William R. Day
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For other individuals named William Day, see William Day (disambiguation).
| William Rufus Day | |
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| In office May 3, 1897 – April 27, 1898 |
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| Preceded by | William Woodville Rockhill |
| 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, U.S. |
| Died | July 9, 1923 (aged 74) Mackinac Island, Michigan, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Mary Elizabeth Schaefer |
| Profession | Lawyer, Judge, Politician |
| Religion | Lutheran |
William Rufus Day (April 17, 1849 – July 9, 1923) was an American diplomat and jurist, who served for nineteen years as a Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.
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 worked as a criminal and corporate lawyer in the growing industrial town while participating in Republican politics.
During these years, Day became a good friend of William McKinley. Day became McKinley's legal and political adviser during McKinley's candidacies for the Congress, the governorship of Ohio, and the presidency of the United States. After he won the presidency, McKinley appointed Day to be Assistant Secretary of State under Secretary of State John Sherman. Sherman was considered to be ineffective, and 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, contrary to McKinley's decision that the United States should take over from Spain control of the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Guam. Day, however, negotiated peace with Spain on McKinley's harsher terms. His final diplomatic effort was to lead the United States Peace Commission into Paris, France and sign the Treaty of Paris ending the war.
Upon Day's return from Europe, McKinley appointed him to an appellate judgeship on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, which included Day's home state of Ohio. Day's position as head of the state department was filled by John Hay.
President McKinley was assassinated in September 1901 and Vice President Theodore Roosevelt took his place. In January 1903, Roosevelt nominated Day as an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. The Senate confirmed the nomination and Day took his new position on March 2, 1903.
Day wrote 439 opinions during his tenure on the court, of which only 18 were dissents. He distrusted large corporations and voted with antitrust 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.
Day 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
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Legal offices | ||
| 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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