Matthew John Kane

Matthew John Kane (November 28, 1863 – January 2, 1924) was a justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court from 1907 to 1923, serving as chief justice from 1909 to 1911. A native of New York state, he earned a law degree at Georgetown University. Joining the Land Run of 1889 in Indian Territory, he settled in Kingfisher, Oklahoma.

Biography

Early life Matthew John Kane was born to Anthony and Mary (Dunn) Kane of Niagara County, New York on November 28, 1863. He was the eldest of seven siblings. He graduated from Georgetown University in the class of 1886 with a law degree, (Georgetown awarded Kane the Doctor of Laws degree in 1917.) He was also a delegate to the Universal Congress of Lawyers and Jurists, in St. Louis, 1904.

Service on the Supreme Court After Oklahoma officially became a state on November 16, 1907, Kane was one of the judges elected to the first session of the Oklahoma Supreme Court. Jesse James Dunn was elected at the same time. Since both had the same seniority and would have represented the same judicial district, they agreed that Dunn should serve during the first term (1908-9) while Kane should serve during the second (1910–11). The issue was permanently resolved when Dunn resigned the seat in 1913 to move to California.

A brief summary of Justice Kane's life on the Oklahoma Supreme Court indicate that he established important precedents for the state in his arguments concerning taxation and the descent and distribution of Indian lands.

Matthew John Kane award The Knights of Columbus in Oklahoma presents its Matthew John Kane public service award to individuals who have performed significant service to the Catholic Church and Oklahoma. Its namesake was the first Roman Catholic to become a justice on the Oklahoma Supreme Court.

Electoral history