Judge George B. Macfarlane



Home County: Audrain

Term of Service at the Supreme Court of Missouri: January 1891 – February 1898

 

Judge George Bennett Macfarlane was born January 21, 1837, in Callaway County.[i] He was educated in the common schools and attended Richland Academy.[ii] Macfarlane also attended Westminster College, in Fulton.[iii] He worked as a school teacher and during the evenings he studied law, at home, and in the office of Fulton attorney, Henry C. Hayden.[iv] In 1861, Macfarlane was licensed to practice law by Circuit Court, Judge A.H. Buckner.[v]


He then moved to Mexico, Missouri, in 1865, where he began to practice law.[vi] In 1866, at age twenty-nine, he was elected as a Justice of the Peace and served in that position for two years.[vii] Judge Macfarlane was appointed Probate judge of Audrain County in 1871, by Governor B. Gratz Brown, to fill a vacant position.[viii] He was then elected to the same position in 1874.[ix] Macfarlane served as Probate Judge until his resignation in 1875.[x] After his service as a Probate Judge, he returned to practice law.[xi] Macfarlane eventually formed a law partnership with J. M. Trimble, known as Macfarlane & Trimble,[xii] that lasted twelve years.[xiii]


On November 25, 1890, Judge George B. Macfarlane was appointed as a Judge of the Supreme Court, for a two-year term by Governor Francis.[xiv] He was one of two judges first appointed under the 1890 constitutional amendment, which increased the size of the Supreme Court to seven judges and divided the Supreme Court into two divisions.[xv] Judge Macfarlane began his service with the Supreme Court in January of 1891.[xvi] Macfarlane was elected as a Judge of the Supreme Court in November of 1892 for a full ten-year term. He began his term in January of 1893.[xvii] Macfarlane’s second term was set to expire in December of 1902.[xviii]


Judge George B. Macfarlane died February 12, 1898, in St. Louis, Missouri, while serving as a Judge with the Court. [xix]


[i] Perry S. Rader, reporter, “In Memory of George B. Macfarlane,” Reports of Cases Determined by the State of Missouri, 1898, vol. 143, (Columbia, MO: E. W. Stephens Publishing Co., 1898), xxii. Publication located in the Supreme Court of Missouri Law Library.

[ii] Scroggs & Davis, compiler, Souvenir of the Missouri Legislature (Thirty-Ninth General Assembly) State Officers,
Etc., 1897-8, vol. 1, (Sedalia, MO: Sedalia Printing Company, Printers, Binders, and Blank-Book Markers, 1897), 26, information courtesy of Google Books, accessed July 14, 2021, available from https://www.google.com/books/edition/Souvenir_of_the_Missouri_Legislature_thi/VB86AQAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=souvenir+of+the+missouri+legislature&printsec=frontcover

[iii] Scroggs & Davis, compiler, Souvenir of the Missouri Legislature (Thirty-Ninth General Assembly) State Officers,
Etc., 1897-8, vol. 1, (Sedalia, MO: Sedalia Printing Company, Printers, Binders, and Blank-Book Markers, 1897), 26, information courtesy of Google Books, accessed July 14, 2021, available from https://www.google.com/books/edition/Souvenir_of_the_Missouri_Legislature_thi/VB86AQAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=souvenir+of+the+missouri+legislature&printsec=frontcover See also: Alexander A. Lesueur, compiler, Alexander A. Lesueur, Secretary of State, Official Manual of the State of Missouri, For the Years 1897-98, (Jefferson City, MO: Tribune Printing Company, State Printers and Binders, 1898), 490, information courtesy of the Missouri Digital Heritage website, Missouri State Archives, accessed August 23, 2021, available from https://mdh.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/bluebook/id/3598/rec/11

[iv] A.J.D. Stewart, editor, The History of the Bench and Bar of Missouri, with Reminiscences of the Prominent Lawyers of the Past, and a Record of the Law’s Leaders of the Present, (St. Louis, MO: The Legal Publishing Company, 1898), 262, information courtesy of Google Books, accessed August 23, 2021, available from https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_History_of_the_Bench_and_Bar_of_Miss/eXomAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=George%20Bennett%20Macfarlane

[v] A.J.D. Stewart, editor, The History of the Bench and Bar of Missouri, with Reminiscences of the Prominent Lawyers of the Past, and a Record of the Law’s Leaders of the Present, (St. Louis, MO: The Legal Publishing Company, 1898), 262, information courtesy of Google Books, accessed August 23, 2021, available from https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_History_of_the_Bench_and_Bar_of_Miss/eXomAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=George%20Bennett%20Macfarlane See also: Alexander A. Lesueur, compiler, Alexander A. Lesueur, Secretary of State, Official Manual of the State of Missouri, For the Years 1897-98, (Jefferson City, MO: Tribune Printing Company, State Printers and Binders, 1898), 490, information courtesy of the Missouri Digital Heritage website, Missouri State Archives, accessed August 23, 2021, available from https://mdh.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/bluebook/id/3598/rec/11

[vi] “Missouri State News, Missouri’s New Judges,” Iron County Register, (Ironton, Missouri), December 4, 1890, image digitized by the State Historical Society of Missouri, information courtesy of the Chronicling America website, accessed August 23, 2021, available from https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84024283/1890-12-04/ed-1/seq-6/#date1=1890&index=4&rows=20&words=George+MacFarlane&searchType=basic&sequence=0&state=Missouri&date2=1890&proxtext=George+Macfarlane&y=21&x=8&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1 See also: A.J.D. Stewart, editor, The History of the Bench and Bar of Missouri, with Reminiscences of the Prominent Lawyers of the Past, and a Record of the Law’s Leaders of the Present, (St. Louis, MO: The Legal Publishing Company, 1898), 262, information courtesy of Google Books, accessed August 23, 2021, available from https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_History_of_the_Bench_and_Bar_of_Miss/eXomAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=George%20Bennett%20Macfarlane

[vii] A.J.D. Stewart, editor, The History of the Bench and Bar of Missouri, with Reminiscences of the Prominent Lawyers of the Past, and a Record of the Law’s Leaders of the Present, (St. Louis, MO: The Legal Publishing Company, 1898), 262, information courtesy of Google Books, accessed August 23, 2021, available from https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_History_of_the_Bench_and_Bar_of_Miss/eXomAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=George%20Bennett%20Macfarlane

[viii] A.J.D. Stewart, editor, The History of the Bench and Bar of Missouri, with Reminiscences of the Prominent Lawyers of the Past, and a Record of the Law’s Leaders of the Present, (St. Louis, MO: The Legal Publishing Company, 1898), 262, information courtesy of Google Books, accessed August 23, 2021, available from https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_History_of_the_Bench_and_Bar_of_Miss/eXomAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=George%20Bennett%20Macfarlane See also: Alexander A. Lesueur, compiler, Alexander A. Lesueur, Secretary of State, Official Manual of the State of Missouri, For the Years 1897-98, (Jefferson City, MO: Tribune Printing Company, State Printers and Binders, 1898), 490, information courtesy of the Missouri Digital Heritage website, Missouri State Archives, accessed August 23, 2021, available from https://mdh.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/bluebook/id/3598/rec/11

[ix] A.J.D. Stewart, editor, The History of the Bench and Bar of Missouri, with Reminiscences of the Prominent Lawyers of the Past, and a Record of the Law’s Leaders of the Present, (St. Louis, MO: The Legal Publishing Company, 1898), 262, information courtesy of Google Books, accessed August 23, 2021, available from https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_History_of_the_Bench_and_Bar_of_Miss/eXomAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=George%20Bennett%20Macfarlane

[x] A.J.D. Stewart, editor, The History of the Bench and Bar of Missouri, with Reminiscences of the Prominent Lawyers of the Past, and a Record of the Law’s Leaders of the Present, (St. Louis, MO: The Legal Publishing Company, 1898), 262, information courtesy of Google Books, accessed August 23, 2021, available from https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_History_of_the_Bench_and_Bar_of_Miss/eXomAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=George%20Bennett%20Macfarlane See also: Missouri Bar Association, Proceedings of the Seventeenth Annual Meeting of the Missouri Bar Association, Held at St. Louis, Mo, March 17th and 18th, 1899, (St. Louis, MO: F. H. Hesse Printing Company, 1899), 96, information courtesy of Google Books, accessed August 23, 2021, available from https://www.google.com/books/edition/Report_of_the_Proceedings_of_the_Annual/n2IDAQAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=George+Bennett+Macfarlane&pg=PA95&printsec=frontcover

[xi] A.J.D. Stewart, editor, The History of the Bench and Bar of Missouri, with Reminiscences of the Prominent Lawyers of the Past, and a Record of the Law’s Leaders of the Present, (St. Louis, MO: The Legal Publishing Company, 1898), 262, information courtesy of Google Books, accessed August 23, 2021, available from https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_History_of_the_Bench_and_Bar_of_Miss/eXomAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=George%20Bennett%20Macfarlane

[xii] Mexico Weekly Ledger, (Mexico, Missouri), November 2, 1876 image digitized by the State Historical Society of Missouri, information courtesy of the Chronicling America website, accessed on August 23, 2021, available from https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn89067274/1876-11-02/ed-1/seq-8/#date1=1876&index=5&rows=20&words=Macfarlane&searchType=basic&sequence=0&state=Missouri&date2=1876&proxtext=Macfarlane&y=0&x=0&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1  

[xiii] A.J.D. Stewart, editor, The History of the Bench and Bar of Missouri, with Reminiscences of the Prominent Lawyers of the Past, and a Record of the Law’s Leaders of the Present, (St. Louis, MO: The Legal Publishing Company, 1898), 262, information courtesy of Google Books, accessed August 23, 2021, available from https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_History_of_the_Bench_and_Bar_of_Miss/eXomAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=George%20Bennett%20Macfarlane See also: Edwards Brothers of Missouri, compiler, An Illustrated Historical Atlas of Audrain County, Missouri, 1877,  (Philadelphia, PA: 1877), 8 and 9, information courtesy of the State Historical Society of Missouri website, accessed August 23, 2021, available from  https://digital.shsmo.org/digital/collection/plat/id/337 and https://digital.shsmo.org/digital/collection/plat/id/338/

[xv] Alexander A. Lesueur, compiler, Alexander A. Lesueur, Secretary of State, Official Manual of the State of Missouri, for the Years 1891-1892, (Jefferson City, MO: Tribune Printing Company, State Printers and Binders, 1892), 249, information courtesy of the Missouri Digital Heritage website, Missouri State Archives, accessed June 20, 2021, available from https://cdm16795.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/bluebook/id/1299 See also: F. M. Brown, reporter, “Constitutional Amendment” Reports of Cases Determined by the State of Missouri, vol. 102, (Columbia, MO: E. W. Stephens Publishing Co., 1891), iv-v. Publication located in the Supreme Court of Missouri Law Library.

[xvi] F. M. Brown, reporter, “Constitutional Amendment” Reports of Cases Determined by the State of Missouri, vol. 102, (Columbia, MO: E. W. Stephens Publishing Co., 1891), iv-v. Publication located in the Supreme Court of Missouri Law Library.

[xvii] Alexander A. Lesueur, compiler, Alexander A. Lesueur, Secretary of State, Official Manual of the State of Missouri, for the Years 1893-1894, (Jefferson City, MO: Tribune Printing Company, State Printers and Binders, 1893), 123, information courtesy of the Missouri Digital Heritage website, Missouri State Archives, accessed July 9, 2021, available from https://cdm16795.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/bluebook/id/1299

[xviii] Alexander A. Lesueur, compiler, Alexander A. Lesueur, Secretary of State, Official Manual of the State of Missouri, For the Years 1895-96, (Jefferson City, MO: Tribune Printing Company, State Printers and Binders, 1896), 142, information courtesy of the Missouri Digital Heritage website, Missouri State Archives, accessed August 23, 2021, available from https://mdh.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/bluebook/id/2772/rec/10

[xix] Perry S. Rader, reporter, “In Memory of George B. Macfarlane,” Reports of Cases Determined by the State of Missouri, 1898, vol. 143, (Columbia, MO: E. W. Stephens Publishing Co., 1898), xxii. Publication located in the Supreme Court of Missouri Law Library. See also: “Death of Judge Macfarlane,” Marion County Herald, (Palmyra, Missouri), February 17, 1898, information courtesy of the State Historical Society of Missouri’s Newspaper Database, accessed on August 23, 2021, available from https://shsmo.newspapers.com/image/118003951/?terms=george%20b.%20macfarlane&match=1


Biographical Information Authored by Ms. Lillian Williams, 2021, University of Missouri-Columbia, Missouri.

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