Oppedahl, R. James, 1946-

R. James Oppedahl was born in 1946. He received an M.A. in history from the University of Montana in 1976; his thesis was on Glacier National Park. That same year, on the recommendation of University of Montana Archivist Dale Johnson, and in conjunction with the Judicial Conference of the United States' Bicentennial Committee, the office of United States District Court Judge Russell Smith hired him to do research on deceased federal judges from Montana.

From the guide to the James R. Oppedahl Research Papers, 1976, (University of Montana--Missoula Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library Archives and Special Collections)