John J. McGilvra

John J. McGilvra (July 11, 1827 – December 19, 1903) was a prominent lawyer and judge in late 19th century Seattle, Washington. Rev. H.K. Hines, D.D. in An Illustrated History of the State of Washington (1893) described him as "the oldest member of the legal profession in Seattle, Washington, both in years and practice" and "the father of the Seattle bar."

McGilvra's family was originally of Scottish origin (Clan Macgillivray). His great-grandfather emigrated to the American colonies prior to the American Revolutionary War, and settled in New York State.

McGilvra's parents, John and Margaret (Grant) McGilvra, were natives of New York, and settled after their marriage, in Livingston County, New York. There McGilvra was born July 11, 1827. He was reared on the farm and attended the schools of that county until 1844, when he moved with his parents to Illinois, where he taught school for several winters, and in the summer attended the seminary at Elgin, Illinois.

McGilvra commenced the study of law in 1850, under the direction of Edward Gifford, a graduate of Yale College and the Cambridge Law School. He finished his studies in Chicago, Illinois under Ebenezer Peek, subsequently one of the Judges of the Court of Claims, and was admitted to the bar in 1853. He at once entered into practice, and was quite successful. He was married in Chicago in 1855 to Elizabeth M. Hills, a native of Oneida County, New York. They were to have three children: Carrie E., later the wife of Judge Thomas Burke; Oliver C.; and Lillian. He did not engage in politics except to show his colors in private conversation and at the polls; but, having known President Abraham Lincoln for a number of years, he was appointed by him in 1861 as the United States Attorney for the Territory of Washington. He arrived with his family in Olympia, Washington in June 1861.

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