William Caleb Loring (August 24, 1851 – September 8, 1930) was an American lawyer who served as a justice of the

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Although the claim is disputed by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, the SJC claims the distinction of being the oldest continuously fu ...

from September 7, 1899, to September 16, 1919, appointed by Governor Roger Wolcott.

Biography

Born in

Beverly, Massachusetts Beverly is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, and a suburb of Boston. The population was 42,670 at the time of the 2020 United States census. A resort, residential, and manufacturing community on the Massachusetts North Sho ...

, to Caleb William and Elizabeth Smith (Peabody) Loring, he attended a private school and graduated from

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate education, undergraduate college of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Part of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Scienc ...

in 1872, where he was a rower on the university crew team."Justice Loring Dies In Home At Age of 79", ''Fitchburg Sentinel'' (September 8, 1930), p. 1, 5. Continuing at Harvard, he received an A.M. in 1875. He became an Assistant Attorney General of Massachusetts on December 1, 1875, serving in that position until July 1878, when he resigned to become a partner in the law firm of

Ropes & Gray Ropes & Gray LLP is an American multinational law firm with 14 U.S., Asia, and Europe offices. The firm has over 1,500 lawyers and professionals worldwide, its clients include corporations, financial institutions, government agencies, universitie ...

(thereafter called Ropes, Gray and Loring until his departure). In this capacity, he served as general solicitor and later general counsel of the

New York and New England Railroad The New York and New England Railroad (NY&NE) was a railroad connecting southern New York State with Hartford, Connecticut; Providence, Rhode Island; and Boston, Massachusetts. It operated under that name from 1873 to 1893. Prior to 1873 it was ...

, from 1882 to 1886. When partner John Codman Ropes died in 1899, Loring was a

pallbearer A pallbearer is one of several participants who help carry the casket at a funeral. They may wear white gloves in order to prevent damaging the casket and to show respect to the deceased person. Some traditions distinguish between the roles o ...

at his funeral.

Judicial career

On August 30, 1899, Governor Roger Wolcott nominated Loring to a seat on the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court vacated by the elevation of

Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. (March 8, 1841 – March 6, 1935) was an American jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, U.S. Supreme Cou ...

to chief justice. Loring's nomination was confirmed by the

Massachusetts Senate The Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the st ...

on September 11, 1899."Wm. Caleb Loring Confirmed", ''The Boston Globe'' (September 11, 1899), p. 10. He remained on the court until 1919, stepping down from the bench a week after the twentieth anniversary of his assumption of that office. Loring remained involved with Harvard College during and after his tenure on the court. In 1901, the institution awarded Loring an honorary

LL.D. A Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) is a doctoral degree in legal studies. The abbreviation LL.D. stands for ''Legum Doctor'', with the double “L” in the abbreviation referring to the early practice in the University of Cambridge to teach both canon law ...

, and from 1902 to 1911, he sat on the board of overseers of Harvard College. After leaving the court, he lectured at

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, Harvard Law School is the oldest law school in continuous operation in the United ...

on the practice of the law, from 1921 to 1929. In addition, Loring served as the first chair of the Judicial Council of Massachusetts, from 1924 to 1926.

Personal life

Loring's paternal grandfather was Charles Greely Loring, a Boston-based lawyer. His older sister was

Katharine Peabody Loring Katharine Peabody Loring Royal Red Cross, RRC (May 21, 1849 – August 16, 1943) was an American educator. She was head of the history department at the Society to Encourage Studies at Home, the first correspondence school in the United States, wh ...

, a noted educator. In 1883, Loring married Susan Mason Lawrence, who died in 1923. They had no children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Loring, William 1851 births 1930 deaths People from Beverly, Massachusetts Harvard College alumni Harvard Law School faculty Justices of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Burials at Mount Auburn Cemetery Ropes & Gray partners