William R. Day
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| William Rufus Day | |
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| In office May 3, 1897 – April 27, 1898 |
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| Preceded by | William Woodville Rockhill |
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| Succeeded by | John Bassett Moore |
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| In office April 28, 1898 – September 16, 1898 |
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| Preceded by | John Sherman |
| Succeeded by | John Hay |
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| In office February 28, 1899 – February 23, 1903 |
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| Preceded by | seat created |
| Succeeded by | John Kelvey Richards |
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| In office March 2, 1903 – November 13, 1922 |
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| Preceded by | George Shiras, Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Pierce Butler |
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| Born | April 17, 1849 Ravenna, Ohio, USA |
| Died | July 09, 1923 (aged 74) Mackinac Island, Michigan, USA |
| Political party | Republican |
| Profession | Lawyer, Judge, Politician |
William Rufus Day (April 17, 1849 – July 9, 1923) was an American diplomat and jurist.
Day was born in Ravenna, Ohio. He graduated from the University of Michigan in 1870 and spent the following year in the school's law department. He settled in Canton, Ohio in 1872 where he began practicing law. For twenty-five years, Day did criminal and corporate law in the growing industrial town while participating in Republican politics.
He became a good friend of William McKinley. He became his legal and political adviser during his runs for Congress, the governorship of Ohio and the presidency of the United States. After he won the presidency, McKinley appointed Day Assistant Secretary of State. John Sherman was appointed Secretary of State, but he proved to be ineffective. In 1898, President McKinley replaced Sherman with Day.
After the Spanish-American War was declared, Day argued that the Spanish colonies, other than Cuba, should be returned to Spain, but he accepted McKinley's harsher terms for peace. His final diplomatic effort was to lead the United States Peace Commission into Paris, France and sign the Treaty of Paris.
Upon his return from Europe, McKinley appointed Day to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit thinking it might be a better for him and filled his previous postion as head of the state department with John Hay.
President McKinley was assassinated in September 1901 and Vice President Theodore Roosevelt took his place. In January 1903, Roosevelt nominated Day for the United States Supreme Court and was accepted, starting March 2, 1903 as an Associate Justice.
Day wrote four hundred and thirty-nine opinions during his tenure on the court, but only eighteen were dissents. He distrusted large corporations and voted with anti-trust majorities throughout his time on the court. He sided with the government in the Standard Oil, American Tobacco and Union Pacific cases in 1911 and 1912 and again in the Southern Pacific case in 1922.
He retired from the court in 1922 and died the following year on Mackinac Island in Michigan. He is buried at West Lawn Cemetery in Canton, Ohio.
[edit] External links
- William R. Day at Find A Grave
- William R. Day at The Political Graveyard
- William R. Day biography at The Ohio Judicial Court
- William R. Day biography at Michael Ariens
- William R. Day biography at The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
- William R. Day biography at The Raven Hall of Fame
- William R. Day biography at The United States State Department
- William R. Day biography at The Hall of the Secretaries of State
| Preceded by William Woodville Rockhill |
United States Assistant Secretary of State May 3, 1897 – April 27, 1898 |
Succeeded by John B. Moore |
| Preceded by John Sherman |
United States Secretary of State April 28, 1898 – September 16, 1898 |
Succeeded by John Hay |
| Preceded by (none) |
Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit February 28, 1899 – February 23, 1903 |
Succeeded by John Kelvey Richards |
| Preceded by George Shiras, Jr. |
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States March 2, 1903 – November 13, 1922 |
Succeeded by Pierce Butler |
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