
William Rufus Day
Education
- Graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree - University of Michigan
- law University of Michigan Law School - Canton
Overview
William Rufus Day was an American diplomat and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1903 to 1922. Prior to his service on the Supreme Court, Day served as United States Secretary of State during the administration of President William McKinley. He also served as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and the United States Circuit Courts for the Sixth Circuit.
Early Life
Day was born April 17, 1849 in Ravenna, Ohio, one of the children of Emily (Spaulding) Day and Judge Luther Day of the Ohio Supreme Court. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Michigan in 1870, spent a year studying law with attorney and judge George F. Robinson, and then a year at the University of Michigan Law School. He was admitted to the bar in 1872 and settled in Canton, Ohio, where he began practicing law in partnership with William A. Lynch. For twenty-five years, Day worked as a criminal defense and corporate lawyer in the growing industrial town while participating in Republican politics.
During these years, Day became a good friend of William McKinley. Day became McKinley's legal and political adviser during McKinley's candidacies for the Congress, the Governorship of Ohio, and the Presidency of the United States. After he won the Presidency, McKinley appointed Day to be Assistant Secretary of State under Secretary of State John Sherman. Sherman was considered to be ineffective because of declining health and failing memory, and in 1898, President McKinley replaced Sherman with Day.
Five months later, Day vacated his cabinet position to helm the United States Peace Commission formed to negotiate an end to the Spanish–American War with Spain.[citation needed] After the Spanish–American War was declared, Day had argued that the Spanish colonies, other than Cuba, should be returned to Spain, contrary to McKinley's decision that the United States should take over from Spain control of the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Guam. Day, however, negotiated peace with Spain on McKinley's harsher terms. Day was worried the terms McKinley was insisting on would be "humiliating" to Spain, and for that reason Spain would not agree to them. Ultimately Spain did submit to McKinley's "painfully harsh" terms. His final diplomatic effort was to lead the United States Peace Commission to Paris and sign the treaty ending the war. He was succeeded at the Department of State by John Hay.
Career
- United States - Former Secretary of State
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