# James Gilfillan (judge) *American lawyer and judge; Chief Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court (1869–1870, 1875–1894)* James B. Gilfillan (March 9, 1829 – December 16, 1894) was a Scottish-born American lawyer and judge in [[Minnesota]]. He twice held the office of Chief Justice of the [[Minnesota Supreme Court]], first from 1869 to 1870 and again from 1875 until 1894.[^1] Both of his terms began with an interim appointment by a sitting [[governor]] after a chief justice resigned. After the second appointment he won election to the seat and stayed on the court until he died.[^1] Before he joined the bench, he practised law in St. Paul and served in Minnesota volunteer infantry regiments during the American Civil War.[^1] ## Life and career Gilfillan was born in Bannockburn, Scotland, on March 9, 1829. While he was a child, his family moved to the United States and made its home in Oneida County, New York.[^1] He read law in Chenango County and at Ballston Spa, both in New York, and was admitted to the bar in 1850.[^1] He spent several more years studying law in [[Buffalo]], New York, and then moved to St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1857.[^1] In St. Paul he practised in a firm with his brother, Charles Duncan Gilfillan, until the American Civil War ended the partnership.[^1] Gilfillan served with the 7th Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment and was later appointed colonel of the 11th Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment.[^1] When the war was over, he resumed legal practice in St. Paul.[^1] Chief Justice [[Thomas Wilson (Minnesota politician)|Thomas Wilson]] resigned from the court in 1869, and Governor [[William Rainey Marshall]] named Gilfillan to fill the seat on an interim basis.[^1] A second vacancy arose in 1875 with the resignation of Chief Justice [[Samuel J. R. McMillan]]. Governor Cushman Kellogg Davis again chose Gilfillan as the interim replacement.[^1] This time Gilfillan stood for election to the seat and won. He remained a member of the court until his death in 1894.[^1] ## In the Minnesota record ### Who - James B. Gilfillan, lawyer and judge, was Chief Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court.[^1] ### When - Born March 9, 1829; died December 16, 1894.[^1] - Admitted to the bar in 1850; moved to St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1857.[^1] - Named interim Chief Justice in 1869, following Thomas Wilson's resignation; served until 1870.[^1] - Named interim Chief Justice in 1875, following Samuel J. R. McMillan's resignation; later elected; served until 1894.[^1] ### Where - Born in Bannockburn, Scotland; practised law in St. Paul, Minnesota.[^1] ### How - Appointed interim Chief Justice by Governor William Rainey Marshall (1869) and by Governor Cushman Kellogg Davis (1875); elected after the second appointment.[^1] ## Notes [^1]: Wikipedia contributors, *James Gilfillan (judge)* (revision 1354057117, retrieved 2026-10-26) — Gilfillan's birth, education, bar admission, Civil War service, interim appointments, election, and tenure as Chief Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Gilfillan_(judge)>