Who was the oldest Supreme Court justice ever appointed?

Answer 1

The oldest man at the time he was appointed Chief Justice was Harlan Fiske Stone, who was elevated from Associate Justice in July 1941 at the age of 68. Stone had served on the Court since March 1925. He was the Senior Associate Justice at the time of his promotion.

Stone was also the Chief Justice with the shortest tenure, serving fewer than five years before dying of a stroke in April 1946, at the age of 73. Stone was on the bench delivering his dissenting opinion in Girouard v. United States, 328 US 61 (1946), when struck by a massive cerebral hemorrhage, and has the distinction of being the only Supreme Court justice to die in open court.

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Answer 2

There is no title for the oldest member of the Supreme Court, if by "oldest" you're referring to age. The justice who has served the most years on the Court is known as the Senior Justice, but this is not a formal title so much as an indication of respect and status.

The Senior justice always sits immediately to the Chief Justice's right on the bench and in conference, and is second (after the Chief Justice) to vote or express an opinion. The Senior Justice also performs the duties of the Chief Justice in his or her absence.

Officially, the US Supreme Court seats one Chief Justice and eight Associate Justices.

Answer 3

President Taft nominated Horace Lurton to the US Supreme Court in 1910, when Lurton was 65 years old. He served until his death in 1914.


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