, North Dakota People from Sioux City, Iowa People from Minot, North Dakota Minnesota lawyers North Dakota lawyers Iowa lawyers {{NorthDakota-state-judge-stub