Nathan Clifford

US Supreme Court justice from 1858 to 1881

For his grandson, see Nathan Clifford (Maine politician) .

"Justice Clifford" redirects here. For other uses, see Justice Clifford (disambiguation) .

"Attorney General Clifford" redirects here. For the Attorney General of Massachusetts, see John H. Clifford .

Nathan Clifford (August 18, 1803 – July 25, 1881) was an American statesman , diplomat and jurist .

Clifford is one of the few people who have held a constitutional office in each of the three branches of the U.S. federal government . He represented Maine in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1839 to 1843, then served in the administration of President James K. Polk as the U.S. Attorney General from 1846 to 1848 and as the U.S. Ambassador to Mexico from 1848 to 1849. In the latter office, he signed the Treaty of Guadeloupe Hidalgo . In 1858, President James Buchanan appointed Clifford to be an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court . Clifford served on the Supreme Court until his death in 1881.

Early life and education

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Clifford was born on August 18, 1803, in Rumney, New Hampshire , to Deacon Nathaniel Clifford and his wife Lydia (née Simpson). He was the eldest and only son of seven children. His family were of old Yankee stock. As a young girl in 1672, his great-great-grandmother Ann Smith was an accuser of Goody Cole , the only woman in New Hampshire convicted of witchcraft.

He attended the public schools of that town, then the Haverhill Academy in New Hampshire , and finally the New Hampton Literary Institute

(now known as the New Hampton School ).

Early career

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After teaching school for a time, he studied law in the offices of Josiah Quincy III and was admitted to the bar in Maine in 1827, establishing his first practice in Newfield, Maine .

He served in the Maine House of Representatives from 1830 to 1834 and served as Speaker of the House from 1833 to 1834. He was then Maine Attorney General from 1834 to 1838, when he entered national politics.

U.S. House of Representatives (1839–43)

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Initially, Clifford ran for the Senate and lost. Then, Clifford was elected as a Democratic Representative to the 26th and 27th Congresses , serving March 4, 1839 through March 3, 1843.

In Washington, D.C. , he followed the Democratic party line on policies, and was a strong supporter of the Van Buren administration. Clifford was opposed to a high tariff, supported internal improvements, endorsed state banking, and was in favor of federal retrenchment. He also criticized abolition, saying that its supporters were well-intentioned but denounced the "mean and incendiary schemes of political Abolitionists."

Due to re-redistricting and political infighting,[_citation needed
_] Clifford was not a candidate for re-election in 1842.

Polk administration

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U.S. Attorney General (1846–48)

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In 1846, President James K. Polk appointed him 19th Attorney General of the United States after his predecessor, John Y. Mason , returned to being Naval Secretary . Clifford served in Polk's Cabinet from October 17, 1846, to March 17, 1848.

Ambassador to Mexico (1848–49)

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Clifford resigned his post with the Justice Department to become the U.S. Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Mexico , serving from March 18, 1848, to September 6, 1849. It was through Clifford that the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was arranged with Mexico, by which California became a part of the United States.

A Whig Presidential victory meant that Clifford was recalled to the United States. Following his service in the diplomatic corps, Clifford resumed the practice of law in Portland, Maine .

Associate Justice of the Supreme Court (1858–81)

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Appointment

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On December 9, 1857, President James Buchanan nominated Clifford as an associate justice of the United States Supreme Court , to a seat vacated by Benjamin R. Curtis . Clifford's nomination came in the immediate wake of the _Dred Scott v. Sandford _ decision and was hotly contested. As a longtime partisan Democrat, the opposition labeled Clifford a political hack and a "[doughfac

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