Thomas F. Gallagher

Who was Thomas F. Gallagher?

Thomas F. Gallagher was a Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court from 1943 until his retirement in 1967.

He attended St. Thomas Academy, then located in Saint Paul, Minnesota but graduated from Faribault High School in 1915. He earned his B.A. in 1919 from the University of Minnesota after having interrupted his schooling in 1918 to serve as a commissioned officer in the United States Field Artillery. In 1921 he was graduated from the University of Minnesota Law School with an LL.B.. He practiced law in Minneapolis from 1921 until 1942, at first with his cousin, John E. Tappan, the founder of Investors Diversified Services, Inc.. In 1929, Judge Gallagher opened his own law office in Minneapolis, where he practiced until 1942.

In 1936, Judge Gallagher was the Democratic Party’s candidate for the office of Attorney General. He led the Minnesota campaign for President Franklin D. Roosevelt, speaking from a sound truck-trailer on street corners in more than 400 Minnesota villages, towns and cities. In 1938, he was the Democratic Party’s candidate for Governor of Minnesota. This was prior to the merger of the Democratic and Farmer Labor parties, now known as the DFL.