Notable people · Justice · Secretary Of State
William R. Day
Born in Ravenna, Day practiced law in Canton for 25 years, was McKinley's Secretary of State in 1898, a Sixth Circuit judge, and a Supreme Court justice from 1903 to 1922.
At a glance
- Born
- 1849-04-17
- Died
- 1923-07-09
- Education
- University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, to 1870, B.S.
- University of Michigan Law School, Ann Arbor, MI, attended
- Known as
- Justice, Secretary Of State
Life story
William Rufus Day was born in Ravenna, Ohio, in 1849, the son of a judge. He earned a science degree at the University of Michigan in 1870, studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1872.
He built a law practice in Canton and married Mary Schaefer in 1875. He was a friend of William McKinley, a Canton neighbor.
McKinley brought him to Washington as Assistant Secretary of State in 1897 and Secretary of State in 1898. He led the American peace commission that signed the Treaty of Paris ending the Spanish-American War.
He served on the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals from 1899 and as a U.S. Supreme Court justice from 1903 to 1922. He died on Mackinac Island in 1923 and is buried in Canton.
Timeline
- 1870: B.S., University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI) source
- 1872-07-05: Admitted to bar; practices law (Canton, OH) source
- 1875-08-24: Marries Mary Elizabeth Schaefer (Ohio) source
- 1897-05-11: Assistant Secretary of State (Washington, D.C.) source
- 1898-04-28: Secretary of State (Washington, D.C.) source
- 1898: Leads peace commission; Treaty of Paris (Paris, France) source
- 1899-02-28: Confirmed to Sixth Circuit (Washington, D.C.) source
- 1903-02-23: Confirmed to Supreme Court (Washington, D.C.) source
- 1922-11-13: Retires from Court (Washington, D.C.) source
- 1923-07-09: Dies (Mackinac Island, MI) source
What William is known for
- Secretary of State 1898
- Sixth Circuit judge 1899-1903
- Associate Justice 1903-1922
Honors and things named for them
- Day Cottage, Mackinac Island, named for him
Family
- father: Luther Day
- wife: Mary Elizabeth Schaefer
- son: Luther Day
Places in Ohio to see
- West Lawn Cemetery (burial) (grave)
Canton, Stark County ZIP 44708 (approximate) · Canton · Stark County
Ohio places
Where William R. Day was born, lived, worked and is remembered, with the ZIP code, town and county pages for each.
- Born: Ravenna, Portage County ZIP 44266 · Ravenna · Portage County
- Lived: Canton, Stark County ZIP 44702 · Canton · Stark County
- Buried: Canton, Stark County (West Lawn Cemetery, Canton) ZIP 44708 · Canton · Stark County
Further reading
Sources
Confidence. Medium: the main facts were confirmed, but some details (often an address or ZIP code) were not.
- Wikipedia: William R. Day dates, Ravenna birth, Canton, offices, West Lawn burial (Wikipedia, opened; pointer-level source)