U.S. Supreme Court / Appointed 1858 / Served to 1881
Portrait of Nathan Clifford

Nathan Clifford

Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States

Appointed by President James Buchanan in 1858 and confirmed by the Senate 2623, Nathan Clifford was an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Sources — FJC Biographical Directory · Senate confirmation, January 12, 1858

Appointed by
James Buchanan, 1858
Confirmed
26–23
Succeeded by
Horace Gray
Federal judicial service
YearCourtAppointed byVote
1858Supreme Court · succeeded Benjamin Robbins CurtisBuchanan (D)26–23

A per-senator roll-call isn’t available for this confirmation. The Senate’s recorded roll-call votes begin in 1989; many earlier justices were confirmed by voice vote.

Education
Read law1827
Sources

23 years on the Court. Data last verified 2026-06-28. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).