William Cushing

associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court
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Quick Facts
Born:
March 1, 1732, Scituate, Massachusetts [U.S.]
Died:
September 13, 1810, Scituate (aged 78)

William Cushing (born March 1, 1732, Scituate, Massachusetts [U.S.]—died September 13, 1810, Scituate) was an American jurist who was the first appointee to the U.S. Supreme Court. Cushing graduated from Harvard in 1751, began studying law, and was admitted to the bar in 1755. After working as a county official, he succeeded his father in 1772 as judge of the superior court of Massachusetts. With the outbreak of the American Revolution, he sided with the revolutionaries, and in 1777 he became the chief justice of the supreme judicial court of Massachusetts. His most notable act during his 12 years in ...(100 of 161 words)