Robert H. Schumacher, Judge, 1987-2005

Robert H. Schumacher served on the Minnesota Court of Appeals from December 1, 1987 to September 9, 2005

Robert Hector Schumacher was born on a then-record setting -34 degree day in Minneapolis on January 21, 1936. He graduated from St. Paul's Cretin High School and earned his undergraduate degree from the College of St. Thomas in 1957. In 1962 he graduated from William Mitchell College of Law and passed the Minnesota bar.

After law school, Judge Schumacher began practicing law with his brother and Eugene Minenko in a firm that later became known as Feinberg, Meyers, Schumacher, and Schumacher. After 12 years of private practice, Judge Schumacher was appointed to the Hennepin County Municipal Court bench by Governor Wendell Anderson in 1974. He served as a municipal court judge for 10 years before being appointed to the Hennepin County District Court by Governor Rudy Perpich on June 20, 1984. He was elected Chief Judge of the Hennepin County District Court for a two year term on June 5th, 1987, but only served as Chief Judge for a few months before being appointed to a seat on the Minnesota Court of Appeals by Governor Rudy Perpich on December 1, 1987. 

Judge Schumacher served on the Court of Appeals for 18 years before retiring on September 9, 2005. After his retirement from the bench, he continued to work as an arbitrator and mediator. His arbitration and mediation work included several high-profile disputes. In 2007 he was part of a three-person panel that determined the value of the land being considered as the location for the new Minnesota Twins ballpark. Judge Schumacher passed away on April 14, 2016. He was survived by his ex-wife, Denise, and two of their three children.

You may read more about the life and work of Robert H. Schumacher in the research resources linked in this guide, which are the sources of this brief biography.