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
| Read law | 1827 |
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
Each fact on this page traces to a primary public record.
- FJC Biographical Directory
- Wikidata
- Portrait: Mathew Benjamin Brady / Levin Corbin Handy (Public domain), via Wikimedia Commons
How we source & reconcile data → Data & Sources
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23 years on the Supreme Court of the United States. Data as of 2026-08-10. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).