William Moody

associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court

Also known as: William Henry Moody

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History

William Moody (born December 23, 1853, Newbury, Massachusetts, U.S.—died July 2, 1917, Haverhill, Massachusetts) was an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1906 to 1910. He previously served as secretary of the U.S. Navy (1902–04) and as U.S. attorney general (1904–06). Moody was also known for his work as a prosecutor in the Lizzie Borden murder trial (1893).

Moody began practicing law at Haverhill, Massachusetts, in 1878 and became active in local Republican Party affairs. He served as city solicitor (1880–90) and district attorney for eastern Massachusetts (1890–95). He first gained national attention in 1893, while serving as an assistant prosecutor in the sensational murder trial of Lizzie Borden, who was accused of murdering her father and stepmother. While the circumstantial case against Borden was strong, the lack of conclusive physical evidence contributed to her acquittal.

Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1895, he served until 1902, when Pres. Theodore Roosevelt appointed him secretary of the navy and, in 1904, U.S. attorney general. During his two years in the latter post, Moody moved to break up the giant monopolies, notably in the meat-packing industry, through vigorous enforcement of the antitrust laws. In 1906 he was appointed to the Supreme Court by Roosevelt (who had first offered the seat to William Howard Taft). Illness limited Moody’s effectiveness on the bench and forced him to resign after only four years.