Minnesotans

James M. Beck recently presented Mr. Coolidge with his resignation as Solicitor General (TIME, May 11), consequently the President has been casting about for a successor. Last week, he picked. He picked William D. Mitchell of St. Paul. This Mr. Mitchell has never before held political office. He is the son of a man who sat in the Minnesota Supreme Court. Now, at 50, he has been practicing law for 29 years. He is a member of the firm of Butler, Mitchell & Doherty. His chief excursions outside of the law have been into military life. He served as a lieutenant in the Spanish American War, at one time commanded the state militia. During the World War, he organized the Sixth Minnesota Infantry and was made its Colonel, only to resign and enlist as a private in the Artillery Corps of the Regular Army where he remained until the end of the War. The job of Solicitor General consists chiefly in representing the Government before the courts in certain more im- portant cases. The Solicitor General makes frequent appearances before the Supreme Court. When Mr. Mitchell went before the court last week, he scanned the faces of nine Justices and certainly recognized one of them--the face of Mr. Pierce Butler of Minnesota-- certainly -- because Mr. Pierce Butler before he was raised to the Supreme Court, used to be a law partner of Mr. William D. Mitchell.