Editing Pierce Butler (judge) (section)

==Legal career==
[[File:Pierce Butler (1866–1939) in Progressive Men of Minnesota, 1897.png|thumb|left|175px|Butler in 1897]]

He was elected as county attorney in [[Ramsey County, Minnesota|Ramsey County]] in 1892, and re-elected in 1894.<ref name="SCHS">{{cite web |url=http://www.supremecourthistory.org/history-of-the-court/associate-justices/pierce-butler-1923-1939/ |title=Pierce Butler |publisher=[[Supreme Court Historical Society]] |access-date=July 24, 2012 |archive-date=September 15, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120915095518/http://www.supremecourthistory.org/history-of-the-court/associate-justices/pierce-butler-1923-1939/ |url-status=live }}</ref>  Butler joined the law firm of How & Eller in 1896, which became How & Butler after the death of Homer C. Eller the following year. He accepted an offer to practice in [[St. Paul, Minnesota]], where he took care of railroad-related litigation for [[James J. Hill]]. He was highly successful in representing railroads.<ref name="Britannica">{{cite journal |title=Pierce Butler |journal=Encyclopædia Britannica |year=2012 |access-date=July 24, 2012 |url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/86539/Pierce-Butler |archive-date=November 23, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111123094444/http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/86539/Pierce-Butler |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1905 he returned to private practice and rejoined Jared How.  He had also served as a lawyer for the company owned by his five brothers.  In 1908, Butler was elected [[List of Minnesota State Bar Association Presidents|President]] of the [[Minnesota State Bar Association]].

From 1912 to 1922, he worked in railroad law in [[Canada]], alternately representing the shareholders of railroad companies and the Canadian government; he produced favorable results for both.  When he was nominated for the [[United States Supreme Court]] in 1922, Butler was in the process of winning approximately $12,000,000 for the [[Toronto Street Railway]] shareholders.