Dakota County History 101: Pierce Butler (1866-1939) U.S. Supreme Court Justice

Pierce Butler was born on St. Patrick’s Day in 1866, the son of Irish parents—Patrick and Mary Butler—in Dakota County’s Waterford Township. At the age of 21, Butler graduated from Northfield’s . He then traveled to St. Paul to study law at the firm of Pinch & Twohy.

Butler was admitted to the bar in 1888 and was elected to two terms as Ramsey County attorney beginning in 1893. Four years later, he formed his own law firm—How & Butler. 

As a lawyer, Butler was regularly involved in railroad-related litigation.  He often defended railroad baron James J. Hill in his legal battles and later represented the interests of Canadian railroads from 1912-1922.

President Warren G. Harding nominated and appointed Butler as the first Supreme Court justice from Minnesota in 1922.

As a Supreme Court justice, Butler was a stout defender of individual liberties and property rights. He also vehemently opposed the regulation of business and government welfare programs. 

Unsurprisingly, as an appointment to the Supreme Court by a Republican president, Butler always opposed cases involving Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal policies because of their welfare component.*  Butler served the country’s highest court for 17 years until his death on Nov. 16, 1939.

*This article has been edited to reflect the correct political affiliation of Harding. Patch regrets the error.