Claudius Buchanan Grant was born on October 25, 1835, at Lebanon, York County, Maine. He was the son of Joseph and Mary (Merrill) Grant. His earliest paternal American ancestor was James Grant, who came from England in 1645 and settled at Berwick, Maine.
Grant prepared for college at the Lebanon Academy and in October 1855, entered the University of Michigan. He was graduated from the literary college in 1859 with high honors and became a teacher of classics and later principal in the Ann Arbor High School.
The outbreak of the Civil War, wrought a definite change in Grant's life. In 1862, he organized a military company and was elected its captain. The company was assigned to the 20th Regiment of Michigan Infantry.
Grant was commissioned major, June 20, 1864, and colonel of the regiment, December 20, 1864. He was present at the siege of Vicksburg and went to Virginia with Gen. Grant for the final campaign of the war.
After being mustered out he returned to the University of Michigan to study law.
Upon his admission to the bar in 1866, he began the practise of law at Ann Arbor in partnership with his father-in-law.
He was elected recorder in 1866, served as postmaster of Ann Arbor from 1867 to 1870, and was also a member of the board of education.
From 1870 to 1874, he was a member of the Michigan House of Representatives. He was elected a regent of the University of Michigan in 1871, serving 1872-80. In 1873, he removed to Houghton and formed a law partnership with Joseph H. Chandler.
From 1876 to 1878, he was prosecuting attorney of Houghton County. In 1881, upon the creation of the 25th Judicial District, he was elected its first circuit judge and served until 1889, being so energetic in his campaign for the prosecution of law-breakers that when he left the bench no district in the state had a better reputation for law-observance.
In the spring of 1889, he was elected a justice of the Michigan supreme court, a position he held for twenty years. He was chief justice in 1898, 1899, and 1908.
As a member of the supreme court he threw all of his influence toward a broad construction of the provision in the Michigan constitution giving to the board of regents of the University of Michigan independent control of the affairs of the University.
In 1910, he returned to the practise of law. He retired from active professional duties in 1913 and died some eight years later at St. Petersburg, Florida.
The dominant note of Grant's character was fearlessness. He was a champion of law and order and delivered hundreds of addresses on that subject.
Grant was married, on June 13, 1863, to Caroline L. Felch, daughter of the former governor, Alpheus Felch.
