What US Supreme Court Chief Justice only served four months in office?

John Rutledge may fit this description, depending on how you calculate his time in office.

Rutledge, a member of the Continental Congress and one of the framers of the US Constitution, was first appointed to the Supreme Court as an Associate Justice in September 1789. Rutledge was a friend of President Washington, and was reportedly disappointed that John Jay was nominated Chief Justice ahead of him. According to historical accounts, Rutledge never actually served on the Court or attended their required meetings, but worked as a judge in the South Carolina state system, instead. He officially resigned his position on the US Supreme Court in March 1791, after just 18 months.

He worked as a Judge in the South Carolina Court of Common Pleas until receiving Word in early 1995 that John Jay had been elected Governor of New York, at which time Rutledge wrote to President Washington requesting appointment to Jay's vacated seat. After several letters passed between them, Washington offered Rutledge a temporary commission (also called a recess appointment) effective July 1, with the expectation that the Senate would approve Rutledge's appointment when they returned from summer recess in August.

Rutledge planned to travel from Charleston to Philadelphia at the beginning of August to convene the second 1795 session of the Court. He sailed from Charleston to Baltimore on July 29, then traveled by land to Philadelphia, arriving August 10. His commission was sealed on August 12, which would commence his official tenure of office as Chief Justice.

The new Chief Justice heard one case, wrote his opinion for the Court, and returned to Charleston a few days later. In November 1795, he attempted to fulfill his responsibilities as Circuit Judge, but various problems, including illness, prevented him from convening any sessions that fall.

Meanwhile, the Senate had postponed voting on Rutledge's appointment until December 15, 1795. Some of Rutledge's behavior that year caused concern among members of Congress, and his appointment was defeated in Congress by a vote of 14-10.

On December 28, Rutledge wrote a letter to Washington resigning his commission, claiming his health would not allow him to continue (it's not clear whether he'd heard about his rejection at the time he wrote the letter). Rutledge was paid for his service through December 28, and retired to a life of seclusion.

If you include the time Rutledge was officially in office as an Associate Justice, plus the shorter period he served as Chief Justice (July 1 - December 28, 1795), then his total time in office was 563 days; much longer than four months.

Historians tell us, however, that he never fulfilled the duties of Associate Justice, despite taking an Oath of office.

If you factor the time as Associate Justice out of the equation, Rutledge served 181 days, or approximately six months.

However, if you start the clock on August 12, 1795, when his temporary commission was sealed, and end when the Senate rejected his appointment on December 15, then his time in office would have been just a few days longer than four months.

For more information on John Rutledge and the disastrous end to his career, see Related Links, below.