Kennedy, T. Blake

T. Blake Kennedy (1874-1956) served as a U.S. District Judge of Wyoming from 1922-1955. Born in Oakland County, Michigan, Kennedy graduated from Franklin College (Franklin, Michigan) in 1895 and began practicing law in Syracuse, New York with his partner Roderick M. Matson. In 1901 Matson and Kennedy moved to Cheyenne, Wyoming, and established their law firm. Kennedy gained a great deal of notoriety for defending Tom Horn, a professional gunman hired by cattlemen to prevent cattle rustling, who was accused of murdering a 14 year old boy in 1902. From 1903-1913 Kennedy served as Referee in Bankruptcy for the state of Wyoming and was appointed as a Federal Judge in 1922, a position he would hold until retirement in 1955. Kennedy was the presiding judge of the Teapot Dome Case (United States vs. Mammoth Oil Company) in 1925 and the Japanese-American draft resisters from the Heart Mountain Relocation Center neat Cody, Wyoming during World War II.

From the description of T. Blake Kennedy papers, 1892-1957. (University of Wyoming, American Heritage Center). WorldCat record id: 27703946

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