Michigan Judges
Inauguration of Gov. Chase S. Osborn,
Jan. 2, 1911
The Michigan Historical Collections holds a collection of papers for each of the state and federal judges listed below. Each of these collections relates in some way to the person's activities as judge. A number of other judges are represented by collections that do not relate directly to their judicial career, and are not listed here. Many of the judges names below, as well as other judges, are represented in other manuscript collections and/or printed materials in the Michigan Historical Collections. Information about these other materials may be found in the MIRLYN database using the judge's name.
United States Federal Courts
United States Supreme Court
United States Courts of Appeals
- Severens, Henry F. (1835-1923) served 1900-1911
- Kent, W. Wallace (1916-1973) served 1971-1973
- Smith, Talbot (1899-1978) served 1971-1977
- Engel, Albert Joseph ( 1924- ) served 1974-2002
United States District Court, Eastern District of Michigan
- Longyear, John Wesley (1820-1875) served 1870-1875
- Tuttle, Arthur J. (1868-1944) served 1912-1944
- Picard, Frank A. (1889-1963) served 1939-1963
- Smith, Talbot (1899-1978) served 1961-1978
- Joiner, Charles Wycliffe (1916- ) served 1972-
United States District Court, Western District of Michigan
- Severens, Henry F. (1835-1923) served 1886-1900
- Wanty, George Proctor (1856-1906) served 1900-1906
- Sessions, Clarence William (1859-1931) served 1911-1931
- Starr, Raymond Wesley (1888-1968) served 1946-1968
- Kent, W. Wallace (1916-1973) served 1954-1971
- Engel, Albert Joseph ( 1924- ) served 1971-1973
United States Court of Military Appeals
Territorial Courts
Michigan Territorial Court
- Doty, James Duane (1799-1865) served 1823-1832
- Morell, George (1786-1845) served 1832-1837
Philippine Supreme Court
Michigan State Courts
Michigan Supreme Court
- Morell, George (1786-1845) served 1836-1845
- Wing, Warner (1805-1876) served 1845-1856
- Felch, Alpheus (1804-1896) served 1845-52
- Douglass, Samuel Townsend (1814-1898) served 1852-1857 (Douglass family papers)
- Graves, Benjamin Franklin (b. 1817) served 1857, 1868-1881
- Christiancy, Isaac Peckham (1812-1890) served 1858-1875
- Campbell, James V. (1823-1890) served 1858-1890
- Cooley, Thomas McIntyre (1824-1898) served 1863-1885
- Marston, Isaac (1839-1891) served 1875-1883
- Morse, Allen Benton (1839-1921) served 1886-1893
- Durand, George Harmon (1838-1903) served 1892
- Blair, Charles A. served 1905-1912 (Austin Blair family papers)
- Wiest, Howard (1864-1945) served 1921-1945
- Fead, Louis H. (1877-1943) served 1928-1937
- Boyles, Emerson R. (1881-1960) served 1940-1956
- Starr, Raymond Wesley (1888-1968) served 1941-1946
- Dethmers, John R. (1903-1971) served 1946-1971
- Adams, Clark J. (1904-1981) served 1952-1953
- Smith, Talbot (1899-1978) served 1955-1961
- Souris, Theodore (b. 1925) served 1960-1968
- Smith, Otis M. (1923-1994) served 1961-1967
- Adams, Paul L. (b. 1908) served 1962, 1964-1973
- Swainson, John Burley (b. 1925) served 1971-1975
- Williams, G. Mennen (b. 1911) served 1971-1987
- Coleman, Mary S. (b. 1914) served 1973-1982
- Lindemer, Lawrence B. served 1975-1977
Michigan Circuit Courts
- Lane, Victor Hugo (1852-1930) served 1888-1897 (1st Circuit, Hillsdale and Lenawee Counties)
- Neuenfelt, Lila (1902-1981) served 1941-1966 (3rd Circuit, Wayne County)
- Patchin, Jared (1828-1892) served 1870-1877 (3rd Circuit, Wayne County)
- Weideman, Carl May (1898-1972) served 1950-1968 (3rd Circuit, Wayne County)
- Graves, Benjamin Franklin (b. 1817) served 1858-1866 (5th Circuit (Calhoun, Eaton, Kalamazoo, and Van Buren Counties)
- Woodruff, George served 1866-1875 (5th Circuit, Calhoun and Eaton Counties)
- McPeek, Russell Roy (1862-1945) served 1924-1942 (5th Circuit, Barry and Eaton Counties)
- Adams, Clark J. (1904-1981) served 1955-1973 (6th Circuit, Oakland County)
- Gillespie, Glenn C. (b. 1885) served 1921-1935 (6th Circuit, Oakland County)
- Black, Edward Davison (b. 1853) served 1918-1937 (7th Circuit, Genesee County)
- Engel, Albert Joseph (1924- ) served 1967-1970 (14th Circuit, Muskegon County)
- Hoffius, Cornelius (1881-1943) served 1938-1943 (17th Circuit,
Kent County) (Hoffius family papers)
- Hoffius, Stuart (1914-) served 1959-1988, chief judge 1976-1988 (17th Circuit, Kent County) (Hoffius family papers)
- Sample, George Washington (1868-1945) served 1918-1945 (22nd Circuit, Washtenaw County)
- Breakey, James Ritchison (1900-1969) served 1945-1969 (22nd Circuit, Washtenaw County)
- Wiest, Howard (1864-1945) served 1899-1921 (30th Circuit, Ingham County)
Before 1858, justices of the Michigan Supreme Court also served
as circuit court judges, including Morell, Wing, Felch, Douglass,
and Graves on the list of justices above.
Michigan Probate Courts
- Hatfield, Malcolm Keith (1900-1961) served 1933-1954 (Berrien County)
- Ritze, Claude C. (1885-1977) served 1913-1916 (Iron County)
- Grant, John Henry (1857-1913) served 1894-1913 (Manistee County)
- Patterson, Thomas Lawton (b. 1836) served 1885-1901 (Oakland County)
- Rockwell, Kleber P. (1868- ) served 1909-1918 (Oakland County)
- Cheever, Noah W. (1839-1905) served 1872-1876 (Washtenaw County)
- Newkirk, Henry Wirt (1854-1946) served 1896-1900 (Washtenaw County)
- Hulbert, Henry Schoolcraft (1869-1959) served 1911-1934 (Wayne County)
Other Michigan State and Municipal Courts
- Binkowski, Don (1929- ) 37th District Court, Warren, 1969-1986
- Lacy, Arthur J. (1876-1975) Domestic Relations Court, Wayne County, 1913-1914
- Lincoln, James H. Juvenile Court, Wayne County, 1961-1978
- Murphy, Frank (1890-1949) Recorders Court, Detroit, 1924-1930
- Serra, Rudy. 36th District Court, Detroit, 2004-2006
- Shearman, Francis Willett (1817-1874) Associate Judge, Calhoun County, 1846-1848
- Stanczyk, Benjamin C. (1915- ) Court of Common Pleas, Detroit, 1959-1974
- Steeh, George C. (1919- ) 41B District Court, Macomb County, 1980-1990
Justices of the Peace
Branch County--Coldwater
- Coldwater (Mich.). Records, 1845 and 1861-1918 [includes justice of the peace docket book, 1896-1918]
Cass County
- Gregg, Phineas (b. 1800). Papers, 1849-1882 [includes docket book, 1849-1851]
Eaton County--Vermontville
- Vermontville (Mich.). Records, 1878-1881 [justice of the peace records]
Emmet County--Cross Village Township
- Cross Village (Mich. : Township). Records, 1873-1930 [includes justice of the peace records, 1875-1883]
Ingham County--Vevay Township
- Rolfe Family. Papers, 1839-1864 [Nathan Rolfe's justice of the peace notebook]
Lenawee County
- Bradish, Curran. Papers, 1825-1870 [includes justice of the peace records]
- Greenly, William L. Docket Book, 1859-1865
Livingston County--Green Oak Township
- Michigan. Justice Of The Peace (Green Oak Township) Docket Book, 1842-1909
Macomb County
Macomb County--Sterling Heights
- Sterling (Mich. : Township). Records, 1838-1911 [includes justice of the peace docket, 1863-1877]
Missaukee County--Reeder Township
- Michigan. Justice Of The Peace (Reeder) Records, 1890-1903 [chiefly the records of Leroy Boynton]
Ontonagon County
- Ontonagon County (Mich.). Records, 1850-1856 [justice of the peace docket books]
Washtenaw County--Ann Arbor
- Allen Family (Ann Arbor, Mich.). Papers, 1824-1867 [includes justice of the peace records of John Allen]
- Allen, John (1796-1851). Papers, 1817-1848 [Microfilm; includes justice of the peace records]
- Michigan. Justice Of The Peace (Ann Arbor). Docket Books, 1830-1833 and 1851-1870 [includes justice of the peace records of Martin Davis (1830-1833), David T. McCollum (1851-1868), and Patrick McKernan (1869-1871)]
Washtenaw County--Bridgewater Township
- Frost, Morris. Docket Book, 1834-1836
Washtenaw County--Lima Township
Washtenaw County--Ypsilanti Township
Wayne County
Wayne County--Borodino
- Root Family. Papers, 1827-1928 [includes record book, ca. 1827-1841, of Roswell and Stephen W. Root, primarily justice of the peace judgment records]