William Rufus Day

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US Supreme Court justice from 1903 to 1922

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

For other individuals named William Day, see William Day (disambiguation) .

William Rufus Day (April 17, 1849 – July 9, 1923) was an American diplomat and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1903 to 1922. Prior to his service on the Supreme Court, Day served as United States Secretary of State during the administration of President William McKinley . He also served as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and the United States Circuit Courts for the Sixth Circuit .

Early life and career

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William Rufus Day was born on April 17, 1849, in Ravenna , Ohio ,

one of the children of Emily (née Spaulding) and Judge Luther Day of the Ohio Supreme Court . His maternal grandfather Rufus P. Spalding was also a judge of the Ohio Supreme Court. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Michigan in 1870, spent a year studying law with attorney and Judge George F. Robinson,

and then a year at the University of Michigan Law School . He was admitted to the bar on July 5, 1872, and settled in Canton , Ohio, where he began practicing law

in partnership with William A. Lynch . For twenty-five years, Day worked as a criminal defense 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 because of declining health and failing memory, and in 1898, President McKinley replaced Sherman with Day.

Five months later, Day vacated his cabinet position to helm the United States Peace Commission formed to negotiate an end to the Spanish–American War with Spain.[_citation needed
_] After the Spanish–American War was declared, Day had 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. Day was worried the terms McKinley was insisting on would be "humiliating" to Spain, and for that reason Spain would not agree to them. Ultimately Spain did submit to McKinley's "painfully harsh" terms. His final diplomatic effort was to lead the United States Peace Commission to Paris and sign the treaty ending the war. He was succeeded at the Department of State by John Hay .

Court of Appeals and Circuit Courts service

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Day received a recess appointment from President Benjamin Harrison to the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio on May 24, 1889, but declined the appointment.

Day was nominated by President William McKinley on February 25, 1899, to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and the United States Circuit Courts for the Sixth Circuit , to a new joint seat authorized by 30 Stat.   . He was confirmed by the United States Senate on February 28, 1899, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on February 23, 1903, due to his elevation to the United States Supreme Court .

Supreme Court se

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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 delivered the opinion of the Court in _[Weeks v. United States](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weeks_v._United_States "Weeks v. …