Henry Franklin Severens

Born in Rockingham, Vermont, Severens received an Artium Baccalaureus degree from Middlebury College in 1857 and read law to enter the bar in 1859. He was in private practice in Three Rivers, Michigan from 1860 to 1861. He was prosecuting attorney of St. Joseph County, Michigan from 1861 to 1864, returning to private practice in Kalamazoo, Michigan from 1865 to 1886. During that time, he was also land developer in Allegan County, Michigan.[1]

Severens was nominated by President Grover Cleveland on May 14, 1886, to a seat on the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan vacated by Judge Solomon Lewis Withey. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on May 25, 1886, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on March 16, 1900, due to his elevation to the Sixth Circuit.[1]

Severens was nominated by President William McKinley on February 6, 1900, to a joint seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and the United States Circuit Courts for the Sixth Circuit vacated by Judge William Howard Taft. He was confirmed by the Senate on February 20, 1900, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on October 3, 1911, due to his resignation.[1]

Severens died on June 8, 1923, in Kalamazoo.[1]

• Henry Franklin Severens at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.