John L. Rand

John Langdon Rand (October 28, 1861 – November 19, 1942) was an American politician and jurist in the state of Oregon. He served as the 22nd Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court. Overall he was on Oregon’s highest court from 1921 to 1942 serving as chief justice three times. A native of New Hampshire, he served in the Oregon State Senate prior to his judicial career.

Early life John Rand was born October 28, 1861, in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, to John Sullivan Rand and the former Elvira Wallis Odiorne. John junior was educated in Portsmouth and attended Smith Preparatory School there before enrolling at Dartmouth College. Rand graduated from Dartmouth in 1883 and moved to Walla Walla, Washington where he was a professor at Whitman College until 1885. That year he was accepted in Washington's, then still a territory, bar.

Legal career In 1886, he moved to Baker City, Oregon, and was accepted into the Oregon State Bar and began serving as that city's attorney until 1888. From 1888 to 1890, he served as the county’s district attorney. After his stint in the Senate, Rand returned to private law practice. He won a full six-year term in the 1922 elections, and was re-elected in 1928, 1934, and 1940. While on the bench of the state supreme court he served as chief justice from 1927 to 1929, 1933 to 1935, and 1939 to 1941 before dying in office on November 19, 1942.

Family On July 23, 1895, Rand married Edith G. Packwood, and they had two sons. Edith was the daughter of William H. Packwood who served at the Oregon Constitutional Convention in 1857.