Robert J. Sheran | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chief Justice Minnesota Supreme Court | |
| In office 1973–1981 | |
| Appointed by | Wendell Anderson |
| Preceded by | Oscar Knutson |
| Succeeded by | Douglas K. Amdahl |
| Associate Justice Minnesota Supreme Court | |
| In office 1963–1970 | |
| Appointed by | Elmer Andersen |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1916-01-02)January 2, 1916 Waseca, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Died | January 25, 2012(2012-01-25) (aged 96) Bloomington, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party |
| Spouse(s) | Jean Brown; five children |
Robert Joseph Sheran[1] (January 2, 1916 – January 25, 2012) was an American lawyer, politician, and judge. He was appointedChief Justice of theMinnesota Supreme Court byGovernor Wendell Anderson, serving from December 1973 to December 1981. He previously served as anassociate justice on the court from January 1963 to July 1970, appointed byGovernor Elmer L. Andersen.[2] He is the only person to have been appointed to two separate tenures on the Minnesota Supreme Court by different governors.[3]
Sheran graduated fromRoosevelt High School inMinneapolis in 1932, then attendedSt. Thomas College inSaint Paul, receiving hisB.A. in 1936. He went on to theUniversity of Minnesota Law School, graduating with hisLL.B. in 1939.[2]
He worked as a special agent with theFederal Bureau of Investigation from 1942 to 1945, guarding the secrets of theManhattan Project.[2] He practiced law with the Farrish Johnson Law Office inMankato from 1945 to 1963.[3] He also served in theMinnesota House of Representatives from 1947 to 1950, representing the old District 8, which encompassedBlue Earth County.[2] He was elected as a Conservative in 1946, and as a Liberal in 1948.[2]
A Democrat, Sheran was appointed to the Supreme Court by Republican Gov.Elmer L. Andersen, who called him "one of the greatest jurists in state history".[4] Sheran resigned from the court in 1970, in part because he was unable to pay his children's college tuition on a justice's $20,000 salary.[5] In 1973, he accepted an appointment to replaceOscar R. Knutson as chief justice by DFL Gov.Wendell Anderson, who later called Sheran his best appointment.[5] After retiring from the court in 1981, Sheran practiced with the Minneapolis firm ofLindquist & Vennum for 20 years. He was also instrumental in organizing theMinnesota Court of Appeals after its creation in 1982.
In 2007, Sheran was named byMinnesota Law and Politics magazine as one of the 100 most influential lawyers in the history of the state.[3]
Sheran's daughter,Kathy, was aMinnesota state senator, representing District 23, which includes portions ofBlue Earth,Nicollet andSibley counties.[6]
