John Bayard McPherson

John Bayard McPherson (November 5, 1846 – January 20, 1919) was a United States federal judge.

Biography

Born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, McPherson attended Princeton College, receiving an A.B. in 1866 and an A.M. in 1869. He read law in 1870. He was in private practice in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania beginning in 1870. From 1874-77 he was district attorney of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, and from 1882-99 served as a state court judge in the Court of Common Pleas in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Beginning in 1890. he taught at the University of Pennsylvania

McPherson was nominated by President William McKinley on February 28, 1899, to a seat on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, which had been vacated by William Butler. McPherson was confirmed by the United States Senate on March 2, 1899, and received his commission that day. He was then nominated by President William Howard Taft on March 16, 1912, to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit vacated by William Mershon Lanning. He was confirmed by the Senate on April 3, 1912, and received his commission that day. He served until his death, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Sources

• John Bayard McPherson at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.