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William H. Moody

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U.S. Supreme Court Justice

The Resume

    (December 23, 1853-July 2, 1917)
    Born in Newbury, Massachusetts
    William Henry Moody
    Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts's 6th district (November 5, 1895 – May 1, 1902)
    35th United States Secretary of the Navy (May 1, 1902 – June 30, 1904)
    Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (December 12, 1906 – November 20, 1910)

Why he might be annoying:

    He never married and had no children.
    He first gained national attention as prosecutor in the Lizzie Borden Trial.
    Infamously, when he was delivering the state's opening argument, he accidentally knocked over a bag containing the skulls of Andrew and Abby Borden, causing them to tumble onto the floor (Lizzie fainted in the courtroom).
    He only served four years on the bench, with a severe rheumatism limiting his effectiveness and forcing him to resign.
    His last sitting on the bench was May 7, 1909, when he left for a brief rest - and never returned.

Why he might not be annoying:

    He held positions in all three branches of U.S. government.
    As Secretary of the Navy, he oversaw the start of the Roosevelt-era expansion of the Navy.
    During his two years as Attorney General, he worked to break up giant monopolies, notably in the meat-packing industry, through vigorous enforcement of the antitrust laws.
    When he stepped down from the Supreme Court, President Taft successfully lobbied Congress for a Special Act to grant him retirement benefits early (they normally were not granted unless justices reached age 70 or 10 years of service).

Credit: BoyWiththeGreenHair


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 12 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying