Buell A. Nesbett

Buell Arthur Nesbett (sometimes misspelled as Nesbitt; June 2, 1910 in New Mexico – August 17, 1993 in Anchorage, Alaska) was an American soldier, lawyer, businessman, and the first chief justice of the Alaska Supreme Court.

Buell A. Nesbett
Chief Justice of the Alaska Supreme Court
In office 1959–1971
Personal details
Born	(1910-06-02)June 2, 1910 New Mexico
Died	August 17, 1993(1993-08-17) (aged 83) Anchorage, Alaska
Education	University of San Francisco School of Law

Buell A. Nesbett
Allegiance	United States
Branch	United States Navy
Awards	Bronze Star Medal

Born in New Mexico, Nesbett earned his law degree at the University of San Francisco in 1940 and served with distinction in the Navy during World War II, commanding the USS Atlas and earning a Bronze Star.^[1]

He settled in Anchorage, Alaska after the war and practiced law until his appointment in 1959 to be the first chief justice of the newly created Alaska Supreme Court. Given three years to set up the new state's courts, he accomplished the job in 6 months.^[2] He served on the court until 1970, when an airplane accident led him to resign for health reasons.^{[citation needed]}

Downtown Anchorage in early 2007. The Nesbett Courthouse is at left.

Nesbett was also involved with an effort to reopen an Alaskan coal mine; he was president of the Buffalo Coal Mining Company and suffered financial losses when the company was unable to successfully reopen the mine.^[3]

Personal life and death

Nesbett married Enid Elsie "Barbara" Allen, an English nurse whom he met in England during the war. He died of leukemia in Anchorage in 1993, aged 83. He was survived by his wife, six children (2 sons and 4 daughters), and 11 grandchildren.^[4] The state courthouse in Anchorage is named in his honor.^[5]