Donald B. Anderson

Donald Brown Anderson (October 28, 1904 – December 16, 1956)[1][2] was a justice of the Idaho Supreme Court from 1955 to 1956. He received his LL.B. from the University of Idaho College of Law in 1927.[3]

Donald B. Anderson
Justice of the Idaho Supreme Court
In office
1955  December 16, 1956
Appointed byelected in 1954
Preceded byRaymond Givens
Succeeded byHenry McQuade
Personal details
Born
Donald Brown Anderson

(1904-10-28)October 28, 1904
Cardston, Alberta, Canada
DiedDecember 16, 1956(1956-12-16) (aged 52)
Caldwell, Idaho, U.S.
Cause of deathSelf-inflicted gunshot wound
Resting placeCanyon Hill Cemetery
Caldwell, Idaho
Spouse(s)Lois G. Nichols Anderson
(m.1955–1956, his death)
Children1 son
EducationUniversity of Idaho (LL.B. 1927)

Early life

Born in Canada at Cardston, Alberta, Anderson's family moved to the United States in his childhood and farmed near Weiser, Idaho. He graduated from Weiser High School, received his LL.B. degree from the University of Idaho College of Law in 1927,[3] and entered the practice of law in Canyon County at Caldwell.[2]

Public service

Anderson served as the prosecuting attorney of Canyon County for six years in the 1930s, and was a probate judge for four years, from 1937 to 1941. In April 1941, he joined the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), working in Chicago and Washington, D.C., ultimately becoming a special assistant to the Attorney General J. Howard McGrath. Anderson returned to Idaho in 1948 to resume the practice of law, and served as a judge of the Idaho Seventh Judicial District from 1950 to 1954, when he was elected to the state supreme court, where he remained until his death.[2]

Personal life and death

On September 2, 1955, Anderson married Lois Nichols of Boise, with whom he had a son, Ross Nichols Anderson.[2]

On December 16, 1956, Anderson was reported missing from his home, and a search ensued.[2] Anderson's body was found near his vehicle, approximately one hundred feet (30 m) off of U.S. Highway 30 just west of Caldwell, with two bullet wounds to the head,[1][4][5] and a .38 caliber revolver by his side.[6] It was determined that the first shot had failed to penetrate the skull,[4] and the death was ruled a suicide.[6] Anderson was buried at Canyon Hill Cemetery in Caldwell.

See also

References

  1. "State supreme court justice takes own life". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. December 18, 1956. p. 1.
  2. "Justice Donald Anderson Found Dead in Automobile", The Idaho Statesman (December 18, 1956), p. 11.
  3. "Seniors". Gem of the Mountains, University of Idaho yearbook. 1927. p. 60.
  4. "State Supreme Court Judge Is Found Dead", The Twin Falls Times-News (December 17, 1956), p. 1.
  5. "High Idaho Judge Is Shot to Death", New York Daily News (December 18, 1956), p. 45.
  6. "Idaho Justice Takes Own Life", Tyler Morning Telegraph (December 19, 1956), p. 5.
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