Henry Clay McDowell
Appointed by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1901 and confirmed by voice vote, Henry Clay McDowell was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia. He earned a law degree from University of Virginia School of Law in 1887. Rulings & record ↓ Sources ↓
- Lived
- 1861–1933
- Appointed by
- Theodore Roosevelt, 1901
- Confirmed
- by voice vote
- Education
- Yale College 1881 · University of Virginia Law 1887
- Succeeded
- John Paul
- Succeeded by
- John Paul Jr.
Federal judicial service
| Year | Court | Appointed by | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1901 | Western District of Virginia succeeded John Paul | T. Roosevelt (R) | Voice vote |
Party letters show the appointing president’s party, not the judge’s own. A voice vote means the chamber approved aloud. No senator-by-senator tally is recorded.
Confirmation vote
Voice vote
The Senate approved this confirmation aloud, with no senator-by-senator tally recorded. Recorded roll-call votes begin in 1989.
Education
| Yale College | B.A. | 1881 |
| University of Virginia School of Law | LL.B. | 1887 |
Judicial Record
In our data, McDowell authored 11 published opinions for the court (1925–1932). Most cited: Mutual Life Ins. Co. v. Thompson (20 citations).
A selective record from published opinions in the CourtListener corpus, not every ruling; most unpublished district orders are not included. Counts and rankings are objective and recomputable: how we count. We describe the record, not the judge.
Recent & notable rulings
| Year | Case | Citation | Cited |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1928 | Mutual Life Ins. Co. v. Thompson | 27 F.2d 753 | 20 |
| 1929 | Kelly v. Maryland Casualty Co. | 45 F.2d 782 | 18 |
| 1927 | Kelleher v. French | 22 F.2d 341 | 15 |
| 1932 | In Re Funk | 2 F. Supp. 555 | 14 |
| 1932 | United States v. Crary | 2 F. Supp. 870 | 9 |
| 1932 | United States v. Crary | 1 F. Supp. 406 | 9 |
| 1932 | United States v. Griffin | 58 F.2d 674 | 8 |
| 1925 | United States v. Eighteen Cases of Tuna Fish | 5 F.2d 979 | 7 |
| 1926 | United States v. Griffin | 14 F.2d 326 | 6 |
| 1926 | Kelleher v. Schoene | 14 F.2d 341 | 6 |
| 1926 | United States v. Interstate R. Co. | 14 F.2d 328 | 4 |
Showing the 11 most-cited of 11 authored opinions in our data. “Cited” is inbound citations across the CourtListener corpus. Case links open the ruling’s full text (CourtListener) or its page here; read the methodology and verify against the primary source.
Questions & answers
- Who appointed Henry Clay McDowell?
- President Theodore Roosevelt appointed Henry Clay McDowell to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia in 1901.
- Was Henry Clay McDowell appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?
- Henry Clay McDowell was appointed by President Theodore Roosevelt, a Republican. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
- What was Henry Clay McDowell's confirmation vote?
- Henry Clay McDowell was confirmed by voice vote on December 18, 1901. No senator-by-senator tally was recorded.
- Which court was Henry Clay McDowell on?
- Henry Clay McDowell was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia.
Sources
Each fact on this page traces to a primary public record.
- FJC Biographical Directory
- Wikidata
- CourtListener bulk data (Free Law Project): authored opinions & citation counts
How we source & reconcile data → Data & Sources
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31 years on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia. Data as of 2026-08-10. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).