Robert Henry Day

Born into a family of distinguished lawyers, Robert Henry Day was known for his remarkable memory and as an authority in will contest cases.

He was born July 8, 1867 in Ravenna, Ohio to Supreme Court of Ohio Justice Luther and Ellen I. Barnes Day. He attended public schools and graduated from the Western Reserve Academy at Hudson in 1884.

He spent two years at the University of Michigan and graduated from Cincinnati Law School in 1891. In June 1933, the University of Cincinnati awarded him the honorary degree of doctor of laws. He was admitted to the Ohio bar in 1891 and to the U.S. Supreme Court bar in 1898.

Day joined the firm of Willison and Day in Massillon in 1892 and practiced there until 1911. He served as prosecuting attorney of Stark County from 1900 to 1906. During World War I, Day served on the Draft Board. He was elected as judge of the Stark County Court of Common Pleas of the First Subdivision of the Ninth Judicial District in 1911, running unopposed, and remaining on the bench until January 1923.

On Nov. 9, 1922, Day won a seat on the Supreme Court of Ohio and took his seat on Jan. 1, 1923. He was re-elected in 1928 for another six-year term. His opinions are contained in volumes 107 through 127 of Ohio State Reports.

During his long legal career, Day was a member of the Ohio Judicial Council, first president of the Common Pleas Judges Association, member of the Prosecuting Attorneys Association and chairman of the Judicial Section of the Ohio State Bar Association.

Day married Mary Hunt on June 27, 1898 and they had two daughters. He died Sept. 29, 1933 in Columbus and is buried in Ravenna. Funeral services were held at the Day residence in Columbus, officiated by Dr. E.F. Chauncey, rector of Trinity Episcopal Church.