Frank E. Gillette

Frank E. Gillette was one of the last judges appointed to the Supreme Court of Oklahoma Territory. He was appointed by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1902, and served until the court was abolished after statehood was granted to Oklahoma on November 16, 1907. Born in Ashtabula County, Ohio, on January 7, 1848, Gillette had moved with his parents to Emporia, Kansas when he was thirteen. After graduating from high school, he earned a degree from Kansas State Normal School[1][lower-alpha 1] then studied law and began to practice his profession in Hutchinson, Kansas in May, 1876. He moved to Kingman, Kansas and entered politics in 1882, where he was elected to the state legislature, representing Kingman County, and served for three terms. He was on the House Judiciary Committee, spending the last two years as chairman of that committee. He then was elected to the state senate and served for four years, which included serving as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. At the end of his senatorial term, he moved to Oklahoma Territory and settled in El Reno where he opened a private law practice.[1]

Frank E. Gillette
BornJanuary 7, 1848
Ashtabula County, Ohio, U.S.
DiedFebruary 18, 1923(1923-02-18) (aged 75)
El Reno, Oklahoma, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s)Attorney, politician
Years active1876-?
Known forLast appointee as Associate Justice of the Oklahoma Territorial Supreme Court

On May 2, 1902, Congress created two additional positions on the Oklahoma Territory Supreme Court. President Theodore Roosevelt appointed Gillette to one court seat, and J. L. Pancoast of Blackwell, Oklahoma, was appointed to the other new position[lower-alpha 2]

The Oklahoma Republican Party nominated Gillette as Associate Justice of the new Oklahoma Supreme Court.[3] He did not win, but got the second highest number of votes of any Republican candidate on the ballot.[lower-alpha 3] He then joined the law firm of Gillette, Libby and Gillette in El Reno. When Oklahoma was admitted as a state in 1907, he was appointed as the Republican member of the Oklahoma Election Board.[1]

Gillette died in El Reno on February 18, 1923, at the age of 75.[4]

Electoral history
1907 Oklahoma Supreme Court District 4 election[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Samuel W. Hayes 131,902 54.8 New
Republican Frank E. Gillette 99,715 41.4 New
Socialist A.L. Loudermilk 9,078 3.7 New
Democratic gain from Swing N/A

Notes
  1. Kansas State Normal School was renamed Emporia State University in 1977.
  2. the 6th District, covering Woods, Beaver, Day and Dewey Counties. The 7th Circuit covered Caddo, Comanche, Kiowa and Greer Counties.[2] These territorial positions were abolished when statehood took effect.[1]
  3. A Democratic tide that year swept away every Republican candidate who ran for state office.[1]

References
  1. "Hon. Frank E. Gillette" Medico-legal Journal. vol. 27, No. 1. June 1909. p. 85. Accessed August 24, 2019.
  2. "Oklahoma Territorial Supreme Court." Historia. April 1, 1920. Vol. 8, No.5, p.1. Accessed August 24, 2019 and modified on August 3, 2020.
  3. The Beaver Herald. "Full State Ticket Named. August 8, 1907. p. 1. Accessed August 3, 2020.
  4. "Death of Judge Gillette". The Apache Review. 23 February 1923. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  5. "1907-1912 Results" (PDF). oklahoma.gov. Oklahoma State Election Board. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
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