William Butler Hornblower (May 13, 1851 – June 16, 1914) was a

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

jurist who was unsuccessfully nominated to the

United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

by President

Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in American ...

in 1893.

Early life and education

William Butler Hornblower was born in

Paterson, New Jersey Paterson ( ) is the largest City (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Passaic County, New Jersey, Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

minister, and his wife, Mathilda Butler. Hornblower was the descendant of an old American family; his grandfather, Joseph Coerten Hornblower, was chief justice of the

New Jersey Supreme Court The Supreme Court of New Jersey is the highest court in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, the Supreme Court of New Jersey is the final judicial authority on all cases in the state court system, including cases challenging the ...

and his great-grandfather,

Josiah Hornblower Josiah Hornblower (February 23, 1729 – January 21, 1809) was an English engineer and statesman in Belleville, New Jersey. He was a delegate for New Jersey in the Continental Congress in 1785 and 1786. Personal life Josiah was born in S ...

, was a member of the

Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislative bodies, with some executive function, for thirteen of Britain's colonies in North America, and the newly declared United States just before, during, and after the American Revolutionary War. ...

. In 1882 he married Sandra C. Sanford, with whom he had three children. After Sandra died, Hornblower married her sister, Emily Sanford Nelson, who was herself a widow. Hornblower graduated from what was then called the College of New Jersey (now

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

) in 1871 and the

Columbia Law School Columbia Law School (Columbia Law or CLS) is the law school of Columbia University, a private Ivy League university in New York City. Columbia Law is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious law schools in the world and has always ranked i ...

in 1875.

Legal and political career

After graduating from Columbia, he practiced law with the New York

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law firm of Carter & Eaton until 1888, when he and two partners formed their own firm. A lifelong member of the

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, in 1890 he was appointed by New York governor

David B. Hill David Bennett Hill (August 29, 1843October 20, 1910) was an American politician from New York who was the 29th Governor of New York from 1885 to 1891 and represented New York in the United States Senate from 1892 to 1897. In 1892, he made an u ...

to a commission on state constitutional amendments. Hornblower worked to defeat Isaac H. Maynard, Hill's preferred candidate for a seat on the

New York Court of Appeals The New York Court of Appeals is the highest court in the Unified Court System of the State of New York. The Court of Appeals consists of seven judges: the Chief Judge and six Associate Judges who are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by t ...

, in 1891, earning Hill's enmity. On September 19, 1893, President

nominated Hornblower as an

associate justice Associate justice or associate judge (or simply associate) is a judicial panel member who is not the chief justice in some jurisdictions. The title "Associate Justice" is used for members of the Supreme Court of the United States and some state ...

of the

Supreme Court of the United States The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

, following the death of

Samuel Blatchford Samuel M. Blatchford (March 9, 1820 – July 7, 1893) was an American attorney and judge. He was most notable for his service as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from April 3, 1882 until his death in 1893. Early ...

. The

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

Judiciary Committee considered the nomination, but took no recorded action. The president again nominated Hornblower on December 5, 1893, and this time, the committee reported the nomination to the full Senate with a recommendation against confirmation on January 8, 1894. Both of New York's senators, one of whom was Hill, opposed the nomination, as did several pro-silver Democratic senators. The Senate rejected Hornblower's nomination on January 15, 1894, by a vote of 30 to 24. Following his defeat, Hornblower returned to his successful New York law practice. In 1904, he was elected President of the

New York State Bar Association The New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) is a voluntary bar association for the state of New York. The mission of the association is to cultivate the science of jurisprudence; promote reform in the law; facilitate the administration of justice ...

. That same year, Hornblower served on a committee charged with consolidating the state's laws. In 1907 he formed a new law firm, Hornblower, Miller and Potter, a predecessor to the modern firm of

Willkie Farr & Gallagher Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, commonly known as Willkie, is a white-shoe, international law firm headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1888, the firm specializes in corporate practice and employs approximately 1000 lawyers in 13 offices acr ...

. In 1913, he was appointed president of the

New York City Bar Association The New York City Bar Association (City Bar), founded in 1870, is a voluntary association of lawyers and law students. Since 1896, the organization, formally known as the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, has been headquartered in a ...

. Shortly before his death, Hornblower was appointed to a seat on the

, but served for just ten weeks.

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hornblower, William B. 1851 births 1914 deaths Columbia Law School alumni Judges of the New York Court of Appeals Politicians from Paterson, New Jersey Presidents of the New York City Bar Association Princeton University alumni Unsuccessful nominees to the United States Supreme Court People associated with Willkie Farr & Gallagher 19th-century American judges