Who appointed Nathan Clifford?

President James Buchanan appointed Nathan Clifford to the Supreme Court of the United States in 1858.

Was Nathan Clifford appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?

Nathan Clifford was appointed by President James Buchanan, a Democrat. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.

What was Nathan Clifford's confirmation vote?

The Senate confirmed Nathan Clifford 26–23 on January 12, 1858.

Supreme Court / Appointed 1858 / Served to 1881

Nathan Clifford

Associate Justice, Supreme Court of the United States

Appointed by President James Buchanan in 1858 and confirmed by the Senate 26–23, Nathan Clifford was an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Sources ↓

Lived: 1803–1881
Appointed by: James Buchanan, 1858
Confirmed: 26–23
Succeeded: Benjamin Robbins Curtis
Succeeded by: Horace Gray

Federal judicial service

Year	Court	Appointed by	Vote
1858	Supreme Court succeeded Benjamin Robbins Curtis	Buchanan (D)	26–23

Party letters show the appointing president’s party, not the judge’s own.

Confirmation vote

The Senate’s published per-senator roll-call records begin in 1989, so no senator-by-senator breakdown is available for this vote.

Education

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1827

Before the bench

Professional career before and outside the federal bench, as recorded by the Federal Judicial Center.

Private practice, Newfield, Maine	1827-1830, 1843-1846
State representative, Maine, 1830-1834; speaker	1832-1834
Attorney general, State of Maine	1834-1838
U.S. representative from Maine	1839-1843
Attorney General of the United States	1846-1848
Minister to Mexico, U.S. Department of State	1848-1849
Private practice, Portland, Maine	1849-1857

Questions & answers

Who appointed Nathan Clifford?: President James Buchanan appointed Nathan Clifford to the Supreme Court of the United States in 1858.
Was Nathan Clifford appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?: Nathan Clifford was appointed by President James Buchanan, a Democrat. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
What was Nathan Clifford's confirmation vote?: The Senate confirmed Nathan Clifford 26–23 on January 12, 1858.
Which court was Nathan Clifford on?: Nathan Clifford was an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.

Sources

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23 years on the Supreme Court of the United States. Data as of 2026-09-28. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).