Harvard Law School - Yearbook (Cambridge, MA)

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NOEL T. DOWLING E revered this Court as . . . the indispensable implement for the main- tenance of our federal system :, he 'cwithdrew from every other activity and the work of the Court was tl1e uabsorbing interest of his life. ' This might well have been said about Chief Justice Stone. Actually it was what he him- self said about Justice Brandeis. But in speaking thus of an associate whom he so greatly admired he was also, I think, expressing convictions of his own. At all events he was touching upon two matters of deep concern to him, namely, the institutional respon- sibility of the Court and the personal responsibility of the Justices. Of all the Courtis responsibilities as an uimplement of Covernmentv fhe liked to call it thatj, he was especially concerned with its power in constitu- tional cases-the circumstances in which it might set aside legislative or other governmental action. It is somewhat speculative, to be sure, but I doubt whether any Justice who ever sat on that Bench gave a more considered or sustained attention than he to the problems inherent in the doctrine of judicial review of constitutional questions. He made no pretensions to ready answers, but his efforts revealed a clearer pattern than is commonly perceived. And that, as a Justice, he should keep himself wholly to the work of the Court was to him a manifest duty, not only because there was plenty to do but also because in singleness of purpose he saw the best means of imparting tl1e fullest measure of strength to the Court itself. 10 Stone Professor of Law, Columbia University

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DEAN ERWIN GRISWGLD Dean of the Harvard Law School HE legal profession has many branches, represented by students, prac- titioners, teachers, government J:lCllllll1lSt1'Elt01'S, and judges. Few men engage in all of these. Harlan Stone did, and achieved high distinction in each branch. He was a leading student, a partner in a New York law oliice, professor and dean at Columbia Law School, Attorney General of the United States, and a Justice and finally Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. It is hard to think of a man who had a fuller career in the law. Many will remember Chief Justice Stone for l1is great legal capacity, for his steadfast adherence to his conception of the functions of the judge, for l1is intellectual courage and for his restraint. But many others will remember him for his kindly warmth of personality, and the weight of his personal influ- ence. Wllen I first knew the Justice, I was fresh out of Law School. There was no reason why he should have paid any attention to me. I was not from l1is law school. Yet I was soon to learn tl1e strength of his interest in young men. Even as a Justice of the Supreme Court, I believe that his heart was in teaching. He was never pedantic. But he was always ready to counsel and advise and encourage young men who were beginning their careers in the law. The mark which Chief Justice Stone has left on the law itself is history. The influence which he had on his students, from rnany law schools, will be felt for many years to come. ' W

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HARLAN FISKE STONE -THE MAN ARLAN FISKE STONE was born in Chesterfield, New Hampshire, October 11, 1872. During his childhood his family moved to Amherst, where he received his primary and secondary education. Scientific endeavor was first to claim Stone's effort. He entered Massachusetts Agricultural College in 18893 but hopes of a career as a scientific farmer were dashed when in his freshman year young Harlan left under what hardly may be called favorable circumstances. The next fall Stone entered Amherst. His college accomplishments during the succeeding four years brought him recognition both in his academic pursuits and on the football field. His scientific leaning still persisted: in 1894 he received his B.S. from Amherst and started teaching science at the Newburyport High School. Once the law and Stone were mated, they not only ascended to the top rung of the ladder of legal success but covered the field laterally as well. After receiving his LLB. from Columbia Law School in 1898, the future Chief Justice spent three years as a lecturer on law at that school and later turned his atten- tion to the practice of law in New York. In 1910 he returned to Columbia to assume the deanship and remained at this post for thirteen years. During his tenure legal education was in a state of flux and offered rich formative oppor- tunities to those directing its course. After his resignation as dean in 1923, Stone joined the law firm of Sullivan and Cromwell. It was not long before public service was to claim his attention. A fellow Amherst student was occupying the White House in 1924, when the need of cleansing the Attorney General's oflice became pressingly necessary. President Coolidge brought Harlan Stone to Wasliington to succeed Attorney General Daugherty in that office and do the job. ln less than a year he passed from the executive to the judicial branch of the government, but the path was a stormy one, through the legislative branch. Senator Norris led tl1e attack on the Stone confirmation and was supported by those who were suspicious of the appointee's association with large financial interests and big business. Finally on March 2, 1925 Harlan Fiske Stone became an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Stonc's philosophy of law and. his contribution to our legal system arc con- tained in many decisions and law review articles. But the general recognition of his success as a Justice can be succinctly illustrated by the wide approval accorded President Roosevelt's appointment of Mr. Justice Stone to the Chief Justiceship of the United States in 1941.