McKaskia Stearns Bonnifield

McKaskia Stearns "Mack" Bonnifield (September 14, 1833 – July 15, 1913) was a justice of the Supreme Court of Nevada from 1895 to 1901.

Early life, education, and career Born in West Virginia, one of 15 children in his family, Bonnifield attended Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania. After graduation, he was elected president of Richard College, in which capacity he served a year. He moved to Kansas, where he read law and was admitted-to the bar. Bonnifield than "proposed to the Nevada state legislature a law banning Chinese laborers from Nevada altogether", which failed due to railroad projects that were heavily dependent on such laborers. There, Bonnifield "became a strong advocate of woman suffrage in an era when conservative resistance continued to block enactment in Nevada". Notably, Bonnifield, along with his younger brother William, later "learned to be more tolerant of the Chinese and even bought property from and leased and sold property to them in Humboldt County". Days before the election, Bonnifield's brother William surprisingly switched parties, joining the Republican Party. Bonnifield himself remained with the Silver Party and was elected to the court, taking office in 1895, and serving for six years.

Following his service on the court, Bonnifield went to Tonopah, Nevada, during a silver rush there, and practiced law, accumulating a fortune in stock speculation, which was later lost. He returned to Winnemucca and resumed the practice of law until his death. In Winnemucca, Bonnifield practiced for a time in partnership with Thomas A. Brandon, speaker of Nevada Assembly, under the firm name of Bonnifield and Brandon.

Personal life and death Bonnifield was joined by his wife in the summer of 1861, and they made their home in Humboldt County, Nevada, until the death of Mrs. Bonnifield in 1887. In 1889 Bonnifield married Nellie Lovelock, widow of George Lovelock Jr., founder of the town of Lovelock, and they thereafter made their home in Winnemucca.

Bonnifield died in his home at 2 o'clock in the morning at the age of 79, after being unconscious for 24 hours following an illness of three weeks.