J. Neely Johnson

Cornelius M. Brosnan

In 1864, the people elected Cornelius Brosnan, one of three men to serve as a justice on the first Nevada Supreme Court bench. He had only lived in Virginia City since 1862.

Nevada State Government: An Overview

On March 2, 1861, United States President James Buchanan signed into law a bill passed earlier by Congress to establish the Territory of Nevada from a portion of the Utah Territory. Carson City was selected to be the seat of government of the new territory and has served as Nevada's state capital ever since.

Nevada was rushed into statehood earlier than other states because of issues involving the Civil War and the commitment of President Abraham Lincoln to preserve the union. On October 31, 1864, Lincoln signed the act to make Nevada the thirty-sixth state.

Henry O. Beatty

In 1864, Henry Oscar Beatty became one of three men elected to be a justice on the first Nevada Supreme Court bench. He moved to Nevada at the beginning of the gold rush and left when he retired from the bench.

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