Opening Day Auction Closing May 9th
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 5/10/2015
Chief Justice Morrison R. Waite (1816-1888) was the seventh Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Waite was appointed by President Grant in 1874 and during the next 14 years his court oversaw the interpretation of the constitution as the country shifted from an agricultural economy to one based on innovation and industry. Waite's tenure was also significant in that it was responsible for interpreting the laws that freed African-Americans from slavery and made them full citizens of the United States. Here Waite and his court placed too much trust and responsibility to the individual states to protect the rights of its black citizens. Waite passed away suddenly in March, 1888 from pneumonia. This historic display collects the signatures of Chief Justice Waite along with all eight the Associate Justices who served the court during his last session of 1888. The Associate Justices included an interesting cross-section of American intellect. Samuel F. Miller (1816-1890) was a Kentucky lawyer whose tireless work for the court saw him set the record for most constitutional decisions authored by a single Justice. Samuel F. Miller (1816-1899) was one of the longest serving justices in the history of the court and his roots in California gave the court first-hand experience in dealing with the American West. Though an intellectual with a massive personal library, Joseph P. Bradley (1813-1892) was one of the staunchest opponents of granting equal rights for African-Americans. John M. Harlan (1833-1911) was a Southerner who refused to side with the South during the Civil War. Stanley Matthews (1824-1889) served but seven years on the court yet his Yick Wo decision dealt a serious blow to racist legislation by California and remains influential to this very day. Horace Gray (1828-1902) authored the groundbreaking case that made children born to foreign parents residing in the United States were in fact American citizens. Samuel Blatchford (1820-1893) expertise in marine, patents and banking laws made him indispensable to the court as the nation transitioned into an industrial power. Lucius Q.C. Lamar (1825-1893) was a former Colonel in the Confederate Army who used his time on the court to bring reconciliation between the northern and southern states. Each justice is represented on the display by an individual cut signature, each positioned around a 6" x 9" sepia toned photograph of all nine justices in 1888, The display has been professionally matted and framed to 23 1/2" x 33 1/2". Letter of Authenticity from JSA.