Nathan Clifford

Nathan Clifford
Clifford c. 1855–65
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
In office
January 21, 1858 – July 25, 1881[1]
Nominated byJames Buchanan
Preceded byBenjamin Curtis
Succeeded byHorace Gray
United States Ambassador to Mexico
In office
October 2, 1848 – September 6, 1849
PresidentJames Polk
Zachary Taylor
Preceded byJohn Slidell
Succeeded byRobert Letcher
19th United States Attorney General
In office
October 17, 1846 – March 17, 1848
PresidentJames Polk
Preceded byJohn Mason
Succeeded byIsaac Toucey
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Maine's 1st district
In office
March 4, 1839 – March 3, 1843
Preceded byJohn Fairfield
Succeeded byJoshua Herrick
Attorney General of Maine
In office
January 1, 1834 – January 3, 1838
GovernorRobert Dunlap
Preceded byJonathan Rogers
Succeeded byDaniel Goodenow
Member of the Maine House of Representatives
In office
1830-1834
Personal details
Born(1803-08-18)August 18, 1803
Rumney, New Hampshire, U.S.
DiedJuly 25, 1881(1881-07-25) (aged 77)
Cornish, Maine, U.S.
Resting placeEvergreen Cemetery
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseHannah Ayer
Signature

Nathan Clifford (August 18, 1803 – July 25, 1881) was an American statesman, diplomat and jurist.

Clifford is one of the few people who have held a constitutional office in each of the three branches of the U.S. federal government. He represented Maine in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1839 to 1843, then served in the administration of President James K. Polk as the U.S. Attorney General from 1846 to 1848 and as the U.S. Ambassador to Mexico from 1848 to 1849. In the latter office, he signed the Treaty of Guadeloupe Hidalgo. In 1858, President James Buchanan appointed Clifford to be an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Clifford served on the Supreme Court until his death in 1881.

  1. ^ "Justices 1789 to Present". Washington, D.C.: Supreme Court of the United States. Retrieved February 15, 2022.