WILLIAM H. MOODY was born in Newbury, Massachusetts, on December 23, 1853, and raised in nearby Danvers. He was graduated from Harvard College in 1876 and enrolled in Harvard Law School but left the Law School after one year to continue his legal studies with a Boston law firm. In 1878, he was admitted to the bar and established a law practice in Haverhill, Massachusetts. Ten years later, Moody was elected City Solicitor for Haverhill, and in 1890 he became District Attorney for the Eastern District of Massachusetts. In 1895, Moody won a special election to the United States House of Representatives and was re-elected three times. Moody resigned his House seat in 1902 to accept an appointment as Secretary of the Navy under President Theodore Roosevelt. From 1904 to 1906, he served as Attorney General of the United States. President Roosevelt nominated Moody to the Supreme Court of the United States on December 3, 1906. The Senate confirmed the appointment on December 12, 1906. Moody retired from the Supreme Court on November 20, 1910, after nearly four years of service. He died on July 2, 1917, at the age of sixty-three.
Members support the Society’s efforts to increase awareness of the Court’s contributions to our nation’s constitutional heritage. Benefits include: Court history publications, special event invitations, discounts.
SCHS sponsored events cover Supreme Court history themes, from early landmark figures and cases such as McCullough, to civics, labor, women’s rights, immigration, Constitutional controversies.
Documentaries covering landmark points on the timeline of Supreme Court history, including: FDR’s court packing controversy, the contested 1876 election + John Marshall & Marbury v. Madison.
Visit the Supreme Court Historical Society’s CIVICS website to learn about the history and cases of the Supreme Court of the United States and gain insights into key figures associated with the Court.
A timeline of Supreme Court history, including the Marshall and Warren Courts + landmark cases: West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette, and significant rulings in women’s rights court cases.