1978 United States Senate election in Montana
The 1978 United States Senate election in Montana took place on November 7, 1978. Following the death of United States Senator Lee Metcalf on January 12, 1978, Montana Supreme Court Chief Justice Paul G. Hatfield was appointed to serve for the remainder of Metcalf's term. Hatfield opted to run for re-election, but was overwhelmingly defeated in the Democratic primary by United States Congressman Max Baucus of the 1st congressional district. Baucus advanced to the general election, where he was opposed by Larry R. Williams, an author and the Republican nominee. Baucus ended up defeating Williams by a solid margin to win his first term in the Senate, and, following Hatfield's resignation on December 12, 1978, he began serving his first term in the Senate.
Horace R. Buck
On August 16, 1881, Buck married Mary E. Jewett, daughter of Dr. Pliny Jewett, a distinguished New England physician, in New Haven, Connecticut, with whom he had three children. In 1884, Buck was elected to the Council, the higher branch of the Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Montana. In 1887, he moved to Helena, Montana, where he continued in the practice of the law, and served for several years the official reporter of decisions of the Montana Supreme Court. He also prepared and published a complete digest of the first eight volumes of the Montana Reports. In 1891 he was appointed a District Judge for the First Judicial District of Montana, to fill a vacancy on the bench caused by the creation of an additional judgeship; and in 1892 was elected to the office of District Judge for a full term of four years. In 1896 he was elected an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the State.