# William C. Christianson *American jurist; judge at the Subsequent Nuremberg trials and Minnesota District Court judge* William Christian Christianson (December 5, 1892 – May 27, 1985) was a jurist who sat on the [[Minnesota Supreme Court]] from March 1946 to January 1947. He was a judge of the Subsequent Nuremberg trials, also called the Nuremberg Military Tribunals, in 1948 and 1949. He then served on the Minnesota District Court for the first district from 1949 until he retired in 1963.[^1] Before he took judicial office, Christianson practiced law in public posts in [[Goodhue County, Minnesota]], including as Red Wing city attorney. The only source in the record is a Wikipedia biography. It gives his offices, their dates, and his family, death and burial. It does not document the substance of his rulings in [[Minnesota]] or of his work at Nuremberg, and it does not say how he came to the Supreme Court.[^1] ## Early life and education Christianson was born in Moody County, South Dakota. His parents were Christian O. Christianson (1857–1937) and Karen (Holter) Christianson (1862–1936). He attended school in Austin and Jasper, Minnesota.[^1] He completed a bachelor's degree at Highland Park College. In 1920 he finished a J.D. at the [[University of Chicago Law School]].[^1] ## Career In Goodhue County, Christianson held the post of assistant [[county attorney]], and he also served as city attorney for Red Wing.[^1] His tenure on the Minnesota Supreme Court ran from March 1946 until January 1947.[^1] During 1948 and 1949 he sat as one of the judges in the Subsequent Nuremberg trials.[^1] In 1949 he was appointed to the Minnesota District Court for the first district, and he stayed on that bench until his retirement in 1963.[^1] ## Personal life His wife, Myrtle Lorenz, died in 1977. Christianson died at Red Wing in 1985 and was interred at Oakwood Cemetery in Goodhue County.[^1] ## In the Minnesota record ### Who - William Christian Christianson, jurist (born December 5, 1892; died May 27, 1985).[^1] ### What - Minnesota Supreme Court, March 1946 – January 1947.[^1] - Judge, Subsequent Nuremberg trials, 1948–1949.[^1] - Minnesota District Court judge, first district, 1949 – retirement in 1963.[^1] - Earlier: assistant county attorney, Goodhue County; city attorney, Red Wing.[^1] ### When - J.D., University of Chicago Law School, 1920.[^1] - Supreme Court service, March 1946 – January 1947; district bench, 1949–1963.[^1] ### Where - Born in Moody County, South Dakota. Schooled in Austin and Jasper, Minnesota. Died in Red Wing, Minnesota. Buried at Oakwood Cemetery, Goodhue County.[^1] ## Notes [^1]: Wikipedia, *William C. Christianson* (revision 1372142308, retrieved 2026-10-26; CC BY-SA 4.0) — biographical summary: birth and death dates, parents, schooling, degrees, county and city attorney posts, Minnesota Supreme Court service (March 1946 – January 1947), Subsequent Nuremberg trials (1948–1949), first-district court service (1949–1963), marriage, death and burial. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_C._Christianson