Justice Luther Birdzell (N.D. Supreme Court)

On this date in 1880, Justice Luther Birdzell of the North Dakota Supreme Court was born in St. Joseph, Illinois. After graduating from the University of Illinois School of Law, Birdzell moved to North Dakota to teach at the University of North Dakota School of Law from 1904 to 1912. From 1912 to 1914, Birdzell served as the first North Dakota state tax commissioner and then returned to the law school to resume teaching. With the endorsement of the Non-Partisian League, BIrdzell successfully defeated incumbent Justice Fisk for a seat on the North Dakota Supreme Court in 1916. Justice Bridzell was subsequently re-elected to the position in 1922 and 1928. On November 1, 1933, Justice Birdzell resigned from the North Dakota Supreme Court to assume the position as General Counsel for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Later in his career, Birdzell would become Vice President and Senior Trust Officer for San Francisco-based Bank of America. Justice Birdzell died on February 23, 1973.