Chief Justices

Search for the Chief Justice by the first letter of their last name or chronologically

By the first letter of their last name:
A B C D F G H K L M N O P R S T W Y

A

Adams, Clark J.

Supreme Court: 1952 – 1953

Chief Justice: 1952

B

Bird, John E.

Supreme Court: 1910 – 1928

Chief Justice: 1910, 1919, 1926

Blair, Charles A.

Supreme Court: 1905 – 1912

Chief Justice: 1909

Boyles, Emerson R.

Supreme Court: 1940 – 1956

Chief Justice: 1943, 1950

Brennan, Thomas E.

Supreme Court: 1967 – 1973

Chief Justice: 1969, 1970, 1971

Brickley, James H.

Supreme Court: 1982 – 1999

Chief Justice: 1995, 1996

Brooke, Flavius L.

Supreme Court: 1908 – 1921

Chief Justice: 1915

Bushnell, George E.

Supreme Court: 1934 – 1955

Chief Justice: 1940, 1948

Butzel, Henry M.

Supreme Court: 1929 – 1955

Chief Justice: 1930, 1931, 1939, 1946, 1954

C

Campbell, James V.

Supreme Court: 1858 – 1890

Chief Justice: 1870, 1871, 1872, 1878, 1879, 1880, 1885, 1890

Carpenter, William L.

Supreme Court: 1902 – 1904

Chief Justice: 1906

Carr, Leland W.

Supreme Court: 1941 – 1963

Chief Justice: 1947, 1955, 1962, 1963

Cavanagh, Michael F.

Supreme Court: 1983 –

Chief Justice: 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994

Champlin, John W.

Supreme Court: 1884 – 1891

Chief Justice: 1890, 1891, 1892

Chandler, Bert D.

Supreme Court: 1937 – 1943

Chief Justice: 1942

Christiancy, Isaac P.

Supreme Court: 1858 – 1875

Chief Justice: 1872, 1873, 1874

Clark, George M.

Supreme Court: 1919 – 1933

Chief Justice: 1924, 1932

Clement, Elizabeth T.

Supreme Court: 2017 – present

Chief Justice: 2022, 2023

Coleman, Mary S.

Supreme Court: 1973 – 1982

Chief Justice: 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982

Cooley, Thomas M.

Supreme Court: 1864 – 1885

Chief Justice: 1868, 1869, 1870, 1876, 1877, 1878, 1884, 1885

Corrigan, Maura D.

Supreme Court: 1999 – 2011

Chief Justice: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004

D

Dethmers, John R.

Supreme Court: 1946 – 1970

Chief Justice: 1953, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1967, 1968, 1969

F

Fead, Louis H.

Supreme Court: 1928 – 1937

Chief Justice: 1928, 1937

Fellows, Grant

Supreme Court: 1917 – 1929

Chief Justice: 1922

Fitzgerald, John W.

Supreme Court: 1974 – 1982

Chief Justice: 1982

Flannigan, Richard C.

Supreme Court: 1927 – 1928

Chief Justice: 1928

Fletcher, William A.

Supreme Court: 1836 – 1842

Chief Justice: 1836, 1837, 1838, 1839, 1840, 1841, 1842

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G

Grant, Claudius B.

Supreme Court: 1890 – 1905

Chief Justice: 1898, 1899, 1908

Graves, Benjamin F.

Supreme Court: 1857 – 1857

Chief Justice: 1874, 1875, 1876, 1882, 1883

Green, Sanford M.

Supreme Court: 1848 – 1857

Chief Justice: 1855, 1856

H

Hooker, Frank A.

Supreme Court: 1893 – 1911

Chief Justice: 1893, 1902, 1903

K

Kavanagh, Thomas M.

Supreme Court: 1958 – 1975

Chief Justice: 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974

Kavanagh, Thomas G.

Supreme Court: 1969 – 1984

Chief Justice: 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979

Kelly, Marilyn J.

Supreme Court: 1997 – 2012

Chief Justice: 2009, 2010

Kuhn, Franz C.

Supreme Court: 1912 – 1919

Chief Justice: 1917, 1918

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L

Long, Charles D.

Supreme Court: 1888 – 1902

Chief Justice: 1895, 1896, 1897, 1898

M

Mallett, Jr., Conrad L.

Supreme Court: 1990 – 1999

Chief Justice: 1997, 1998

Markman, Stephen J.

Supreme Court: 1999 – 2020

Chief Justice: 2017, 2018

Marston, Isaac

Supreme Court: 1875 – 1883

Chief Justice: 1880, 1881

Martin, George

Supreme Court: 1851 – 1867

Chief Justice: 1858, 1859, 1860, 1861, 1862, 1863, 1864, 1865, 1866, 1867

McAlvay, Aaron V.

Supreme Court: 1905 – 1915

Chief Justice: 1907, 1914

McCormack, Bridget M.

Supreme Court: 2013-2022

Chief Justice: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022

McDonald, John S.

Supreme Court: 1922 – 1933

Chief Justice: 1925, 1933

McGrath, John W.

Supreme Court: 1891 – 1895

Chief Justice: 1892, 1894, 1895

Montgomery, Robert A.

Supreme Court: 1892 – 1906

Chief Justice: 1900, 1901, 1910

Moore, Joseph B.

Supreme Court: 1896 – 1921

Chief Justice: 1904, 1905, 1912, 1920

Morrell, George

Supreme Court: 1832 – 1843

Chief Justice: 1843

Morse, Allen B.

Supreme Court: 1885 – 1892

Chief Justice: 1885

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N

North, Walter H.

Supreme Court: 1927 – 1952

Chief Justice: 1929, 1936, 1944, 1952

O

Ostrander, Russell C.

Supreme Court: 1905 – 1919

Chief Justice: 1911, 1918

P

Potter, William H.

Supreme Court: 1928 – 1940

Chief Justice: 1935

Pratt, Abner

Supreme Court: 1850 – 1857

Chief Justice: 1856, 1857

R

Ransom, Epaphroditus

Supreme Court: 1836 – 1848

Chief Justice: 1843, 1844, 1845, 1846, 1847, 1848

Reid, Neil E.

Supreme Court: 1944 – 1956

Chief Justice: 1951

Riley, Dorothy Comstock

Supreme Court: 1982 – 1983

Chief Justice: 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991

S

Sharpe, Nelson

Supreme Court: 1919 – 1935

Chief Justice: 1927, 1934

Sharpe, Edward M.

Supreme Court: 1934 – 1957

Chief Justice: 1941, 1949, 1956

Sherwood, Thomas R.

Supreme Court: 1883 – 1889

Chief Justice: 1886, 1887, 1888, 1889

Sibley, Soloman

Supreme Court: 1824 – 1836

Chief Justice: 1827, 1828, 1829, 1830, 1831, 1832, 1833, 1834, 1835, 1836, 1837

Starr, Raymond

Supreme Court: 1941 – 1946

Chief Justice: 1945

Steere, Joseph H.

Supreme Court: 1911 – 1927

Chief Justice: 1913, 1921

Stone, John W.

Supreme Court: 1910 – 1924

Chief Justice: 1916

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T

Taylor, Clifford W.

Supreme Court: 1997 – 2008

Chief Justice: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008

W

Weaver, Elizabeth A.

Supreme Court: 1995 – 2010

Chief Justice: 1999, 2000

Whipple, Charles W.

Supreme Court: 1839 – 1855

Chief Justice: 1848, 1849, 1850, 1851, 1852

Wiest, Howard

Supreme Court: 1921 – 1945

Chief Justice: 1923, 1930, 1938

Williams, G. Mennen

Supreme Court: 1971 – 1986

Chief Justice: 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986

Wing, Warner

Supreme Court: 1845 – 1856

Chief Justice: 1852, 1853, 1854

Witherell, James

Supreme Court: 1808 – 1828

Chief Justice: 1824, 1825, 1826

Woodward, Augustus B.

Supreme Court: 1805 – 1824

Chief Justice: 1805, 1806, 1807, 1808, 1809, 1810, 1811, 1812, 1813, 1814, 1815, 1816, 1817, 1818, 1819, 1820, 1821, 1822, 1823, 1824

Y

Young, Jr., Robert P.

Supreme Court: 1998 – 2017

Chief Justice: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016

Chronological List

Years Chief Justice
1836-1842 William A. Fletcher
1842-1843 George Morrell
1843-1847 Epaphroditus Ransom
1848-1851 Charles W. Whipple
1852-1853* Warner Wing
1854-1855* Sanford M. Green
1856* Abner Pratt
1857*-1867 George Martin
1868-1869 Thomas M. Cooley
1870-1871 James V. Campbell
1872-1873 Isaac P. Christiancy
1874-1875 Benjamin F. Graves
1876-1877 Thomas M. Cooley
1878-1879 James V. Campbell
1880-1881 Isaac Marston
1882-1883 Benjamin F. Graves
1884-1885 Thomas M. Cooley
1885 Allen B. Morse
1886-1887 James V. Campbell
1888-1889 Thomas R. Sherwood
1890 James V. Campbell
1890-1891 John W. Champlin
1892 Allen B. Morse
1892 John W. McGrath
1893 Frank A. Hooker
1894-1895 John W. McGrath
1896-1897 Charles D. Long
1898-1899 Claudius B. Grant
1900-1901 Robert A. Montgomery
1902-1903 Frank A. Hooker
1904-1905 Joseph B. Moore
1906 William L. Carpenter
1907 Aaron V. McAlvay
1908 Claudius B. Grant
1909 Charles A. Blair
1910 Robert A. Montgomery
1910 John E. Bird
1911 Russell C. Ostrander
1912 Joseph B. Moore
1913 Joseph H. Steere
1914 Aaron V. McAlvay
1915 Flavius L. Brooke
1916 John W. Stone
1917 Franz C. Kuhn
1918 Russell C. Ostrander
1919 John E. Bird
1920 Joseph B. Moore
1921 Joseph H. Steere
1922 Grant Fellows
1923 Howard Wiest
1924 George M. Clark
1925 John S. McDonald
1926 John E. Bird
1927 Nelson Sharpe
1928 Louis H. Fead
1929 Walter H. North
1930 Howard Wiest
1931 Henry M. Butzel
1932 George M. Clark
1933 John S. McDonald
1934 Nelson Sharpe
1935 William W. Potter
1936 Walter H. North
1937 Louis H. Fead
1938 Howard Wiest
1939 Henry M. Butzel
1940 George E. Bushnell
1941 Edward M. Sharpe
1942 Bert D. Chandler
1943 Emerson R. Boyles
1944 Walter H. North
1945 Raymond W. Starr
1946 Henry M. Butzel
1947 Leland W. Carr
1948 George E. Bushnell
1949 Edward M. Sharpe
1950 Emerson R. Boyles
1951 Neil E. Reid
1952 Walter H. North
1952 Clark J. Adams
1953 John R. Dethmers
1954 Henry M. Butzel
1955 Leland W. Carr
1956 Edward M. Sharpe
1956-1961 John R. Dethmers
1962-1963 Leland W. Carr
1964-1966 Thomas M. Kavanagh
1967-1969 John R. Dethmers
1969-1970 Thomas E. Brennan
1971-1974 Thomas M. Kavanagh
1975-1978 Thomas G. Kavanagh
1979-1982 Mary S. Coleman
1982 John W. Fitzgerald
1983-1986 G. Mennen Williams
1987-1990 Dorothy Comstock Riley
1991-1994 Michael F. Cavanagh
1995-1996 James H. Brickley
1997-1998 Conrad L. Mallett, Jr.
1999-2000 Elizabeth A. Weaver
2001-2004 Maura D. Corrigan
2005-2008 Clifford W. Taylor
2009-2010 Marilyn J. Kelly
2011-2016 Robert P. Young, Jr.
2017-2018 Stephen J. Markman
2019-2022 Bridget M. McCormack
2022-present Elizabeth T. Clement