Edward James Devitt

Edward James Devitt (May 5, 1911 – March 2, 1992) was a U.S. representative from Minnesota and a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota.

Education and career

Born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Devitt graduated from Saint John's Preparatory School in Collegeville in 1930. He attended Saint John's University from 1930 to 1932 before receiving a Bachelor of Laws from the University of North Dakota School of Law in 1935, and a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of North Dakota in 1938. Devitt was in private practice in East Grand Forks from 1935 to 1939, serving at the same time as a municipal judge of the Minnesota Municipal Court in East Grand Forks. He was an assistant state attorney general of Minnesota from 1939 to 1942. He served in the United States Naval Reserve during World War II as a Lieutenant Commander from 1942 to 1946.

Congressional service

Devitt was elected as a Republican to the 80th Congress (January 3, 1947 – January 3, 1949) from Minnesota's 4th congressional district, defeating the DFL incumbent. He was unsuccessful in his bid for reelection in 1948, being defeated by Eugene McCarthy, who would later serve as a U.S. Senator and run for president. Devitt is the most recent Republican to have represented this district. In the House he sponsored a statute affecting tariffs on firewood, and he successfully amended the Marshall Plan to subsidize private relief shipments. Following his departure from Congress, he returned to private practice in Saint Paul from 1949 to 1950. He then served as a Judge of the Minnesota Probate Court for Ramsey County from 1950 to 1954.

Federal judicial service

On December 10, 1954, Devitt received a recess appointment from President Dwight D. Eisenhower to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota vacated by Judge Matthew M. Joyce. Formally nominated to the same seat by President Eisenhower on January 10, 1955, Devitt was confirmed by the United States Senate on February 4, 1955, and received his commission on February 7, 1955. He served as Chief Judge from 1959 to 1981, assuming senior status on May 1, 1981. In 1979, Devitt presided over the criminal trial for the five Red Lake Indian Reservation uprising defendants, imposing a 26-year prison sentence on uprising leader Harry S. Hanson Jr. Devitt would also impose prison sentences ranging from 10 to 16 years against Hanson's four co-defendants. The American Judicature Society has awarded the Edward J. Devitt Distinguished Service to Justice Award each year since 1983 to an Article III judge. The first recipient was Albert Branson Maris.