Hiram Knowles was born in Hamden, Maine, in 1834, the son of Freeman Knowles, a ship's captain and medical doctor. When he was four years old the family moved to Illinois and two years later to Keokuk, Lee County, Iowa. In 1850, young Knowles accompanied his father west to California to search for gold, staying there a year. He was educated at Denmark Academy, Antioch College, and Harvard Law School. In 1862, Knowles returned west, this time to Nevada, where he practiced law for four years, serving also as district attorney and probate judge for Humboldt County. In 1865, he moved to Idaho, and a year later to Montana. During his first years in Montana, Knowles combined a law practice with prospecting and mining. In 1868, President Andrew Johnson appointed him Associate Justice of the territorial supreme court. He was re-appointed to this position, successively, in 1872 and 1876. He found the court records in a chaotic condition and during the course of his three terms organized them. In 1879, Knowles resigned from the bench to return to the private practice of law. In 1884, in his one excursion into politics, Knowles ran unsuccessfully for territorial delegate to Congress. In 1890, President Benjamin Harrison appointed Knowles federal district judge for the Montana district. He served in that position until his retirement in 1904. Judge Hiram Knowles died April 6, 1911.
The collection consists primarily of correspondence (1877-1879) with Angus McDonald concerning the Nez Perce and Flathead tribes. There is also a reminiscence by William H. Todd of their trip to Yellowstone, several letters concerning family and political affairs, and two miscellaneous writings by Knowles. Also certificates of appointment as Associate Justice to the Supreme Courty Montana Territory, U.S. District Judge, Constitutional Convention delegate election, Doctrate of Law from the University of Montana.
This collection is arranged into three series: General Correspondence (1856-1909); Writings (1856, undated); and Miscellany (1868-1904).
Collection open for research.
Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of the Montana Historical Society Library & Archives. The Library & Archives does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collection. In some cases permission for use may require additional authorization from the copyright owners. For more information contact an archivist.
Item description and date. Collection Title. Collection Number. Box and Folder numbers. Montana Historical Society Library & Archives. Helena, Montana.
Acquisition information available upon request.
Certificates and diplomas transferred to Library. See inventory below for more information.
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the Montana Historical Society Archives catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search under these terms.
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection