Charles Merrill Hough

Who was Charles Merrill Hough?

Charles Merrill Hough was a longtime federal judge in New York City.

Hough attended Dartmouth College and then "read law" before being admitted to the New York bar in 1883. From 1884 to 1906, Hough practiced as a lawyer in private practice in New York.

In 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt named Hough to a newly created judgeship on the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. After Hough served on that court for ten years, in 1916 President Woodrow Wilson promoted Hough to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, on which he served until his death in 1927.

Hough was a highly respected judge and was admired by his colleague Learned Hand, according to Hand's biography by Gerald Gunther. His views were considered very conservative, especially in civil liberties cases. Hough was a recognized expert in admiralty law.