Obituaries VII – Supreme Court Justices
A total of five men served as Chief Justices of the Court between 1789 and 1864. One of them, South Carolina’s John Rutledge, was quickly removed by the Senate.
The Five “Courts” Up To The Civil War
| The Jay Court | Rutledge * | Ellsworth | Marshall | Taney Court | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Begins | Oct 19, 1789 | Aug 12, 1795 | Mar 8, 1796 | Feb 4, 1801 | Mar 28, 1836 |
| Ends | June 29, 1795 | Dec 15, 1795 | Dec 15, 1800 | July 6, 1835 | Oct 12, 1864 |
| # Years | 5.7 | 0.3 | 3.8 | 34.5 | 28.5 |
| # Rulings | 3 | 1 | 11 | 1000+ | 500+ |
The size of the Court changed twice over time. In 1789 the total number of seats was 6, with the Chief Justice joined by 5 Associates. In 1807 the total grew to 7 and in 1837 to 9, the ongoing number.
# Seats On The Court
| 1789 | 1807 | 1837 |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | 7 | 9 |
A total of 37 Justices, all men, sat on the court between 1789 and 1864, the conclusion of the Taney Court. A total of 27 were educated at colleges, with 7 attending Princeton, 4 at William & Mary, 3 at Harvard and 2 at Yale. Ten learned the law on their own.
Education of 37 Justices (1789-1864)
| Universities | # | Justices |
|---|---|---|
| Princeton | 7 | Ellsworth, Patterson, Livingston, Thompson, W Johnson, Daniel, Wayne |
| William & Mary | 4 | Marshall, Washington, Barbour, Blair |
| Harvard | 3 | Cushing, Story, Curtis |
| Yale | 2 | Baldwin, Davis |
| Dartmouth | 1 | Woodbury |
| Columbia | 1 | Jay |
| Dickinson | 2 | Taney, Grier |
| Georgia | 1 | Campbell |
| Middlebury | 1 | Nelson |
| New Hampton | 1 | Clifford |
| Liberty Hall | 1 | Todd |
| Transylvania | 1 | Miller |
| Edinburgh | 1 | Wilson |
| Middle Temple | 1 | Rutledge |
| None | 10 | Chase, Duvall, Moore, Trimble, McLean, T Johnson, Iredell, Swayne, McKinley, Catron |
| 37 |
Ten Justices were among the nation’s Founding Fathers:
| John Jay, Roger Wilson, John Rutledge, John Blair, William Patterson, Oliver Ellsworth, Samuel Chase, Bushrod Washington, William Johnson, John Marshall |
Ownership of enslaved persons was divided about equally among the members.
Ownership of Slaves
| Own Slaves | # | Justices |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | 18 | Marshall, Taney, Rutledge, Miller, Wayne, McKinley, Johnson, Blair, Iredell, Washington, Chase, Moore, Duvall, Wayne, Todd, Trimble, Barbour, Daniel |
| No | 19 | Jay, Ellsworth, Story, Patterson, Livingston, Thompson, W Johnson, Cushing, Curtis, Baldwin, Davis, Woodbury, Grier, Campbell, Nelson, Clifford, Wilson, McLean, Swayne, Catron |
Ranking the effectiveness of the Justices is always open to debate, but here is one relatively credible attempt:
| Best 5 Justices | Worst 5 Justices |
|---|---|
| John Marshall | Thomas Todd |
| Joseph Story | Gabriel Duvall |
| Roger Tawney | Henry Baldwin |
| William Johnson | Peter Daniel |
| Samuel Miller | James Wayne |
Brief profiles of the 37 Justices follow below, beginning with the Scottish scholar and Founding Father James Wilson, who played a major role in shaping the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.
Obituaries
| Name | Death | Age | Cause of death | Birth State | Main Achievements |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Wilson | Aug 28, 1798 | 55 | Malaria, stroke | Scotland | 1789-1798 Washington/7 rulings Signs Declaration of I 3/5th Compromise Committee of Detail |
| James Iredell | Oct 20, 1799 | 48 | Exhaustion | England | 1790-1799 Washington/10 rulings Slave owner Federalist leader in NC |
| John Rutledge | June 21, 1800 | 60 | ? | British South Carolina | 1795 Washington/1 ruling Slave owner Power broker 1787 Draft US Constitution Chief nomination 1795 Senate rejects Attempts suicide |
| John Blair | Aug 31, 1800 | 68 | Natural causes | British Virginia | 1790-1795 Washington/3 rulings Slave owner William & Mary 1787 Delegate |
| Alfred Moore | Jan 26, 1804 | 55 | ? | British North Carolina | 1800-1804 Adams/1 ruling Slave owner Fights in Rev War 2 losses for US Senate |
| William Patterson | Sept 9, 1806 | 60 | Coach accident | Ireland | 1793-1806 Washington/17 rulings NJ Senator & Governor Whiskey Rebellion trial |
| Oliver Ellsworth | Nov 26, 1807 | 62 | Fatigue after Atlantic crossing | British Connecticut | 1796-1800 Washington/11 rulings 1787 delegate Captain Rev War Committee of Detail 3rd Chief 1796-1800 Seeks consensus ruling 11 cases/resigns |
| William Cushing | Sept 13, 1810 | 78 | ? | Massachusetts Bay | 1790-1810 Washington/21 rulings |
| Samuel Chase | June 19, 1811 | 70 | Heart attack | British Maryland | 1796-1811 Washington/11 rulings Slave owner Very pro-Federalist Impeachment trial Acquitted & continues |
| Thomas Johnson | Oct 26, 1819 | 86 | ? | British Maryland | 1791-1793 Washington/1 ruling Brigadier in Rev War Eulogy for GW |
| Brockholst Livingston | Mar 18, 1823 | 65 | ? | British New York | 1807-1823 Jefferson/48 rulings Rev War vet Anti-Federalist Survives assassination attempt Kills man in duel |
| Thomas Todd | Feb 7, 1826 | 61 | ? | British Virginia | 1807-1826 Jefferson/14 rulings Slave owner Fights in Rev War # Seats 6🡪7 No important decisions |
| Robert Trimble | Aug 25, 1828 | 51 | Billious fever | Virginia | 1826-1828 Jefferson/16 rulings Slave owner Kentucky State House Praise from Story |
| John Jay | May 17, 1829 | 83 | Palsy | British New York | 1789-1795 Washington/3 rulings First Chief Justice 1789-1795/ 3 rulings Resigns |
| Bushrod Washington | Nov 26,1829 | 67 | Quinzy | British Virginia | 1798-1829 Adams/84 rulings Slave owner Nephew of GW George Wythe tutor Fights in Rev War Colonization Society |
| William Johnson | Aug 4, 1834 | 62 | Post jaw surgery | British South Carolina | 1804-1834 Jefferson/162 rulings Slave owner Speaker SC House Age 32 when starts Leading dissenter Opposes nullification |
| John Marshall | July 6, 1835 | 79 | Liver disease | British Virginia | 1801-1835 Adams/1000+ rulings Slave owner Combat Rev War Reads law on own Sec of State 1800-01 4th Chief 1801-1835 Defines Court power Marbury v Madison Equal third branch 1,000+ Rulings/dies |
| Philip Barbour | Feb 25, 1841 | 57 | Coronary thrombosis | Virginia | 1835-1841 Jackson/20 rulings Slave owner US House Speaker States’ Rights |
| Smith Thompson | Dec 18, 1843 | 75 | ? | British New York | 1823-1843 Monroe/101 rulings Sec of Navy Amistad consent |
| Gabriel Duvall | Mar 6, 1844 | 91 | Old age | British Maryland | 1811-1835 Jefferson/19 rulings Slave owner U.S. House Abject failure on court |
| Henry Baldwin | April 21, 1844 | 64 | Dementia | Connecticut | 1830-1844 Jackson/66 rulings US House Dissents in Amistad Out of step, ineffective |
| Joseph Story | Sept 10, 1845 | 65 | Unnamed illness | Massachusetts | 1812-1845 Madison/288 rulings Harvard & US House 32 when starts After JQA declines Anti-Jacksonian Strongly pro-Union Dominates the court |
| Levi Woodbury | Sept 4, 1851 | Stomach illness | New Hampshire | 1845-1851 Polk/57 rulings Political career US Senator, Governor Sec Treasury, Navy | |
| John McKinley | July 19, 1852 | 72 | ? | Virginia | 1838-1852 Van Buren/24 rulings Slave owner US House and Senate States’ Rights |
| Peter Daniel | May 31, 1860 | 76 | ? | Virginia | 1842-1860 Van Buren/147 rulings Lt Gov Virginia Kills man in duel Top dissenter Taney Crt Reactionary Dred Scott concurs Very low ratings |
| John McLean | April 4, 1861 | 76 | Pneumonia | New Jersey | 1829-1861 Jackson/299 rulings In all 3 Branches Editor & politician US House/Postmaster Anti-slavery Prigg dissent Dred Scott dissent |
| Roger Taney | Oct 12, 1864 | 87 | Intestinal disease | Maryland | 1836-1864 Jackson/500+ rulings Slave owner Judicial/political career MD State Assembly Andrew Jackson key Sec War/Treasury/AG 5th Chief 1835-1864 1st Cath, 500+ rulings Dred Scott overreach But ranked #2-3 best! |
| John Catron | May 30, 1865 | 79 | ? | Pennsylvania | 1837-1865 Jackson/210 rulings Joins when 7 🡪 9 add War of 1812 combat Dred Scott concurs States’ Rights Unionist |
| James Moore Wayne | July 5, 1867 | 77 | Typhoid fever | Georgia | 1836-1867 Jackson/159 rulings Slave owner Mayor & US House Captain – War of 1812 Dred Scott concurs Son a CSA General Ineffective |
| Robert Grier | Sept 25, 1870 | 76 | Strokes | Pennsylvania | 1846-1870 Polk/212 rulings Anti-abolition Pro-Buchanan Leaks Dred Scott Supports Dred Scott |
| Samuel Nelson | Dec 13, 1873 | 81 | ? | New York | 1845-1872 Tyler/321 rulings Loses US Senate bid Minimalist, centrist States’ Rights Dred Scott concurs |
| Benjamin Curtis | Sept 15, 1874 | 64 | Brain hemorrhage | Massachusetts | 1851-1857 Fillmore/63 rulings 1st Law school grad Harvard 1832 Sole Whig justice Dred Scott dissent Resigns |
| Nathan Clifford | July 25, 1881 | 77 | Stroke | New Hampshire | 1858-1881 Buchanan/470 rulings US House + AG Ambassador – Mexico Pro-slavery Strict construction |
| Noah Swayne | June 8, 1884 | 79 | ? | Virginia | 1862-1881 Lincoln/350 rulings Quaker Anti-slavery southerner |
| David Davis | June 26, 1886 | 71 | Tumor | Maryland | 1862-1877 Lincoln/204 rulings Illinois House Lincoln campaign mgr Ex parte Milligan |
| John Campbell | Mar 12, 1889 | 77 | Natural causes | Georgia | 1853-1861 Pierce/116 rulings West Point grad Anti-corporations Supports Dred Scott |
| Samuel Miller | Oct 13, 1890 | 74 | Stroke | Kentucky | 1862-1890 Lincoln/691 rulings Slave owner MD, abolitionist |
| Stephen Field | April 9, 1899 | 82 | Dementia | Connecticut | 1863-1897 Lincoln/544 rulings 9🡪10 seats 3rd longest tenure 544 opinions |