Abram Bergen (often misreported with first name Abraham or last name Berger; c. 1836 – February 5, 1906)[1][2] was an American lawyer who served as a justice of the New Mexico Territorial Supreme Court from 1869 to 1870.[3]

As a young attorney, Bergen witnessed the "Almanac trial", in which Abraham Lincoln, as counsel for criminal defendant Duff Armstrong, won his case by using an almanac to demonstrate that the prosecution witness was lying about there being a full moon enabling him to see clearly on the night of the crime. Later in life, Bergen confirmed in an interview that Lincoln had not modified the almanac, as some stories claimed.[4] As of 1869, Bergen was serving in the Minnesota Senate.[5][6]

On April 13, 1869, it was reported that Bergen was among the nominees sent to Congress by the administration of President Ulysses S. Grant,[7] having been nominated for a seat on the New Mexico territorial supreme court.[1][7] Bergen was appointed from Fillmore County, Minnesota.[8][9]

Bergen served on the New Mexico court for only a year before returning east, moving to Garnett, Kansas, where "Bergen and L. K. Kirk formed a partnership, and together they practiced law for some time".[1] Eventually, the partnership dissolved, and Bergen settled in Topeka, Kansas, in 1882.[5] At the time of his death, Bergen was described as "one of the best-known and most successful lawyers of the state", and "in the front rank in the legal profession", with a practice that "was not confined to Kansas, for his legal ability was known far and wide".[1]

Bergen died at his home in Topeka, after a brief illness at the age of 69 or 70. His death was caused by pneumonia and heart trouble, and it was reported that he had been ailing about three weeks, but was seriously sick for only a few days.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Judge Abram Bergen Dead", Garnett Independent Review (February 9, 1906), p. 4.
  2. ↑ "Prominent Jurist Dead", Coffeyville Daily Record (February 5, 1906), p. 1.
  3. ↑ Anderson, George B. (1907). History of New Mexico: its resources and people. Vol. 1. Los Angeles: Pacific States Pub. Co. OCLC 1692911.
  4. ↑ George R. Dekle Sr., Abraham Lincoln's Most Famous Case: The Almanac Trial (2014), p. 55.
  5. 1 2 "News Condensations", Mower County Transcript (February 14, 1906), p. 10.
  6. ↑ "Minnesota Political Notes", The Winona Daily Republican (September 13, 1869), p. 2.
  7. 1 2 "Nominations", Western Home Journal (April 15, 1869), p. 2.
  8. ↑ "Minnesota Appointments", The St. Cloud Journal (April 22, 1869), p. 2.
  9. ↑ New Mexico Supreme Court, Report of Cases Determined in the Supreme Court and Court of New Mexico, Volume 5 (1896), p. 4.
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