Matthew John Kane

Matthew John Kane
Chief Justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court
In office 1909 – January 11, 1910
Preceded by	Robert L. Williams
Succeeded by	Jesse James Dunn
In office 1915–1917
Preceded by	Samuel W. Hayes
Succeeded by	J. F. Sharp
Justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court
In office November 16, 1907 – 1923
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	J.D. Lydick
Personal details
Born	November 28, 1863 Niagara County, New York, US
Died	January 2, 1924(1924-01-02) (aged 60) Oklahoma City, US
Relatives	M. John Kane IV (great-grandson)

Matthew John Kane (November 28, 1863 – January 2, 1924) was a justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court from 1907 to 1923, serving as chief justice from 1909 to 1911. A native of New York state, he earned a law degree at Georgetown University. Joining the Land Run of 1889 in Indian Territory, he settled in Kingfisher, Oklahoma.

Matthew John Kane was born to Anthony and Mary (Dunn) Kane of Niagara County, New York on November 28, 1863. He was the eldest of seven siblings. He graduated from Georgetown University in the class of 1886 with a law degree,^[1][a] Kane then went west to Wichita and to Harper, Kansas, before joining the Land Run of 1889 in Indian Territory. After the run, he settled in Kingfisher, Oklahoma, and soon became chief deputy for Patrick S. Nagle, the U.S. Marshal in Oklahoma.

Kane became a delegate to the Oklahoma Constitutional Convention, shortly before the granting of statehood.^[2] He was also a delegate to the Universal Congress of Lawyers and Jurists, in St. Louis, 1904.^[3]

After Oklahoma officially became a state on November 16, 1907, Kane was one of the judges elected to the first session of the Oklahoma Supreme Court. Jesse James Dunn was elected at the same time. Since both had the same seniority and would have represented the same judicial district, they agreed that Dunn should serve during the first term (1908-9) while Kane should serve during the second (1910–11). The issue was permanently resolved when Dunn resigned the seat in 1913 to move to California.

A brief summary of Justice Kane's life on the Oklahoma Supreme Court indicate that he established important precedents for the state in his arguments concerning taxation and the descent and distribution of Indian lands.^[1]

Kane married Miss Kathleen Reagan (1883–1968) of St. Paul County, Kansas on June 9, 1908. They had three children: Matthew John, Jr., Kathleen and Anthony Reagan Kane. Justice Kane's great-grandson Matthew John Kane IV followed in his footsteps, being appointed to the Oklahoma Supreme Court by Governor Kevin Stitt in September 2019.^[4]

The Knights of Columbus in Oklahoma presents its Matthew John Kane public service award to individuals who have performed significant service to the Catholic Church and Oklahoma. Its namesake was the first Roman Catholic to become a justice on the Oklahoma Supreme Court.^[b]