William Cushing
| William Cushing | |
|---|---|
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| Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States | |
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In office September 27, 1789 – September 13, 1810 |
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| Appointed by | George Washington |
| Preceded by | Seat established |
| Succeeded by | Joseph Story |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
March 1, 1732 Scituate, Massachusetts Bay, British America |
| Died | September 13, 1810 (aged 78) Scituate, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Education | Harvard University (BA) |
| Signature |  |
William Cushing (March 1, 1732 – September 13, 1810) was one of the original six associate justices of the United States Supreme Court, from September 27, 1789, until his death. He was the longest-serving of the Court's original members, sitting on the bench for 20 years, 351 days. In 1796 he was nominated by George Washington to become the third Chief Justice, but declined. He was also the last judge in the United States to wear a full wig (Court dress).
Cushing was born in Scituate, Massachusetts, on March 1, 1732. The Cushing family had a long history in the area, settling Hingham in 1638. Cushing's father John Cushing (1695-1778) was a provincial magistrate who in 1747 became an associate justice of the Superior Court of Judicature, the province's high court. William Cushing's grandfather John Cushing (1662-1737/38) was also a superior court judge and member of the governor's council.
Cushing's mother, Mary Cotton Cushing, was a daughter of Josiah Cotton (1679/80-1756). They were descended from Rev. John Cotton, the great 17th century Puritan theologian. Josiah Cotton and Richard Fitzgerald, a teacher at a local Latin school, were responsible for young Cushing's early education.
Cushing graduated from Harvard College in 1751 and became a member of the bar of Boston in 1755. After briefly practicing law in Scituate, he moved to Pownalborough (present-day Dresden, Maine, then part of Massachusetts), and became the first practicing attorney in the province's eastern district (as Maine was then known). In 1762 he was called to become a barrister, again the first in Maine. He practiced law until 1772, when he was appointed by Governor Thomas Hutchinson to replace his father (who had resigned) on the Superior Court bench.
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