Morrison Waite
The unassuming Chief Justice whose court narrowed the Reconstruction amendments, shaping civil rights law for decades to come.
1816–1888 (age 72)·Chief Justice of the United States from 1874 to 1888·Birthday: November 29
Biography
Morrison Waite was an unexpected choice for Chief Justice, a competent but little-known Ohio lawyer with more experience in corporate law than constitutional drama. Appointed by President Grant in 1874, he led the Supreme Court during the turbulent aftermath of the Civil War. The Waite Court is defined by its cautious, often restrictive, reading of the transformative Reconstruction Amendments. In a series of pivotal rulings, his majority opinions upheld states' rights at the expense of federal power to protect Black citizens. The Civil Rights Cases of 1883, which struck down the Civil Rights Act of 1875, effectively closed the federal courthouse door to victims of private discrimination for generations. While personally opposing slavery, Waite's judicial philosophy prioritized a reunion of North and South over the robust enforcement of racial equality. His fourteen-year tenure cemented a legal framework that delayed the promise of Reconstruction for nearly a century.
#1 When Morrison Was Born
The biggest hits of 1816
Morrison's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1816Born
1821Started school
1829Became a teenager
1832Could drive
1834Could vote
1837Turned 21
1846Turned 30
1856Turned 40
1866Turned 50
President: Andrew Johnson
1876Turned 60
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1886Turned 70
Statue of Liberty dedicated in New York Harbor
President: Grover Cleveland
1888Died at 72
President: Grover Cleveland
Key Achievements
- Served as the seventh Chief Justice of the United States from 1874 until his death in 1888.
- Authored the majority opinion in the Civil Rights Cases (1883), which declared the Civil Rights Act of 1875 unconstitutional.
- Presided over the court that decided Minor v. Happersett, ruling that the Constitution did not grant women the right to vote.
- Led the arbitration that settled the Alabama Claims, a major dispute between the United States and Great Britain after the Civil War.
Did You Know?
He was not President Grant's first choice for Chief Justice; several others declined before the offer came to Waite.
Waite attended Yale University but left before graduating due to illness, later reading law to enter the profession.
He served as president of the Ohio Constitutional Convention in 1873.
He died of pneumonia in 1888, still serving on the bench.
“The Constitution does not confer the right of suffrage upon anyone.”
