An 1881 law expanded the number of justices on the Supreme Court from three to five. Governor John Pillsbury appointed William Mitchell and Greenleaf Clark to the seats in March 1881.
Associate Justice Mitchell was a former attorney from Winona, District Court Judge in the Third Judicial District, and candidate for Associate Supreme Court Justice in 1871 and 1878.
Dickinson was appointed to the Court by Governor John Pillsbury on June 3, 1881 due to the death of Associate Justice Francis Cornell on May 23, 1881. Dickinson was a former Mankato attorney and District Court Judge of the Sixth Judicial District.
Vandenburgh was a resident of Minneapolis and District Court Judge of the Fourth Judicial District.
Associate Justice Clark was an attorney from St. Paul and regent of the University of Minnesota. Clark was the first sitting Justice to be defeated at the ballot box.