Edward J. Devitt (Edward James), 1911-

Devitt was born in St. Paul, May 5, 1911, the son of Thomas P. and Ethel (McGuire) Devitt. He attended St. Paul public schools until the death of his father in 1921, at which time the family moved to East Grand Forks, Minnesota. While attending school in St. Paul he was a classmate of Warren Burger and Harry Blackmun, who both later became justices of the U.S. Supreme Court. From 1926 to 1932 he attended St. John's Preparatory School and University (Collegeville, Minnesota) and from 1932 to 1935 he attended the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks where he received his law degree.

His legal career began in 1935 with his election as an East Grand Forks municipal judge (1935-1939). He was later appointed an assistant Minnesota attorney general (1939-1942), a Ramsey County probate judge (1950-1954); and a U.S. district judge (1954-1992).

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