Notable people · Justice · Lawyer
Morrison Waite
Born in Lyme, Connecticut, Waite practiced law in Maumee and Toledo and served in the Ohio House before President Grant named him the seventh Chief Justice of the United States (1874-88).
At a glance
- Born
- 1816-11-29
- Died
- 1888-03-23
- Education
- Yale College, New Haven, CT, to 1837, B.A.
- Known as
- Justice, Lawyer
Life story
Morrison Waite was born in Lyme, Connecticut, in 1816, the son of a judge. He graduated from Yale in 1837 and was admitted to the Ohio bar in 1839, settling in Maumee.
He married Amelia Warner in 1840. He was mayor of Maumee and served in the Ohio House (1849-50).
He won national notice as counsel at the 1871 Alabama Claims arbitration in Geneva, which won the United States $15 million. In 1873 he presided over the Ohio constitutional convention.
President Grant named him Chief Justice in 1874, and he served until his death in 1888. His court decided Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific, the case associated with corporate personhood. He is buried in Toledo.
Timeline
- 1837: Graduates Yale College (New Haven, CT) source
- 1839: Admitted to Ohio bar; practices in Maumee (Maumee, OH) source
- 1840-09-21: Marries Amelia Warner (Hartford, CT) source
- 1846: Mayor of Maumee (to 1847) (Maumee, OH) source
- 1849: Elected to Ohio House (Columbus, OH) source
- 1871: Counsel in Alabama Claims arbitration (Geneva, Switzerland) source
- 1873: Presides over Ohio constitutional convention (Columbus, OH) source
- 1874-03-04: Takes oath as Chief Justice (Washington, D.C.) source
- 1888-03-23: Dies of pneumonia (Washington, D.C.) source
What Morrison is known for
- Mayor of Maumee 1846-47
- Ohio House 1849-50
- Counsel in the Alabama Claims arbitration
- Chief Justice of the United States 1874-1888
Honors and things named for them
- Waite High School, Toledo, Ohio
Family
- wife: Amelia Champlin Warner
- son: Henry Seldon Waite
Places in Ohio to see
- Woodlawn Cemetery (burial) (grave)
1502 W Central Ave, Toledo, Lucas County ZIP 43606 · Toledo · Lucas County - Waite High School (marker)
301 Morrison Dr, Toledo, Lucas County ZIP 43605 · Toledo · Lucas County · official page
Ohio places
Where Morrison Waite was born, lived, worked and is remembered, with the ZIP code, town and county pages for each.
- Lived: Maumee, Lucas County ZIP 43537 · Maumee · Lucas County
- Lived: Toledo, Lucas County ZIP 43604 · Toledo · Lucas County
- Buried: Toledo, Lucas County (Woodlawn Cemetery, 1502 W Central Ave) ZIP 43606 · Toledo · Lucas County
Further reading
Sources
Confidence. Medium: the main facts were confirmed, but some details (often an address or ZIP code) were not.
- Wikipedia: Morrison Waite birth in Connecticut, Maumee/Toledo years, offices, burial (Wikipedia, opened; pointer-level source)
- Wikipedia: Woodlawn Cemetery (Toledo, Ohio) cemetery address; Waite interred there (Wikipedia, opened; pointer-level source)
