University of Pennsylvania Finding Aids

A. Leo Levin, born in 1919 received his B.A. from Yeshiva University in 1939. He attended the University of Pennsylvania Law School and received his J.D. in 1942. Levin then took his first teaching job at the University of Iowa where he taught for two years before returning to his alma mater Penn Law School. Levin taught at Penn Law until his appointment as Director of the Federal Judicial Center in 1977. Levin participated in numerous legal professional organizations such as the American Bar Association, the Association of American Law Schools and the Order of the Coif. Levin also served on a number of high profile judiciary committees such as the Legislative Reapportionment Committee from 1971-1973, the Commission on Revision of the Federal Court Appellate System from 1973-1975, and the Civil Justice Reform Act Advisory Group. Levin produced or contributed to a number of publications related to the law including Dispatch and Delay: A Field Study of Judicial Administration in Pennsylvania with Edward A. Woolley and Cases and Materials on Civil Procedure with James H. Chadbourn. Levin's interests were not limited solely to the law as evidenced by his active role in the Jewish Community serving on numerous boards of Jewish centric organizations such as the Jewish Exponent, a weekly newspaper published in Philadelphia, the Jewish Federation of Jewish Agencies and the Jewish Publication Society.

David Lionel Bazelon (1909-1993) graduated from Northwestern University Law School in 1932. In 1936, Bazelon joined the United States Attorney's Office in Chicago, where he specialized in tax cases. In 1949, President Harry S. Truman appointed Bazelon to the newly-created United States Court of Appeals for the District Columbia, making Bazelon, at forty years old, one of the youngest people ever appointed to a federal judgeship. He served on the court from 1949 to 1984, acting as Chief Judge from 1962 to 1978. During this time the Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia was often considered the nation's second highest court. In his years on the court Bazelon was involved in decisions on matters ranging from the use of DDT to the definition of insanity. In the mid-1980s Bazelon stopped hearing cases and finally retired from the bench. He died on February 19, 1993, of Alzheimer's disease. The collection, 1941-1993 and undated, includes case files related to Bazelon's activities as judge on the District of Columbia Court of Appeals, including case and subject files. The collection also includes papers related to Bazelon's organizational affiliations, speeches, lectures, and writings. The largest part of the collection comprises subject files related to Bazelon's legal and social advocacy activities, including issues related to mental health law. The collection also includes a series of personal and career files, as well as a selection of audiovisual materials.

George W. Taylor (1901-1972) was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He attended the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Economics in 1921 and a Ph.D. in 1929.Taylor taught at Wharton for over 30 years of which during that time, he became an influential expert in the field of industrial relations, including arbitration, mediation, and alternative dispute resolution. Taylor received major acclaim when he mediated an end to the Apex Hosiery Strike in Philadelphia in 1932 and orchestrated the passage in 1967, of the Public Employees Fair Employment Law, which is commonly known as "the Taylor Law." The collection, 1921-1970, consists of correspondence, trade negotiations, laws, agreements and studies surrounding the hosiery labor industry in the early to mid 20th century. The collection also contains files pertaining to memo series, decision series, and umpire decisions pertaining to the hosiery industry.

George Wharton Pepper was born in Philadelphia in 1867. He graduated from Penn Law School with an LL.B. in 1889 and was first in his class. As a student, Pepper helped found The Daily Pennsylvanian, the university's student-run examination. In addition to studying law with Philadelphia scion George Washington Biddle, Pepper taught at Penn Law School from 1893 to 1910, when he left to attend to his expanding private practice. Pepper also served as United States Senator for Pennsylvania from 1922 to 1927. The collection, 1886-1954, include correspondence regarding law school matters; syllabi, notes, lectures, and case files, probably from the 1890s; papers related to Pepper's service on the Trustee Committee and Reorganization Committee; and articles and other writings drafted by Pepper.

Henry S. Drinker (1880-1965) was graduate of Haverford College, Harvard University, and the University of Pennsylvania. In 1904, Drinker joined the prominent Philadelphia Law firm Drinker Biddle & Reath in 1904. An authority on legal ethics, Drinker's book on the subject, "Legal Ethics," was published in 1933 and went on to become a classic. An amateur musicologist, Drinker founded the Drinker Library of Choral Music at the Free Library of Philadelphia. The Drinker Music Center was dedicated in his name at Haverford College in 1962. Primarily writings by Henry S. Drinker regarding criticism by Sir Francis Newbolt over some of his books, an essay called "Legal Plots," and a writing called "The Lawyers of Anthony Trollope. The collection, 1929-1950, also includes correspondence with Alfred A. Knopf and Sir Francis Newbolt.

Born on September 14, 1742 in Carskerdo, Fife, Scotland. Although James Wilson attended numerous universities while living Scotland, he never attained a degree. It was Wilson's pursuit of studying law that helped pave become a significant figure in American history. Wilson began studying law at the law office of John Dickinson. By 1766, Wilson attained the bar in Philadelphia and soon after opened his own practice in Reading. Wilson was fairly successful as a lawyer and he managed to amass a small fortune during this time. Wilson's greatest achievement in public life was his part in the establishment of the United States Constitution. He regularly advocated the idea that sovereignty resided in the people, that the President and members of both houses of Congress should be popularly elected. This small yet historically significant collection contains a select number of original documents that highlight the political and professional activities of James Wilson. The documents specifically reveal Wilson's achievements as a prominent American lawyer, politician, and businessman which helped solidify his legacy in early American history.

John Dickinson was born in Greensboro, Maryland in 1894. He was a descendent of John Dickinson, who drafted the Articles of Confederation. After teaching American and Medieval history, Dickinson earned his Ph.D. from Princeton University in 1919. That same year, he enrolled at Harvard Law School, where he received his LL.B. degree in 1921. At the time, Dickinson practiced law in New York and Los Angeles. He also was a noted writer, publishing his Administrative Law and the Supremacy of Nations in 1927. A pioneering work in administrative law, the book is widely regarded as a legal classic. After stints teaching at Harvard and Princeton, Dickinson accepted an offer to teach at the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1929, where he remained until his resignation in 1948. Dickinson taught on a range of topics, including constitutional law and medieval theory. He continued to write articles and books. At the time of his sudden death in 1952, Dickinson was undergoing a study of Western thought from Hellenic Greece to modern times. The project included a detailed analysis of Roman law and institutions. The collection probably dates from the early to mid-1940s. The 12 notebooks include handwritten and typewritten excerpts from books related to Roman law, as well as Dickinson's own notes on the subject. Dickinson was writing a book on Roman law at this time.

John Honnold (1915-2011) graduated from Harvard University Law School in 1936 and became Chief of the Court Review Branch of the Office of Price Administration during World War II. Honnold served as a Professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School from 1946 to 1969, when he became Chief of Legal Staff to the Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL). He resumed teaching at the Penn Law School in 1974 while working on the UNCITRAL draft that was ratified at the Vienna Convention. The collection, circa 1983-1993, includes copies of letters Honnold sent and received as the co-chairman of the U.S. Delegation to the Vienna Conference and Chief of Staff of UNCITRAL. The collection also contains a reference file that spans from 1986 to 1993.

A unidentified ledger or docket listing court cases and client payments from 1889 to 1892, probably for an unidentified law firm in Warren County, Pennsylvania.

Owen J. Roberts was born in Philadelphia in 1875. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a bachelor's degree in 1895 and a law degree in 1898. While at Penn, Roberts edited "The Daily Pennsylvanian." He later served as Professor at the Law School from 1898 to 1918. Roberts was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court from 1930 to 1945. After stepping down from the bench, he served as Dean for the University of Pennsylvania Law School from 1948 to 1951. Roberts died in 1955. The collection includes outlines of lectures Owen J. Roberts gave at the University of Pennsylvania Law School on Constitutional Law.

Peter McCall was born in Trenton, New Jersey in 1809. McCall was Professor of practice, pleading, and evidence at law and in equity at Penn Law School. After resigning his post at the Law School, he became a University Trustee. McCall was a prominent member of Philadelphia public life, serving as mayor in 1844 and as Chancellor of the Law Academy of Philadelphia, the oldest law association in the United States, from 1873 until his death in 1880.

This is an intentionally-assembled collection of essays written by former students of the University of Pennsylvania Law School from 1887 to 1936. Many of these are theses that were written at the end of the students' course of study. Most of the essays were written in the 1880s and 1890s.

William Draper Lewis was born in Philadelphia in 1867. In 1891, he received both a law degree and a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Pennsylvania. In 1892, he became editor of the American Law Register, one of the oldest legal periodicals of the time. That same year, Lewis married Caroline Mary Cope. They had four children, Henry, Alfreda Cope, Anna, and William Draper Jr. and resided in Germantown, Pennsylvania. In 1896, Lewis joined the law department at the University of Pennsylvania as Dean and Professor of Law. Under Lewis' leadership, the law school flourished as he recruited new faculty, broadened the curriculum, and strengthened the collections of the Biddle Law Library. He served as Dean until 1914 but continued on the faculty until 1924. In 1923, Lewis became the founding director of the American Law Institute (ALI). Lewis died in Northeast Harbor, Maine in 1949. The collection, 1874-1949, documents Lewis' personal life and span the years 1874-1949. A letter from Lewis to his mother written at age six and a letter from his son Henry to his widow Carrie written the year after his death are also included. The collection includes letters to and from his wife, children, grandchildren, and friends. The collection documents Lewis' observations and opinions on the current events of his time, and his roles as husband, father, grandfather, and friend.

This collection features a series of materials partially documenting the career of lawyer and legal scholar William E. Mikell. Most notably featured in this collection are various drafts of the criminal codes Mikell was heavily involved in planning and drafting during his career. As well are included a large variety of personal notes and writings of Mikell's which touch upon the large number of criminal law and code topics he worked with throughout his life. Speeches given by and about Mikell are included in their original forms, as well as person memorabilia including Mikell's 1890 Master's degree from The Citadel. The collection is rounded out with a brief set of personal photographs and miscellaneous correspondence from Mikell's career.

William Kincaid "Bill" Newman was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1910. He graduated from Princeton University and the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where he received his degree in 1934. Newman died in 1998.\ Newman's class notes, exam booklets, and the Pennsylvania State Board of Law Examiners exam, 1931-1934.