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JOSEPH McKENNA
was born on August 10, 1843, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
In the mid-1850s, the McKenna family moved to northern
California, where McKenna studied law at the Benicia Collegiate
Institute. He was graduated in 1865 and admitted to the
California bar in 1866. Six months later, McKenna was
elected District Attorney for Solano County and served
two terms. He practiced law and became increasingly active
in politics. In 1875, McKenna was elected to the California
House of Representatives and retired after one term and
an unsuccessful bid for Speaker of the House. After two
unsuccessful attempts, McKenna finally won election to
the United States House of Representatives in 1885. He
was re-elected three times. In 1892, President Benjamin
Harrison appointed McKenna to the United States Court
of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. McKenna served in that
position until he was appointed Attorney General of the
United States by President William McKinley in 1897. On
December 16, 1897, President McKinley nominated McKenna
to the Supreme Court of the United STATES. The Senate
confirmed the appointment on January 21, 1898. McKenna
served on the Supreme Court for twenty-six years and retired
on January 5, 1925. He died on November 21, 1926, at the
age of eighty-three. |
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