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Horace Gray
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States · 1881
Horace Gray , Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Horace Gray was an American jurist who served on the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, and then on the United States Supreme Court, where he frequently interpreted the Constitution in ways that increased the powers of Congress. He was a staunch supporter of the authority of precedent throughout his career, and would write landmark opinions in cases such as Elk v. Wilkins and United States v. Wong Kim Ark.
Positions
- Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States1881-12-20–1902-09-15
Education
- Harvard CollegeB.A., 1845
- Harvard Law SchoolLL.B., 1849
- Read law1851
Career
Private practice, Boston, Massachusetts, 1851-1864; Reporter, Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, 1854-1861; Justice, Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, 1864-1881; chief justice, 1873-1881
Biography
Horace Gray was an American jurist who served on the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, and then on the United States Supreme Court, where he frequently interpreted the Constitution in ways that increased the powers of Congress. He was a staunch supporter of the authority of precedent throughout his career, and would write landmark opinions in cases such as Elk v. Wilkins and United States v. Wong Kim Ark.
From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
More
From Senate roll call votes, Wikidata, Wikipedia and Office of Government Ethics records.
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Capitol Receipts, “Horace Gray : Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United…,” https://www.capitolreceipts.com/appointee/j904/horace-gray (accessed 2026-10-13).