William L. Nuessle Papers, 1904-1959

William L. Nuessle Papers

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Collection Overview

Title: William L. Nuessle Papers, 1904-1959

ID: OGLMC0044

Primary Creator: Nuessle, William L.

Extent: 12.5 Linear Feet

Date Acquired: 04/04/1970. More info below under Accruals.

Subjects: Legal - North Dakota Supreme Court, University of North Dakota - Alumni

Languages: English

Abstract

1878-1959; North Dakota Supreme Court, 1922-1950

Scope and Contents of the Materials

The William L. Nuessle Papers date from 1904-1959 and have been divided into six series:

Series 1: Correspondence, 1904-1959

Series 2: Farming, 1914-1959

Series 3: Judicial, 1919-1950

Series 4: Political, 1934-1947

Series 5: Miscellaneous

Series 6: Photographs

Collection Historical Note

William L. Nuessle was born May 5, 1878 in North Boston, New York. He was the son of Christopher and Mary (Vail) Nuessle. His family moved to the Dakota Territory in 1886, and settled on a farm near Emerado. Nuessle was educated at public schools in the area and attended the University of North Dakota following his graduation from high school.

While at UND, Nuessle played tackle on the undefeated 1899 football team. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1899. He also completed a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1901, and was admitted to the North Dakota Bar that same year. He practiced in Grand Forks for a short time before moving to McLean County in 1902. He married Emma Weiss in Crystal, North Dakota, on December 28, 1904. The couple had four children: William, Robert, Francis, and Mary Louise.

Nuessle was elected the State's Attorney for McLean County in 1904, and served in this position until 1909. He was elected to District Court in 1913. He served in the Sixth and Fourth Judicial Districts, and gained notoriety for his decision against Governor Frazier's takeover of the coal mines in 1919. He was elected to the North Dakota Supreme Court in 1922. He retired from the Court when his last term expired on December 31, 1950. Nuessle acted as the Court's Chief Justice in 1928-1929, 1933, 1939-1941, and from 1949-1950.

Nuessle was active in the Boy Scouts of America, and received the Silver Beaver Award from the Missouri Valley Scout Council. He acted as a trustee for the Bismarck Hospital for over twenty five years. He was also an active member in the American and North Dakota Bar Associations, as well as the Masons, Elks, and the Rotary. Nuessle was awarded an Alumni Achievement Citation by the UND Alumni Association in 1956.

William L. Nuessle died in Bismarck on March 30, 1959.

Subject/Index Terms

Legal - North Dakota Supreme Court
University of North Dakota - Alumni

Administrative Information

Repository: Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections

Accruals: Additional material was donated by Dr. Robert F. Nuessle on May 16, 1977 (Acc.77-417).

Access Restrictions: Open for inspection under the rules and regulations of the Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections.

Acquisition Source: Dr. Robert F. Nuessle

Acquisition Method: Donation

Preferred Citation: (Description of Item). William L. Nuessle Papers. OGLMC 44, Box #, Folder #. Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections, Chester Fritz Library, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks.

Finding Aid Revision History: Finding aid migrated to Archon in February 2015.

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Series:

[Series 1: Correspondence, 1904-1959],
[Series 2: Farming, 1914-1959],
[Series 3: Judicial, 1919-1950],
[Series 4: Political, 1934-1947],
[Series 5: Miscellaneous],
[Series 6: Photographs],
[All]

Series 1: Correspondence, 1904-1959

William Nuessle was a prodigious letter writer and the majority of the collection consists of his correspondence. Included are business, legal, and personal letters, with a fair amount of the correspondence taking the form of a regular "Newsletter" he wrote to his family. The newsletters discuss everyday events in Nuessle's life and career, as well as current events, local happenings, politics, agriculture, and the weather. Nuessle also used the newsletters to provide updates on various members of his family.

Box 1

Folder 18: General Correspondence, 1904-June 1905
Folder 19: General Correspondence, July-August 1905
Folder 20: General Correspondence, September-October 1905
Folder 21: General Correspondence, November-December 1905
Folder 22: General Correspondence, 1905

Box 2

Folder 1: Correspondence, 1917, 1922-1925
Folder 2: Correspondence, 1926-1927
Folder 3: Correspondence, 1928
Folder 4: Correspondence, 1929
Folder 5: Correspondence, 1930
Folder 6: Correspondence, January-June 1931
Folder 7: Correspondence, July-December 1931
Folder 8: Correspondence, January-June 1932
Folder 9: Correspondence, July-December 1932
Folder 10: Correspondence, January-June 1933
Folder 11: Correspondence July-December 1933
Folder 12: Correspondence, January-June 1934
Folder 13: Correspondence, July-December 1934
Folder 14: Correspondence, January-June 1935
Folder 15: Correspondence, July-December 1935
Folder 16: Correspondence, January-June 1936
Folder 17: Correspondence, July-December 1936

Box 3

Folder 1: Correspondence, January-June 1937
Folder 2: Correspondence, July-December 1937
Folder 3: Correspondence, January-June 1938
Folder 4: Correspondence, July-December 1938
Folder 5: Correspondence, January-June 1939
Folder 6: Correspondence, July-December 1939
Folder 7: Correspondence, January-June 1940
Folder 8: Correspondence, July-December 1940
Folder 9: Correspondence, January-June 1941
Folder 10: Correspondence, July-December 1941
Folder 11: Correspondence, January-June 1942
Folder 12: Correspondence, July-December 1942
Folder 13: Correspondence, January-June 1943
Folder 14: Correspondence, July-December 1943
Folder 15: Correspondence, January-June 1944
Folder 16: Correspondence, July-December 1944
Folder 17: Correspondence, January-June 1945
Folder 18: Correspondence, July-December 1945

Box 4

Folder 1: Correspondence, 1946
Folder 2: Correspondence, January-June 1947
Folder 3: Correspondence, July-December 1947
Folder 4: Correspondence, January-June 1948
Folder 5: Correspondence, July-December 1948
Folder 6: Correspondence, January-June 1949
Folder 7: Correspondence, July-October 1949
Folder 8: Correspondence, November-December 1949
Folder 9: Correspondence, January-June 1950
Folder 10: Correspondence, July-December 1950
Folder 11: Correspondence, 1951-1952
Folder 12: Correspondence, January-June 1953
Folder 13: Correspondence, July-December 1953

Box 5

Folder 1: Correspondence, January-June 1954
Folder 2: Correspondence, July-December 1954
Folder 3: Correspondence, January-June 1955
Folder 4: Correspondence, July-December 1955
Folder 5: Correspondence, January-June 1956
Folder 6: Correspondence, July-December 1956
Folder 7: Correspondence, January-June 1957
Folder 8: Correspondence, July-December 1957
Folder 9: Correspondence, 1958-1959

Box 8

Folder 9: Family Correspondence, December 1958-March 1959
Folder 10: Family Correspondence, June-November 1958
Folder 11: Family Correspondence, January-May 1958
Folder 12: Family Correspondence, August-December 1957
Folder 13: Family Correspondence, January-July 1957
Folder 14: Correspondence, 1956, A-H
Folder 15: Correspondence, 1956, I-R
Folder 16: Correspondence, 1956, S
Folder 17: Correspondence, 1956, T-Z
Folder 18: Correspondence, 1956, Miscellaneous
Folder 19: Correspondence, 1955, A-G
Folder 20: Correspondence, 1955, H-N
Folder 21: Correspondence, 1955, O-T
Folder 22: Correspondence, 1955, U-Z
Folder 23: Correspondence, 1954, A-F
Folder 24: Correspondence, 1954, G-O
Folder 25: Correspondence, 1954, P-Z
Folder 26: Correspondence, 1952-1953, A-C
Folder 27: Correspondence, 1952-1953, D-J
Folder 28: Correspondence, 1952-1953, K-P
Folder 29: Correspondence, 1952-1953, R-Z
Folder 30: Correspondence, 1951-1952, A-C
Folder 31: Correspondence, 1951-1952, E-L

Box 9

Folder 1: Correspondence, 1951-1952, M-R
Folder 2: Correspondence, 1951-1952, S-Z
Folder 3: Family Correspondence, May-December 1952
Folder 4: Family Correspondence, October 1951-February 1952
Folder 5: Family Correspondence, May-September 1951
Folder 6: Family Correspondence, 1941-1945
Folder 8: H.N. Wallin Correspondence, April 1955-July 1956
Folder 9: H.N. Wallin Correspondence, 1954-February 1955
Folder 10: H.N. Wallin Correspondence, August-November 1953
Folder 11: H.N. Wallin Correspondence, January-August 1953
Folder 12: H.N. Wallin Correspondence, 1950-1952
Folder 13: H.N. Wallin Correspondence, 1944
Folder 14: H.N. Wallin Correspondence, 1943
Folder 15: H.N. Wallin Correspondence, 1942
Folder 16: H.N. Wallin Correspondence, 1941
Folder 17: H.N. Wallin Correspondence, 1940
Folder 18: H.N. Wallin Correspondence, 1939
Folder 19: H.N. Wallin Correspondence, 1938
Folder 20: H.N. Wallin Correspondence, 1936-1937
Folder 21: H.N. Wallin Correspondence, 1934-1935
Folder 22: H.N. Wallin Correspondence, 1933

Department of Special Collections
Digital Finding Aids