John Kilkenny

John Francis Kilkenny (October 26, 1901 – February 17, 1995) was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and previously was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Oregon. Early life Kilkenny's father and uncle immigrated to Morrow County, Oregon, from County Leitrim in Ireland in the 1890s. They worked for the railroads until they had saved enough money to buy land. John Kilkenny was born in Heppner, Oregon on October 26, 1901. He was raised on a sheep farm and attended the one-room Alpine School before being sent to Portland, Oregon, where he attended the private boys' boarding school Columbia Preparatory. After graduation, Kilkenny went on to the Notre Dame Law School, graduating in 1925 with cum laude honors earning a Bachelor of Laws. At Notre Dame, Kilkenny tried out for the football team, then coached by Knute Rockne, but a knee injury kept him from playing. He helped manage one of the teams and was assigned by Rockne the task of acquiring four horses for the Four Horsemen photograph in 1924 due to his experience growing up on a ranch. Legal career