# William Alexander Cant *United States district judge for the District of Minnesota (1923–1933)* William Alexander Cant (December 23, 1863 – January 12, 1933) was a federal judge on the [[United States District Court for the District of Minnesota]] from 1923 until his death in office in 1933. Before his federal appointment he worked in Duluth, [[Minnesota]], as a lawyer and city attorney. He was also a member of the [[Minnesota House of Representatives]] in 1895 and a judge of the [[District Court of Minnesota]] from 1896 to 1923.[^1] Cant reached the federal bench in three steps. President Warren G. Harding gave him a recess appointment in May 1923. President Calvin Coolidge nominated him in December of that year. The [[United States Senate]] confirmed him in January 1924.[^1] ## Education and career Cant was a native of Westfield, in Marquette County, Wisconsin. He earned a Bachelor of Laws at the University of Michigan Law School in 1885.[^1] From 1886 until 1895 he practiced law privately in Duluth. During 1895 he held a seat in the Minnesota House of Representatives, and he was Duluth's city attorney across 1895 and 1896. He then sat on the state District Court bench from 1896 until 1923.[^1] ## Federal judicial service Harding's recess appointment of Cant came on May 21, 1923. It placed him in the federal district court seat left vacant by Judge [[Page Morris]]. On December 15, 1923, Coolidge submitted Cant's nomination for that same seat.[^1] The Senate confirmed the nomination on January 15, 1924, and Cant received his [[Commission]] on that date. His tenure on the court ended with his death on January 12, 1933.[^1] ## Notes [^1]: Wikipedia contributors, *William Alexander Cant* (retrieved 2026-10-26, revision 1365800090) — birth and death dates, birthplace, legal education, Duluth practice and offices, state and federal judicial service, and appointment, nomination and confirmation dates. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Alexander_Cant