John Kilkenny | |
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Judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit | |
In office September 16, 1969 – 1971 |
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Nominated by | Richard Nixon |
Preceded by | new position |
Succeeded by | Alfred Goodwin |
Judge for the United States District Court for the District of Oregon | |
In office July 30, 1959 – September 26, 1969 |
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Nominated by | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
Preceded by | Claude C. McColloch |
Succeeded by | Alfred Goodwin |
Personal details | |
Born |
Heppner, Oregon, U.S. |
October 26, 1901
Died | February 17, 1995 Beaverton, Oregon, U.S. |
(aged 93)
John Francis Kilkenny (October 26, 1901 – February 17, 1995) was a United States federal judge in the District of Oregon and then on the Ninth Circuit.
Kilkenny’s father and uncle immigrated to Morrow County, Oregon, from County Leitrim in Ireland in the 1890s. They worked for the railroads until they had saved enough money to buy land.
John Kilkenny was born in Heppner, Oregon on October 26, 1901. He was raised on a sheep farm and attended the one-room Alpine School before being sent to Portland, Oregon, where he attended the private boys' boarding school Columbia Preparatory.
After graduation, Judge Kilkenny went on to the University of Notre Dame Law School, graduating in 1925 with cum laude honors earning an LL.B.. At Notre Dame, Kilkenny tried out for the football team, then coached by Knute Rockne, but a knee injury kept him from playing. He helped manage one of the teams and was assigned by Rockne the task of acquiring four horses for the Four Horsemen photograph in 1924 due to his experience growing up on a ranch.
Upon graduation he became a practicing attorney in Pendleton, Oregon, until his appointment to the federal bench in 1959. In 1931 he married Miss Virginia Brannock in Pendleton and had two children: Michael John and Karen. While in private practice he served as president of the Oregon State Bar from 1943 to 1944. He then was a trustee from 1956 to 1958 of the Oregon State Library and the University of Portland.