Research topic: Joseph McKenna

Joseph McKenna 1843-1926, American jurist, Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (1898-1925), b. Philadelphia. Admitted to the bar in 1865, he practiced law in California and served in the state legislature (1875-76) and the U.S. Congress (1885-92). A federal circuit judge from 1892 to 1897, he was appointed (1897) U.S. attorney general by President McKinley. He held this office for only a few months before President McKinley appointed him to the Supreme Court. Although he never developed a consistent legal philosophy, McKenna wrote a number of important decisions. Most notable was his... Read more