Memories of the Law School from Jessie W. Barrett, LL.B., 1905

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"The law school building was then on H Street, just to the east of 15th, and the site, I believe, is now covered by the Woodward Building. It was well suited to its use. However, our class on constitutional law had to hold its sessions in the larger room of what was called Columbian Hall since the lectures were given by the renowned Mr. Justice John Maynard Harlan, and there was always a gallery of visitors. The grand old jurist liked to chew tobacco while he lectured. All tobacco lovers understand how that clears the mental processes. He was a chivalrous southern gentleman, however, and when bevies of ladies appeared in the galleries to hear him he usually endeavored to slip the tobacco to his hand and thence to the floor without attracting attention. The classes always helped him as much as they could at that moment by pounding the floor with their heels."

"Mr. Justice David Brewer also was a member of the law faculty, as was also Willis Van Devanter, destined later to become a member of the United States Supreme Court. These men were among the greatest jurists of that day and in addition our law faculty included such excellent instructors as Walter Clephane, W. R. Vance, Arthur Peter, and John Paul Earnest. It was a great law school and it has kept its fame and influence through the years. Law, we were taught in those days, was something permanent, because it was based upon the eternal principles of justice and truth. Even the bindings of our textbooks were of enduring fabric. We didn't know that in later years our law would be in loose leaf notebooks and that each morning you would receive a fresh batch of pages with instructions to discard those sent the day before. There was too, a doctrine of stare decisis, which today I suppose would be spelled laissez faire."

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Author or Source: GWU Alumni Review, September 1947
Document Location: University Archives
Date Added to Encyclopedia: December 21, 2006
Prepared by: Lyle Slovick, Assistant University Archivist

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