Biography

Henry N. Graven (1893-1970) was born in Saint James, Minnesota. In 1921, he graduated from the University of Minnesota with both his B.A. and LL.B. That same year, after being admitted to the bar in both Iowa and Minnesota, he began a law practice in Greene, Iowa, with his brother James. Graven served as Iowa's Assistant Attorney General from 1936-1937 and was also council to the Iowa Highway Commission. He left his law practice in 1937 when Governor Kraschel appointed him Judge of the 12th Judicial District of Iowa. Judge Graven instigated the program of continuing legal education which was later adopted by the Iowa State Bar Association. In 1944, President Franklin D. Roosevelt nominated him to the federal bench. He was a U.S. District Judge for the northern district of Iowa until 1961, when he informed President Kennedy of his desire to retire from his regular duties. However, as a United States Senior District Judge, during his retirement Judge Graven was called upon to serve in many jurisdictions with overcrowded schedules. Consequently, he held court in New York, North Dakota, Florida, Texas, Louisiana, California, and Puerto Rico.   Active in the American Lutheran Church, Judge Graven initiated the pastoral system for the church, which has served as a guideline for other similar pension plans of other religious sects. For twenty five years, he served as the chairman of the Pension Board of the American Lutheran Church. Judge Graven was also a member and former president of the Board of Trustees of the School of Religion at the University of Iowa.

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