Luther Day (July 9, 1813 – March 8, 1885) was a
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
politician in the U.S. State of
Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
who was in the
Ohio Senate and a judge on the
Ohio Supreme Court
The Ohio Supreme Court, Officially known as The Supreme Court of the State of Ohio is the highest court in the U.S. state of Ohio, with final authority over interpretations of Ohio law and the Ohio Constitution. The court has seven members, a ...
1865–1875.
Life and career
Day was born at
Granville,
Washington County, New York
Washington County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 61,302. The county seat is Fort Edward. The county was named for U.S. President George Washington.
Washington County is part of the Glen ...
, and attended common schools. His father died when Luther was twelve, and he worked until age twenty to support the family at a farm and sawmill. In 1835, he entered
Middlebury College in
Vermont
Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...
, and studied for three years.
[ Smith 1898 : 197] He moved to
Ravenna
Ravenna ( , , also ; rgn, Ravèna) is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. It was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire from 408 until its collapse in 476. It then served as the ca ...
,
Portage County, Ohio, studied law under
Rufus P. Spalding, and was admitted to the bar October 8, 1840.
[ Portage County 1885 : 818-821]
In 1843, Day was elected Prosecuting Attorney of Portage County but moved to
Akron
Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 Census, the city ...
in 1845 for about a year. On July 24, 1845, Day married Rufus Spalding's daughter, Emily Swift Spalding.
[ Back in Ravenna, he was elected Prosecutor again in 1849. In 1850, he was an unsuccessful Democratic Party candidate for the ]United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
. In 1851 he was elected Common Pleas Judge and served two terms.[
April 10, 1852, Mrs. Day died, and Day remarried April 26, 1854, to Ellen I. Barnes of Lanesboro, Massachusetts. His second term on the court expired in 1857, and he returned to private practice.][
When the ]American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...
started, Day became a Republican. He was appointed Judge Advocate General by Governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
Tod. In 1863, he was elected to the Ohio Senate for the 56th General Assembly but resigned in 1864.[ Ohio 1917 : 241]
Day resigned his Senate seat because he was elected a judge on the Ohio Supreme Court in 1864. He was re-elected in 1869 but failed at the polls in 1874. In 1875, Governor Allen Allen, Allen's or Allens may refer to:
Buildings
* Allen Arena, an indoor arena at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee
* Allen Center, a skyscraper complex in downtown Houston, Texas
* Allen Fieldhouse, an indoor sports arena on the Unive ...
appointed him a member of the Commission to revise the statutes of the State, and he resigned that position when appointed by Governor Hayes to the Supreme Court Commission of Ohio
Bold indicates chief judge or chief justice. The Ohio Supreme Court was created by the Ohio Constitution of 1802 with three judges, and had three or four through 1851. In 1851, the number of judges was increased to five. In 1892, the number of jud ...
in 1876. He retired from that service and died at Ravenna in 1885[
Day's first wife had three children, including William R. Day of Canton, Ohio. His second wife had six children,][ including Robert H. Day of Massillon, Ohio.]
Further reading
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References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Day, Luther
Republican Party Ohio state senators
Ohio lawyers
Justices of the Ohio Supreme Court
People from Ravenna, Ohio
Middlebury College alumni
1813 births
1885 deaths
County district attorneys in Ohio
Members of the Supreme Court Commission of Ohio
19th-century American politicians
19th-century American judges
19th-century American lawyers