Grosscup is best remembered for having made use of the judicial injunction against strikers in labor disputes, including most notably the leadership of the American Railway Union in the 1894 Pullman Strike.

He was confirmed by the United States Senate on December 20, 1892, and received his commission the same day.

[1] According to Almont Lindsey's 1942 book The Pullman Strike, Grosscup received his district court appointment as political payback for a large donation George Pullman made to the Harrison presidential campaign.

[3] The July 3, 1894 New York Times called the injunction a "Gatling gun on paper."

Grosscup died on October 1, 1921, on board a ship bound for Southampton, England.