Jameson, William James, 1898-1990

Judge William James Jameson was born August 8, 1898 to William J. and Annie J. (Roberts) Jameson. He received his A.B. in 1919, his LL.B in 1922, and LL.D in 1952 at the University of Montana. He also received a LL.D at the University of Manitoba (Canada) in 1954. On July 28, 1923 he married Mildred Lore. Their union produced two children: Mary Lucille (Mrs Walker Honaker) and William James, Jr. After being admitted to the Montana Bar in 1922, William Jameson was associated with Coleman and Johnston, Billings from 1922 to 1929; a member in the firm Johnston, Coleman and Jameson from 1929 to 1940, and Coleman, Jameson and Lamey from 1940 to 1957. He served as judge in the U.S. District Court for Montana from 1957 to 1969 and as Senior Judge from 1969 until his death in 1990.

Judge Jameson earned a reputation for extensive public service and dedicated leadership, having served on the local school board and in the state legislature, chaired the Yellowstone County chapter of the Red Cross and served as president of the Montana Bar Association, American Bar Association and American Judicature Society. The judge's selection in 1973 to receive the prestigious ABA Medal, the highest award conferred by the ABA, shows his stature in the legal profession. The award citation proclaimed, "It is said that law is a public profession. The tradition of service and leadership which supports that profession is nowhere better illustrated than in the career of Judge William J. Jameson...he has brought honor to the profession." A graduate of The University of Montana School of Law, Judge Jameson routinely chose UM graduates to work beside him as clerks. Whenever possible he lectured in Law School classes and judged moot court competitions. He never failed to inquire about the quality of each year's first-year class. "Higher education in Montana never had a better friend than Judge Jameson," said Dean Martin Burke, himself a former Jameson clerk.