Dennis Francis Donovan
Appointed by President Harry S Truman in 1945 and confirmed by voice vote, Dennis Francis Donovan was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota. He earned a law degree from University of Michigan Law School in 1913. Rulings & record ↓ Sources ↓
- Lived
- 1889–1974
- Appointed by
- Harry S Truman, 1945
- Confirmed
- by voice vote
- Education
- University of Michigan Law School 1913
- Succeeded
- George F. Sullivan
- Succeeded by
- Miles Welton Lord
Federal judicial service
| Year | Court | Appointed by | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1945 | District of Minnesota succeeded George F. Sullivan | Truman (D) | Voice vote |
Party letters show the appointing president’s party, not the judge’s own. A voice vote means the chamber approved aloud. No senator-by-senator tally is recorded.
Confirmation vote
Voice vote
The Senate approved this confirmation aloud, with no senator-by-senator tally recorded. Recorded roll-call votes begin in 1989.
Education
| University of Michigan Law School | LL.B. | 1913 |
Judicial Record
In our data, Donovan authored 52 published opinions for the court (1945–1965). Most cited: Travelers Insurance Co. v. American Fidelity & Cas. Co. (28 citations).
A selective record from published opinions in the CourtListener corpus, not every ruling; most unpublished district orders are not included. Counts and rankings are objective and recomputable: how we count. We describe the record, not the judge.
Recent & notable rulings
| Year | Case | Citation | Cited |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | Travelers Insurance Co. v. American Fidelity & Cas. Co. | 164 F. Supp. 393 | 28 |
| 1960 | Hutchinson v. Boyd and Sons Press Sales, Inc. | 188 F. Supp. 876 | 19 |
| 1960 | Mattson v. Cuyuna Ore Company | 180 F. Supp. 743 | 18 |
| 1961 | Peerless Insurance Co. v. Cerny & Associates, Inc. | 199 F. Supp. 951 | 16 |
| 1955 | Tate v. Knox | 131 F. Supp. 514 | 16 |
| 1947 | Smith v. Cudahy Packing Co. | 76 F. Supp. 575 | 13 |
| 1961 | Frankel v. United States | 192 F. Supp. 776 | 12 |
| 1953 | United States v. Northern Pac. Ry. Co. | 116 F. Supp. 277 | 12 |
| 1950 | Helgeson v. Barz | 89 F. Supp. 429 | 12 |
| 1948 | Mattson v. Connecticut Fire Ins. Co. of Hartford | 80 F. Supp. 101 | 12 |
| 1963 | Moosbrugger v. McGraw-Edison Company | 215 F. Supp. 486 | 11 |
| 1958 | McCormick v. United States | 159 F. Supp. 920 | 11 |
| 1947 | Karas v. Klein | 70 F. Supp. 469 | 11 |
| 1965 | Richard v. Celebrezze | 247 F. Supp. 183 | 10 |
| 1960 | McMenomy v. Wonder Building Corporation of America | 188 F. Supp. 213 | 10 |
Showing the 15 most-cited of 52 authored opinions in our data. “Cited” is inbound citations across the CourtListener corpus. Case links open the ruling’s full text (CourtListener) or its page here; read the methodology and verify against the primary source.
Questions & answers
- Who appointed Dennis Francis Donovan?
- President Harry S Truman appointed Dennis Francis Donovan to the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota in 1945.
- Was Dennis Francis Donovan appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?
- Dennis Francis Donovan was appointed by President Harry S Truman, a Democrat. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
- What was Dennis Francis Donovan's confirmation vote?
- Dennis Francis Donovan was confirmed by voice vote on July 17, 1945. No senator-by-senator tally was recorded.
- Which court was Dennis Francis Donovan on?
- Dennis Francis Donovan was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota.
Sources
Each fact on this page traces to a primary public record.
- FJC Biographical Directory
- Wikidata
- CourtListener bulk data (Free Law Project): authored opinions & citation counts
How we source & reconcile data → Data & Sources
See something wrong? Report an error. Fixes are logged in the corrections log.
29 years on the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota. Data as of 2026-08-10. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).