Supreme Court / Appointed 1796 / Served to 1800

Oliver Ellsworth
Chief Justice, Supreme Court of the United States
Appointed by President George Washington in 1796 and confirmed by the Senate 21–1, Oliver Ellsworth was a Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Sources ↓
- Lived
- 1745–1807
- Appointed by
- George Washington, 1796
- Confirmed
- 21–1
- Education
- College of New Jersey (now Princeton) 1766
- Succeeded
- John Rutledge
- Succeeded by
- John Marshall
Federal judicial service
| Year | Court | Appointed by | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1796 | Supreme Court succeeded John Rutledge | Washington (–) | 21–1 |
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
| College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) | B.A. | 1766 |
| Read law | 1771 |
Questions & answers
- Who appointed Oliver Ellsworth?
- President George Washington appointed Oliver Ellsworth to the Supreme Court of the United States in 1796.
- What was Oliver Ellsworth's confirmation vote?
- The Senate confirmed Oliver Ellsworth 21–1 on March 4, 1796.
- Which court was Oliver Ellsworth on?
- Oliver Ellsworth was a Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.
Sources
Each fact on this page traces to a primary public record.
How we source & reconcile data → Data & Sources
See something wrong? Report an error. Fixes are logged in the corrections log.
4 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).