Gray , John Chipman 1839-1915 HOLLIS FULL CATALOG- List of Records Page 1 of 2 ? Help Full Catalog Journals Reserves Digital Resources Your Account Comments HOLLIS CATALOG Search Expanded Search Command Search Start Over HARVARD UNIVERSITY Previous searches Results list Display options RESULTS LIST: FULL CATALOG Records 1 - 20 of 78 Select All I Deselect All Print/Save/Send Create Subset Add to List View List Last Browse Modify Search Previous Gray, John Chipman, 1793-1881. Authors, All Current Gray, John Chipman, 1839-1915 Next Gray, John, d. 1769 Results for Gray, John Chipman, 1839-1915; Sorted by: Year, then Author To change sort order, click on column heading. Jump to # Previous Page Next Page # Author Title Year Format 1 Gray, John The nature and sources of the law / 1997 BK Chipman, 1839- 1915. 2 Gray, John The nature and sources of the law 1983 BK Chipman, 1839- 1915. 3 Gray, John The nature and sources of the law. 1972 BK Chipman, 1839- 1915. 4 Gray, John The nature and sources of the law / 1963 BK Chipman, 1839- 1915. 5 Gray, John The rule against perpetuities 1942 BK Chipman, 1839- 1915. 6 Gray, John The nature and sources of the law / 1938 BK Chipman, 1839- 1915. 7 Gray, John The nature and sources of the law / 1931 BK Chipman, 1839- 1915. 8 Gray, John Nature and Sources of the Law. 1931 BK Chipman, 1839- 1915. 9 Gray, John The nature and sources of the law, 1927 BK Chipman, 1839- 1915. http://lms01.harvard.edu/F/KFIFEB5AY1C4USN8GG182UV86TR49QMT3ISS13H7ASMRDKK 5/4/2005 HOLLIS FULL CATALOG - List of Records Page 2 of 2 10 Gray, John War letters, 1862-1865, of John Chipman Gray and John Codman 1927 BK Chipman, 1839- Ropes with portraits. 1915. 11 Gray, John The nature and sources of the law, 1921 BK Chipman, 1839- 1915. 12 Kales, Albert Future interests and illegal conditions and restraints, by Albert M. Kales. 1918 BK Martin, 1875-1922. 13 John Chipman Gray. 1917 BK 14 Kales, Albert Cases on future interests and illegal conditions and restraints, selected 1917 BK Martin, 1875-1922. from the decisions of 15 Gray, John The nature and sources of the law. 1916 BK Chipman, 1839- 1915. 16 Gray, John The rule against perpetuities. 1915 BK Chipman, 1839- 1915. 17 Miscellaneous memorials in honor of John Chipman Gray and addresses 1915 BK by him. 18 Gray, John Whitby V. Mitchell Once More. 1913 BK Chipman, 1839- 1915. 19 Watt, Harold The Class Notes of Harold Livingston Watt, 1911-1912. 1911 MX Livingston. 20 Chafee, The class notes of Zechariah Chafee, 1910-1913. 1910 MX Zechariah, 1885- 1957. Previous Page Next Page Select All I Deselect All Print/Save/Send Create Subset Add to List View List Last Browse Modify Search SEARCH: FULL CATALOG Browse an Alphabetical List: Browse for: Author (last name first) Browse Clear Keywords from: Search for: Keywords anywhere Search Clear About the HOLLIS Catalog HARVARD LIBRARIES HOME OTHER CATALOGS E-RESOURCES CONDUCTING RESEARCH LIBRARY INFORMATION HARVARD HOME Copyright c 2004 President and Fellows of Harvard College http://lms01.harvard.edu/F/KFIFEB5AY1C4USN8GG182UV86TR49QMT3ISS13H7ASMRDKK. 5/4/2005 HOLLIS FULL CATALOG - List of Records Page 1 of 2 ? Help Full Catalog Journals Reserves Digital Resources Your Account TAST Comments HOLLIS CATALOG Search Expanded Search Command Search Start Over HARVARD UNIVERSITY Previous searches Results list Display options RESULTS LIST: FULL CATALOG Records 21 - 40 of 78 Select All I Deselect All Print/Save/Send Create Subset Add to List View List Last Browse Modify Search Previous Gray, John Chipman, 1793-1881. Authors, All Current Gray, John Chipman, 1839-1915 Next Gray, John, d. 1769 Results for Gray, John Chipman, 1839-1915; Sorted by: Year, then Author To change sort order, click on column heading. Jump to # Previous Page Next Page # Author Title Year Format 21 Gray, John The nature and sources of the law 1909 BK Chipman, 1839- 1915. 22 Gray, John Summary of the law of evidence 1909 MX Chipman, 1839- 1915. 23 Hazeltine, Harold Correspondence, 1898-1954. 1909 MX D. (Harold Dexter), 1871-1960. 24 Gray, John In Memoriam; Frederic William Maitland. 1907 BK Chipman, 1839- 1915. 25 Gray, John In re Mortimer. 1907 BK Chipman, 1839- 1915. 26 Hudson, Manley The class notes of Manley Ottmer Hudson, 1907-1909. 1907 MX Ottmer, 1886- 27 Bechtel, Edwin De The class notes of Edwin DeTurck Bechtel, 1906-1908. 1906 MX Turck, 1880-1957. 28 Christie, Loring The class notes of Loring Cheney Christie, 1906-1908. 1906 MX Cheney, d. 1941. 29 Gray, John The rule against perpetuities. 1906 BK Chipman, 1839- 1915. 30 Scott, Austin The Class Notes of Austin Wakeman Scott, 1906-1909. 1906 MX Wakeman, 1884- http://lms01.harvard.edu/F/KFIFEB5AY1C4USN8GG182UV86TR49QMT3ISS13H7ASMRDKK 5/4/2005 HOLLIS FULL CATALOG - List of Records Page 2 of 2 1981. 31 Sears, Francis B. Francis B. Sears vs. the Attorney-General and others : brief for the 1906 BK plaintiff. 32 Gray, John Select cases and other authorities on the law of property. 1905 BK Chipman, 1839- 1915. 33 Gray, John Select cases and other authorities on the law of property. 1905 BK Chipman, 1839- 1915. 34 Ames, James Address accepting portraits of James Bradley Thayer and James Barr 1904 BK Barr, 1846-1910. Ames. 35 Gray, John [Address accepting portraits of James Bradley Thayer and James Barr 1904 BK Chipman, 1839- Ames] 1915. 36 Gray, Roland, 1874- A catalogue of books belonging to John Chipman Gray, Boston 1904 BK 1957. 37 Kales, Albert Correspondence on the rule against perpetuities, 1904-1913. 1904 MX Martin, 1875-1922. 38 Best, William Class notes of William Hall Best, 1903-1906. 1903 MX Hall, 1877-1960. 39 Powell, Thomas The class notes of Thomas Reed Powell, ca. 1901-1904. 1901 MX Reed, 1880-1955. 40 Seavey, Warren The class notes of Warren Abner Seavey, ca. 1901-1904. 1901 MX Abner, 1880-1966. Previous Page Next Page Select All I Deselect All Print/Save/Send Create Subset Add to List View List Last Browse Modify Search SEARCH: FULL CATALOG Browse an Alphabetical List: Browse for: Author (last name first) Browse Clear Keywords from: Search for: Keywords anywhere Search Clear About the HOLLIS Catalog HARVARD LIBRARIES HOME OTHER CATALOGS E-RESOURCES CONDUCTING RESEARCH LIBRARY INFORMATION HARVARD HOME Copyright © 2004 President and Fellows of Harvard College http://lms01.harvard.edu/F/KFIFEB5AY1C4USN8GG182UV86TR49QMT3ISS13H7ASMRDKK. 5/4/2005 HOLLIS FULL CATALOG - List of Records Page 1 of 2 ? Help Full Catalog Journals Reserves Digital Resources Your Account Comments HOLLIS CATALOG Search Expanded Search Command Search Start Over HARVARD UNIVERSITY Previous searches Results list Display options RESULTS LIST: FULL CATALOG Records 41 - 60 of 78 Select All I Deselect All Print/Save/Send Create Subset Add to List View List Last Browse Modify Search Previous Gray, John Chipman, 1793-1881. Authors, All Current Gray, John Chipman, 1839-1915 Next Gray, John, d. 1769 Results for Gray, John Chipman, 1839-1915; Sorted by: Year, then Author To change sort order, click on column heading. Jump to # Previous Page Next Page # Author Title Year Format 41 Wambaugh, Notes and references to volume I of Gray's cases on property. 1901 BK Eugene, 1856-1940. 42 Chase, Philip The class notes of Philip Putnam Chase, 1900-1903. 1900 MX Putnam, 1878-1978. 43 Kennedy, The class notes of Sinclair Kennedy, ca. 1899-1902. 1899 MX Sinclair, 1875-1947. 44 Warren, The Class Notes of Joseph Warren, 1897-1900. 1897 MX Joseph, 1876-1942. 45 Gray, John Restraints on the alienation of property / 1895 BK Chipman, 1839- 1915. 46 Gates, Elias, d. The class notes of Elias Gates, 1894-1897. 1894 MX 1929. 47 Ware, Henry, 1871- The Class Notes of Henry Ware, 1893-1896. 1893 MX 1956. 48 Duane, Russell, Elizabeth D. Gillespie, administratrix d.b.n.c.t.a. of the estates of 1892 BK 1866-1938. Benjamin Franklin and Rich 49 Avery, Russ, d. Class notes of Russ Avery, 1891-1892. 1891 BK 1953. 50 Burleigh, Lewis The class notes of Lewis Albert Burleigh, 1891-1892. 1891 MX Albert, d. 1949. 51 Duane, Russell, Estate of Benjamin Franklin, deceased. Appeal of Elizabeth D. Gillespie 1891 BK 1866-1938. and Albert D. Bache from 52 Barnes, Charles The class notes of Charles Benjamin Barnes, 1890-1893. 1890 MX Benjamin, 1868- 1956. http://lms01.harvard.edu/F/KFIFEB5AY1C4USN8GG182UV86TR49QMT3ISS13H7ASMRDKK. 5/4/2005 HOLLIS FULL CATALOG - List of Records Page 2 of 2 53 Bunker, Clarence The class notes of Clarence Alfred Bunker, 1889-1892. 1889 MX Alfred, 1866-1961. 54 Phillips Trustees of Phillips Academy, in equity, V. the Attorney-General et al. 1889 BK Academy. Trustees. : reservation, bill, and 55 Smyth, Egbert Egbert C. Smyth V. Visitors of the Theological Institution in Phillips 1889 BK Coffin, 1829-1904. Academy in Andover : peti 56 Gray, John Select cases and other authorities on the law of property microform / 1888 BK Chipman, 1839- 1915. 57 Gray, John Determinable Fees. 1887 BK Chipman, 1839- 1915. 58 Gray, John The rule against perpetuities microform / 1886 BK Chipman, 1839- 1915. 59 Gray, John Letters, 1885, 1913. 1885 MX Chipman, 1839- 1915. 60 Gray, John Restraints on the alienation of property microform / 1883 BK Chipman, 1839- 1915. Previous Page Next Page Select All I Deselect All Print/Save/Send Create Subset Add to List View List Last Browse Modify Search SEARCH: FULL CATALOG Browse an Alphabetical List: Browse for: Author (last name first) Browse Clear Keywords from: Search for: Keywords anywhere Search Clear About the HOLLIS Catalog HARVARD LIBRARIES HOME OTHER CATALOGS E-RESOURCES CONDUCTING RESEARCH LIBRARY INFORMATION HARVARD HOME Copyright © 2004 President and Fellows of Harvard College http://lms01.harvard.edu/F/KFIFEB5AY1C4USN8GG182UV86TR49QMT3ISS13H7ASMRDKK... 5/4/2005 HOLLIS FULL CATALOG - List of Records Page 1 of 2 ? Help Full Catalog Journals Reserves Digital Resources Your Account Comments HOLLIS CATALOG Search Expanded Search Command Search Start Over HARVARD UNIVERSITY Previous searches Results list Display options RESULTS LIST: FULL CATALOG Records 61 - 78 of 78 Select All I Deselect All Print/Save/Send Create Subset Add to List View List Last Browse Modify Search Previous Gray, John Chipman, 1793-1881. Authors, All Current Gray, John Chipman, 1839-1915 Next Gray, John, d. 1769 Results for Gray, John Chipman, 1839-1915; Sorted by: Year, then Author To change sort order, click on column heading. Jump to # Previous Page Next Page # Author Title Year Format 61 Gray, John [Select cases and other authorities on the law of property. 1880 BK Chipman, 1839- 1915. 62 Montaiglon, Anatole Le cento novelle antiche : manuscript, 1879 Sept. 12. 1879 BK de, 1824-1895, tr. 63 Parker, Edmund The class notes of Edmund Morley Parker, ca. 1879-1882. 1879 MX Morley, 1856-1938. 64 Woodman, Edward. Class notes of Edward Woodman, 1878-1879. 1878 MX 65 Jones, John Diary and classnotes of John Richard Jones, 1876-1877. 1876 MX Richard, 1856-1913. 66 Wigglesworth, The Class Notes of George Wigglesworth, 1876-1877. 1876 MX George, 1853-1930. 67 Pollock, Correspondence, 1848-1937. 1871 MX Frederick, Sir, 1845- 1937. 68 Story, Joseph, 1779- Commentaries on the law of partnership microform : as a branch of 1868 BK 1845. commercial and maritime jurisp 69 Gray, John Courts of Conciliation. 1866 BK Chipman, 1839- 1915. 70 Metcalf, Letters, 1860, 1867. 1860 MX Theron, 1784-1875. 71 Gray, John Correspondence, 1800-1932. 1800 BK Chipman, 1839- 1915. 72 Phillips The Trustees of Phillips Academy, a corporation established by law in the AAAA BK http://lms01.harvard.edu/F/KFIFEB5AY1C4USN8GG182UV86TR49QMT3ISS13H7ASMRDKK, 5/4/2005 HOLLIS FULL CATALOG - List of Records Page 2 of 2 Academy. Trustees. Commonwealth of Massac 73 Silvatico, Matteo, d. Incipit Liber cibalis et medicinalis pandectarvm Mathei Silvatici. 1474 BK ca. 1342. 74 Gray, John Cases and Treatises. AAAA BK Chipman, 1839- 1915. 75 Gray, John Digest of Property, MAA BK Chipman, 1839- 1915. 76 Gray, John Tribute[s] AAAA BK Chipman, 1839- 1915. 77 Gray, John Letters on Future Interests, 1904-1913. AAAA BK Chipman, 1839- 1915. 78 Gray, John Jeremiah Mason, 1768-1848. MAA BK Chipman, 1839- 1915. Previous Page Next Page . Select All I Deselect All Print/Save/Send Create Subset Add to List View List Last Browse Modify Search SEARCH: FULL CATALOG Browse an Alphabetical List: Browse for: Author (last name first) Browse Clear Keywords from: Search for: Keywords anywhere Search Clear About the HOLLIS Catalog HARVARD LIBRARIES HOME OTHER CATALOGS E-RESOURCES CONDUCTING RESEARCH LIBRARY INFORMATION HARVARD HOME Copyright C 2004 President and Fellows of Harvard College http://lms01.harvard.edu/F/KFIFEB5AY1C4USN8GG182UV86TR49QMT3ISS13H7ASMRDKK. 5/4/2005 Essays, agriculture * Literary John Chipman Gray Boston: Little,bows 1856 Then President of the Mass. Soc. forth Promotive of Agriculture. CONTENTS. Nits member. PAGE REMARKS ON NEW ENGLAND AGRICULTURE . 1 ESSAY ON FOREST TREES 75 ESSAY ON ORCHARDS 129 ESSAY ON THE CLIMATE OF NEW 167 ADDRESS BEFORE THE MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL SOCIETY 205 ADDRESS BEFORE THE MIDDLESEX SOCIETY OF HUS- BANDMEN AND MANUFACTURERS 229 ESSAY ON DANTE 253 ESSAY ON DEMOSTHESES 303 ESSAY ON COLLEGE EDUCATION 337 Gray, John Chipman, 1839-1915. Correspondence: Guide. Page 1 of 8 bMS Am 2152 Gray, John Chipman, 1839-1915. Correspondence: Guide. Houghton Library, Harvard College Library Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138 © 2002 The President and Fellows of Harvard College Descriptive Summary Repository: Houghton Library, Harvard College Library, Harvard University Location: Harvard Depository Note: This collection is shelved offsite at the Harvard Depository. See access restrictions below for additional information. NOTE: Box 1 of this collection also houses the entire collection of MS Am 2151. Call No.: MS Am 2152 Creator: Gray, John Chipman, 1839-1915. Title: Correspondence, Date(s): 1800-1932. Quantity: 4 boxes (1.5 linear ft.) Abstract: Correspondence of Harvard professor and lawyer John Chipman Gray. Administrative Information Acquisition Information: *47M-332 Gift of Roland Gray, 36 Larch Road, Cambridge, Massachusetts and Eleanor (Gray) Tudor,22 Larch Road Cambridge, Massachusetts; received: 1948 June 28. Access Restrictions: Restrictions on physical access, if any. This collection is not housed at the Houghton Library but is shelved offsite at the Harvard Depository. Retrieval requires advance notice. Readers should check with Houghton Public Services staff to determine what material is offsite and retrieval policies and times. Historical Note Gray (Harvard A.B. 1859; LL.B. 1861) ) was a legal scholar, founder (with classmate John C. Ropes) of the Boston law firm Ropes & Gray, and a professor of law at the Harvard Law School. His wife was Anna Lyman Mason. http://oasis.harvard.edu:10080/oasis/deliver/xslTransform?histno=null&xslFileName=FindingAid.xsl 5/4/2005 Gray, John Chipman, 1839-1915. Correspondence: Guide. Page 2 of 8 Arrangement Arranged alphabetically by author. Scope and Content Consists chiefly of letters written to John Chipman Gray and his wife, Anna Lyman Mason Gray, many of which are RSVPs to social engagements from notable Boston and Harvard figures. Other topics include John Gray's legal writings and lectures and Anna Gray's poetry. Includes two autograph letters of Daniel Webster (addressed to others), and several letters of condolence from acquaintances such as Abbott Lawrence Lowell on the occasion of John Gray's death. The collection also includes letters to other members of the Gray family and some Gray family ephemera, such as stock certificates. Items concerning Japan include a letter from Isabella Stewart Gardner describing her impressions of Japanese culture and society, a letter from Fanny MacVeagh, wife of the American ambassador to Japan, describing the landscape and culture, and a collection of letters from John Gray's former student Kentaro Kanako, a Japanese noble and diplomat, whose letters describe the politics, government, and society of Japan and express great nostalgia for Boston society. He also discusses newly published political science works and his translations of many such works. Kanako visited the United States several times and wrote to the Grays from both Japan and the United States. Container List (1) Adams, Charles Francis, 1835-1915. A.L.s. (Charles F. Adams) to [John Chipman] Gray; South Lincoln, 30 [?] folder (21.) (2) A.L.s.(C.F.A.Jr.) to [John Chipman] Gray Jr.; Boston, 7 Jan 1873. folder (21.) (3) Adams, Henry, 1838-1918. A.L.s. to John [Chipman Gray]; Washington, 25 Jan 1865. folder ([4]p.) (4) Adams, John Quincy, pres.U.S., 1767-1848. A.L.s.(J.Q.Adams) to Horace Gray, Quincy, 9 Aug 1831. folder (11.) address on p.4. (5) Agassiz, Elizabeth (Cary), 1822-1907. A.N.s.(E.C.Agassiz) to [ ? ]; Nahant, 14 Sep [190-?] folder (11.) (6) Allen, Edward E. Typed L.s. to [Anna Lyman (Mason)] Gray; [Watertown] 19 May 1931. folder (21.) (7) American committee for devastated France, New York. Typed L.(Elizabeth Scarborough) to [Anna Lyman (Mason) Gray]; New York, 22 Dec 1922. 21. (8) Andrew, John Albion, 1818-1867. Ms.L.s. (John A. Andrew) to E.M. Stanton, Boston, 5 Sep 1862. folder ([2]p.) (9) Aqueduct corporation, Boston, Printed Receipt filled out in ms., .(Thacher Beal) to Horace Gray; Boston, 1 Oct 1845. 11. (10) Bancroft, George, 1800-1891. A.L.s.(Geo.Bancroft) to L.S.Foster; Newport, 30 Jul 1859. folder ([3]p.) (11) Baldwin, Simeon Eben, 1840-1927. Typed L.s.(Simeon E. Baldwin) to [John Chipman] Gray; New Haven, 15 Nov 1909. 11. (12) Bartlett, Franklin, d.1909. A.L.s. to [Anna Lyman (Mason)] Gray; Washington, 17 Apr 1894. 31. (13) Bates, Arlo, 1850-1918. A.L.s. to [Anna Lyman (Mason)]. Gray; [Boston] 26 Feb 1915. folder ([4]p.) http://oasis.harvard.edu:10080/oasis/deliver/xslTransform?histno=null&xslFileName=FindingAid.xsl 5/4/2005 John Codman Ropes - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Page 1 of 2 John Codman Ropes From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia John Codman Ropes (April 28, 1836 in St. Petersburg, Russia - October 28, 1899 in Boston, Massachusetts) was an American military historian and lawyer, and the co-founder of the law firm Ropes & Gray. Ropes was born in St. Petersburg on April 28, 1836, the son of a leading merchant of Boston who was engaged in business in Russia. At the age of fourteen, his family having returned to Massachusetts, he developed an infection of the spine which eventually became a permanent deformity. His courage and energy, however, did not allow him to yield to his affliction. He entered Harvard in 1853, and graduated in 1857. His interests as a young man were chiefly religious, legal and historical, and these remained with him throughout life, his career as a lawyer being conspicuous and successful. But it was the outbreak of the U.S. Civil War in 1861 which fixed his attention principally on military history. He ceaselessly assisted with business and personal help and friendship the officers and men of the 20th Massachusetts regiment, in which his brother, Henry Ropes, was killed in action at Gettysburg, and after the war he devoted himself to the collection and elucidation of all obtainable evidence as to its incidents and events. In 1865, he co-founded the Boston-based law firm Ropes & Gray with John Chipman Gray. In this work his clear and unprejudiced legal mind enabled him to sift the truth from the innumerable public and private controversies, and the ill-informed allotment of praise and blame by the popular historians and biographers. The focus of his work was the Military Historical Society of Massachusetts, which he founded in 1876. The work of this society was the collection and discussion of evidence relating to the great conflict. Although practically every member of his society except himself had fought through the war, and many, such as Hancock and W. F. Smith, were general officers of great distinction, it was from first to last maintained and guided by Ropes, who presented to it his military library and his collection of prints and medals. He died at Boston on the 28th of October 1899. His principal work is an unfinished Story of the Civil War, to which he devoted most of his later years; this covers the years 1861-62. The Army under Pope is a detailed narration of the Virginia campaign of August-September 1862, which played a great part in reversing contemporary judgment on the events of those operations, notably as regards the unjustly-condemned General Fitz John Porter. Outside America, Ropes is known chiefly as the author of The Campaign of Waterloo, which is one of the standard works on the subject. The greater part of his studies of the Civil War appears in the Military Historical Society's publications. Papers on the Waterloo campaign appeared in the Atlantic Monthly of June 1881, and in Scribner's Magazine of March and April 1888. Among his miscellaneous works is a paper on The Likenesses of Julius Caesar in Scribner's Magazine (February 1887). See also Ropes & Gray, law firm co-founded by Ropes https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Codman_Ropes 5/16/2016 John Codman Ropes - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Page 2 of 2 References e This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). marticle name needed,, Encyclopcedia Britannica (11th ed.) Cambridge University Press. Retrieved from"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Codman_Ropes&oldid=7058530687 Categories: 19th-century American historians 1836 births 1899 deaths Harvard University alumni People of Massachusetts in the American Civil War|Historians of the American Civil War Massachusetts lawyers I American military historians | American male writers This page was last modified on 19 February 2016, at 23:06. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Codman_Ropes 5/16/2016 John Chipman Gray From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia John Chipman Gray (July 14, 1839 - February 25, 1915) was an American scholar of property law and professor at Harvard Law School. He also founded the law firm Ropes & Gray, with law partner John Codman Ropes. He was half-brother to U.S. Supreme Court justice Horace Gray. Contents 1 Early life 2 Legal career 3 Works written by Gray 4 External links Early life John Chipman Gray. Gray was a graduate of Boston Latin School. From there, he went on to Harvard University, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1859, and Harvard Law School, where he earned his law degree in 1861. He was admitted to the bar in 1862, and thereafter served in the Union Army in the American Civil War. He enlisted from Boston as a 2nd Lt. in Company "B", 4th Battalion, Massachusetts Infantry on 27 May 1862, was mustered out a few days later, then was commissioned into Company "H", 3rd Massachusetts Cavalry on 7 October 1862. He left that unit to accept a commission as a Major in the U.S. Volunteers' Adjutant General Department on 25 July 1864. Gray was wounded at the Battle of Opequon (Third Battle of Winchester) on 19 September 1864, and resigned from the Army on 14 July 1865. Legal career In 1865, after the end of the Civil War, Gray established his law practice in Boston, Massachusetts, which would eventually evolve into the modern firm of Ropes and Gray. In 1869, he began teaching at Harvard Law School, first as a lecturer, and became a full professor in 1875. In 1883, he was named Royall Professor of Law (a chair named for Isaac Royall, Jr.), a position he would hold for 20 years. He received honorary Doctor of Laws degrees from Yale University in 1894, and from Harvard in 1895. Two years after retiring from teaching, he died at Boston, Massachusetts on February 25, 1915. Works written by Gray https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Chipman_Gray 5/16/2016 John Chipman Gray - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Page 2 of 2 Gray wrote two books on future interests, Restraints on the Alienation of Property (1883), and The Rule against Perpetuities (1886). His best known work is his survey of the common law, The Nature and Sources of the Law (1909). Gray's writings were SO influential that they are still used in American law schools and cited in law journals to this day. External links Article from Thompson-Gale Legal Encyclopedia, courtesy of Jrank http://law.jrank.org/pages/7215/Gray-John-Chipman.html Index of Gray's correspondence, from Harvard University Library (http://oasis.harvard.edu:10080/oasis/deliver/~hou01090) Biography of John Chipman Gray (http://www.cap-press.com/isbn/9781594603983) Retrieved from"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Chipman_Gray&oldid=712240494' Categories: 1839 births 1915 deaths American legal scholars American legal writers Boston Latin School alumni | Harvard Law School alumni | Harvard Law School faculty People of Massachusetts in the American Civil War Scholars of property law Harvard University alumni American jurist stubs This page was last modified on 27 March 2016, at 22:45. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Chipman_Gray 5/16/2016 Ropes & Gray -- Company History Page 1 of 6 CINGURNERSE Provo Divorce Attorney For trusted legal help call our Family Law Firm at 801-899-1112 www.divorceattoreyprovoutah.com PA Employment Lawver Discrimination Attorneys In Pa Labor Lawyers, Race & Religion www.timkolmanlaw.com Injury Compensation Info How Much Is Your Personal Injury Case Worth? Free Info & Case Review ww Totall... AdChoices A Company Histories & Profiles: #ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPORSTUVWXYZ Search thousands of company profiles: Search Ropes & Gray Address: One International Place Boston, Massachusetts 02110-2624 U.S.A. Telephone: (617) 951-7000 Fax: (617) 951-7050 http://www.ropesgray.com Statistics: Partnership Founded: 1865 Employees: 420 Sales: $210.5 million (1999) NAIC: 54111 Offices of Lawyers Company Perspectives: For over a century Ropes & Gray has been one of the leading law firms in the United States. Through changing times and circumstances, clients of all sizes have consistently sought us out when faced with difficult problems. What brings them here? And what do we bring to them? We think the answers start from a simple premise about what clients need and how law firms can provide it. Clients need the best lawyers they can find, and the most successful firms are those that combine superior talent with a supportive environment where nothing gets in the way of solving clients' problems. We've done our best to act on this premise. Lawyer by lawyer, client by client, we've built a reputation for first-rate work, a positive outlook, and the highest standards of service and ethics. As a result we've continued to attract excellent clients, challenging assignments--and outstanding lawyers. Key Dates: http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Ropes-amp;-Gray-Company-History.... 4/19/2012 Ropes & Gray -- Company History Page 2 of 6 1865: Partnership of Ropes and Gray is founded in Boston. 1878: Partnership is renamed Ropes, Gray & Loring. 1899: Firm becomes Ropes Gray & Gorham. 1914: Firm is renamed Ropes, Gray, Boyden & Perkins. 1940: Firm becomes known as Ropes, Gray, Best, Coolidge & Rugg. 1942: Partner Albert Boyden publishes a history of the firm. 1961: Firm chooses the permanent name of Ropes & Gray. 1981: Washington, D.C. office is opened on January 1. 1985: Providence, Rhode Island office is opened. 2000: Firm establishes a New York office. Company History: Founded in 1865, Ropes & Gray is one of the oldest and most respected law firms in the nation. A full-service firm, Ropes & Gray provides legal advice to mostly corporate clients, including local Boston companies and large multinational firms in many nations. As Boston's largest law firm, Ropes & Gray represents Harvard University and many other educational institutions, in addition to businesses in a wide variety of other industries. For example, it serves as special or general counsel to more than 100 public companies and assists more than 500 mutual funds or fund boards. Due to their public service, Elliot Richardson and Archibald Cox were two of the better known Ropes & Gray partners. Origins and Early Practice: 1865-1945 John Codman Ropes and John Chipman Gray, Jr., both grew up in wealthy Salem, Massachusetts families and graduated from Harvard College and Harvard Law School before they formed their partnership in 1865. In the first 13 years they served mainly individuals, plus a few companies, and Harvard, a longtime client. The two founders made contributions outside their private law practice. Gray taught part-time at Harvard Law School, where he helped begin the use of the case method that became standard procedure in 20th-century law schools. Ropes served as an assistant U.S. attorney and wrote books on the history of the Civil War and Napoleon. The two partners also were the first editors of the American Law Review. In 1878 the firm began changing when it brought in William C. Loring and changed the firm's name to Ropes, Gray & Loring. As counsel to the New York and New England Railroad, Loring shifted the firm's practice from individuals to mainly corporations. That was a general trend of the late 1800s as businesses increased in size and complexity, and many lawyers became business advisors behind the scenes. 'These corporate law attorneys became the recognized elite of the profession and the molding force in the profession," wrote Gerald Gawalt, 'even though membership in the large law firm was and remains reserved for a very small percentage of American lawyers.' In the 1890s Ropes, Gray & Loring began its public finance practice by helping municipalities sell bonds. In 1890 the firm's net income had increased to 71,108.24 from just $8,331.64 in 1878. In 1899 the firm changed its name to Ropes Gray & Gorham with the departure of Loring to become a justice of the Commonwealth Supreme Judicial Court and the addition of Robert Gorham as the new name partner. The firm continued to grow in the early 20th century, reaching 11 lawyers and 15 staff personnel in 1910. After Gorham died, in 1914 the partnership became Ropes, Gray, Boyden & Perkins, with Roland Boyden and Thomas Perkins as the two new name partners. By 1920 the firm had grown to 43 lawyers and 53 staff members. The partnership prospered during the business expansion and bull market of the 1920s, including serving Canadian paper and pulp companies and other foreign interests. A correspondent office operated in New York City from 1920 to 1938. In 1929 the firm opened a Paris office mainly to serve the needs of its client Lee, Higginson & Co., but that operation ended in 1932 because of the Great Depression and a financial scandal. In 1926 and 1930 the firm gained its first Irish Catholic and Jewish partners, respectively. Most of the firm remained white Protestants, however, typical of most big law firms of that era. http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Ropes-amp;-Gray-Company-History 4/19/2012 Ropes & Gray -- Company History Page 3 of 6 During the Depression, the firm increased its bankruptcy and reorganization practice. For example, all but one firm attorney worked on reorganizing the Brown Company, which owned paper mills and timber properties. Yet overall, the partnership suffered as business activity declined. The 1930s was the only decade in the firm's long history when it actually decreased in size, from 58 lawyers and 85 staff employees in 1930 to 49 lawyers and 65 staff in 1940. In spite of the bad days, some good things happened during the Depression. The firm picked up work on a large International Hydroelectric bond issue. It also gained some work from the flurry of New Deal laws and regulations. Like many other law firms, it developed a labor practice by representing companies that dealt with increased union strength after Congress passed the National Labor Relations Act in 1935. It also helped corporations prepare financial reports for the newly created Securities and Exchange Commission. In the 1930s the firm also began serving Serge Semenenko, a Russian immigrant who became a lending officer for the First National Bank of Boston. Firm lawyers drew up loan agreements for Semenenko, who introduced the lawyers to the world of Hollywood and entertainment. Thus began a long relationship between the law firm and Boston's preeminent bank. In 1940 the partnership changed its name to Ropes, Gray, Best, Coolidge & Rugg, making Charles Coolidge, Charles Rugg, and William H. Best the new name partners. The firm in 1944 began representing Admiral Husband E. Kimmel, who had been the Pacific Fleet commander-in- chief when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The Roberts Commission blamed Kimmel and the Army's top general in Hawaii for not being prepared for the Pearl Harbor attack, but Kimmel, assisted by the law firm's attorneys, spent literally decades trying to clear his name. Post-World War II Years Soon after World War II ended, the firm worked on reorganizing the Massachusetts Hospital Life Insurance Company, a complicated matter that some doubted could ever be realized. It also defended the Hood Milk Company in several cases. The Arnold Arboretum controversy, started in 1946, engaged Ropes & Gray for 20 years. Harvard, the firm's client, wanted the arboretum to be consolidated under control of its Biology Department, while others wanted the arboretum to remain more autonomous. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court finally ruled in Harvard's favor in 1966. In 1950, 56 lawyers worked at Ropes & Gray. At that time it did considerable work for Paine Webber, located nearby. Other clients included the Eastern Gas and Fuel Associates, the New England Electric System, Sylvania, Brown Company, Gillette, Kendall Company, Jones & Lamson, and several investment companies. For many years the firm also represented Ocean Spray Cranberries, a company it had helped organize. Ropes & Gray lawyer Charles Coolidge and other leading Boston Protestants began urban renewal projects in the 1960s. Carl Brauer in his firm history said those 'efforts helped end the historic division between that group, which largely `owned' the city, and its Irish Catholic political majority, which largely ran it. That renaissance in turn had more than a little to do with the vitality and growth of Ropes & Gray and other Boston law firms during the 1970s and 1980s.' In 1964 Elliot Richardson, probably the best known Ropes & Gray lawyer, finally left the law firm for good. He had joined the firm back in the 1930s but left frequently for prominent government positions. He held four cabinet posts and other positions in the Eisenhower, Nixon, Ford, Carter, and Bush administrations. Richardson became best known in 1974 when he resigned as U.S. attorney general, rather than comply with President Richard Nixon's demand to dismiss Watergate special prosecutor Archibald Cox, another former Ropes & Gray lawyer. By the mid-1960s Ropes & Gray's clients included Central Maine Power Company, Maine Yankee Atomic Power Company, Boston Edison, Narragansett Brewing, Cabot Corporation, Copper Range, Boston Filter, American Thread, Morse Shoe, Radio Shack Corporation, John Hancock Mutual Life, Putnam Funds, Investment Trust of Boston, WGBH Educational Foundation, New England Medical Center, Berkshire Hathaway, Massachusetts Port Authority, Hotel Corporation of America, and several others. Most of its corporate clients were based in New http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Ropes-amp;-Gray-Company-History.. 4/19/2012 JOHN CHIPMAN GRAY 1839-1915 J OHN CHIPMAN GRAY qualified for membership in the Saturday Club on three distinct grounds. He was naturally a scholar with very wide interests and an omniverous reader; he was a lawyer of eminence; and he was a teacher who loved to teach. He was born at Brighton, July 14, 1839, a younger half-brother of] Horace Gray, commemorated earlier in this volume, a son of Horace and Sarah Russell (Gardner) Gray. After attending the Boston Latin School he graduated from Harvard College in 1859 with high rank, and from the Harvard Law School in 1861. He studied for a third year at the Law School, and then enlisted in the army, remaining until the end of the war. During his service he was second lieutenant in the Forty-first Massachusetts Infantry and the Third Massachusetts Cavalry, an aide-de-camp to General Gordon, and major and judge advocate of United States Volun- teers on the staffs of General Foster and General Gillmore. His life-long friend, Mr. Justice Holmes, mentions the fact, that 'when he was in the army he was the first officer to meet Sherman at Savannah after the march to the sea, and is referred to in Sher- man's report of his operations as "a very intelligent officer," which, as Justice Holmes says, is 'a striking tribute to one who barely had reached manhood from the great commander at the crowning moment of his success.' After the war he came back to Boston and began the practice of his profession in partnership with John C. Ropes, an old friend and classmate in the Law School. Later, by the addition of William Caleb Loring (later Mr. Justice Loring), the firm became Ropes, Gray and Loring; and at the time of Mr. Gray's death, under the name of Ropes, Gray, Boyden and Perkins, it included eight of his former pupils, among them his son Roland. In 1873 he married Anna Lyman Mason, who, with their son and daughter, has sur- vived him. With Mr. Ropes he founded the American Law Review in 1866, 224 The Saturday Club and edited it for several years with ability and success. There- after he published several treatises of marked excellence. The first edition of his 'Restraints on the Alienation of Property' was pub- lished in 1883, the second in 1895. 'The Rule against Perpetuities' had three editions, in 1886, 1906, and 1915. 'The Nature and Sources of the Law,' embodying the substance of lectures delivered at Harvard and Columbia, was published in 1909. He also pub- lished two editions of his collected 'Cases on Property' in six vol- umes, and various articles in magazines. He began to teach at the Harvard Law School in 1869, before Dean Langdell came from practice to the School. He was first appointed as lecturer, and this appointment was renewed in 1871 and again in 1872 and 1873. On March 18, 1875, he was made Story Professor of Law, and on November 12, 1883, Royall Pro- fessor of Law. He resigned on February I, 1913, and became Royall Professor of Law Emeritus. His term of service thus covered the whole development of the modern School, and nearly every member of the present faculty studied under him. He taught many subjects-Bankruptcy and the law of the Federal Courts, Con- flict of Laws, Evidence, Constitutional Law, all branches of the law of property, and Jurisprudence - with conspicuous success. This statement gives an outline of a long, full, very useful life. His colleague, Professor Williston spoke of him thus:- - 'When Gray died there passed from among us a man whose type has al- ways been rare and is growing rarer. It is so difficult to achieve excellence even in one department that the old ideal of a rounded life and a broad intellectual outlook has been almost surrendered by men of serious purpose, as inconsistent with any plan of real accomplishment. Gray, however, found no inconsistency. He was at once a specialist in a narrow and difficult branch of the law, a lawyer in general practice, a man of affairs, a teacher, a writer, a well-read scholar in various fields with cultivated interest in let- ters and art, and a man of the world by no means averse to ming- ling in congenial society.' This same colleague has described him as a teacher in these words: 'He came to Cambridge first as a lecturer and after- wards as a professor. He became a convert rather early to the 226 The Saturday Club John Chipman Gray 227 did - Gray said: "This method of legal reasoning puts the de- between counsel where facts are in controversy. His engagements cisions of the court on a par with the utterances of Balaam's ass - at the Law School naturally kept him from taking part in pro- divinely inspired, but presupposing no conscious intelligence on the tracted hearings, and the tedious investigation of contested issues part of the creature from whom they proceed." or the strain of a jury trial were not to his taste, so that our paths Of his scholarly instincts the words of his intimate friend, Mr. did not cross. My relations with him, though never intimate, Justice Holmes, may be quoted: 'His knowledge, his immense read- were mainly social. ing, his memory, were not confined to the actualities of the day, For more than forty years I met him at the monthly meetings Alongside of mathematics, and the latest German works on juris- of a small dinner club to which we both belonged, where conversa- prudence, alongside of his mastery of the law, equally profound and tion was unrestrained; but, while Gray enjoyed the meetings and available for teaching in the Law School and advising upon great listened with evident pleasure to what others said, he himself said affairs, he not only kept up the study of Greek and Roman classics, little. He was never controversial, never inclined to talk for the but he was familiar with a thousand by-paths among books. I pleasure of discussing some question on which we differed. He think he could have given a clear account of the Bangorian con- scemed to enjoy more the exchange of views with a sympathetic troversy, the very name of which has been forgotten by most of neighbor on some literary topic, or like subject, where no violent us, and he could have recited upon all manner of curious memoirs difference was possible. He had decided opinions and was always or upon pretty much any theme that falls within the domain of willing to state them, but he was not concerned that others should literature, properly SO called. He loved books, and his beautiful adopt them. He espoused no cause, but was a scholar interested collection ranged from the Theodosian code to curious eighteenth in observing and studying the world and feeling no obligation to century tracts.' In the words of another friend, 'He read every- take part in its conflicts. He was more at home in his library than thing and forgot nothing.' in the arena. His true rôle was that of the student, the teacher and I may add a few words of personal tribute. Seven years my counsellor, and he was guided wisely in choosing the work of his senior in collegiate standing, I first met him when I was a junior life. Whatever he did was done well. He went through life serenely, in Harvard, and he was a singularly handsome youth just returned earnestly, modestly, with scrupulous regard for the rights and from the army with his life before him. I saw him last in his cham feelings of others, but without seeking notoriety or apparently even ber after his work was done and he was waiting with perfect serenity caring for the recognition which was his due. He seemed in his and cheerfulness for the end which as we both knew could not be daily labors to recognise and act upon the truth stated by Justice far distant. I served under him when he was editing the American Holmes, that 'the root of joy as of duty is to put out all one's Law Review, and I have practised law side by side with him ever powers for some great end to hammer out as compact and solid since I was admitted to the bar. It is singular how often two men a piece of work as one can, to try to make it first rate, and to leave it may both be in active practice for years in the same city without unadvertised.' Wherever he went he inspired confidence, and he ever crossing swords, and this was my experience with John Gray carried with him always the high respect and warm regard to all Twice in forty years I was opposed to him in lawsuits, but they that was best in this community, whether men knew him as asso- both went off on questions of law raised at the outset. I have met ciate, opponent, teacher, or friend. He died, February 25, 1915, in him in consultation, and my firm was often retained against his, the fullness of years with his mental vigor unabated, and still en- generally in cases involving the construction of a will which were joying the intellectual pursuits in which he had taken pleasure argued by my partner, but I can recall no instance in all that time throughout his life. of any friction in my dealings with him such as is almost inevitable MOORFIELD STOREY JOHN CHIPMAN GRAY Notei In 1823 Josiah 2vincy becomes Mayor. J. C. Gray is on the Common Council representing Ward 9 (one of four) in 1824-1828 the lost year of the Quincy mayorality. SeeQuinegi A Municipal History of the Town and City of Boston. Boston: 1852. BOSTON PRIVATELY PRINTED MDCCCCXVII CONTENTS PAGE MEMOIR BY ROLAND GRAY 3 ADDRESSES DELIVERED BEFORE THE MASSACHU- SETTS HISTORICAL SOCIETY, MARCH 12, 1915 BY CHARLES FRANCIS ADAMS 45 BY OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES 48 BY MOORFIELD STOREY 51 ARTICLES IN HARVARD LAW REVIEW, APRIL, 1915 BY EZRA RIPLEY THAYER 57 BY SAMUEL WILLISTON 66 BY JOSEPH HENRY BEALE 73 ARTICLE IN HARVARD GRADUATES' MAGAZINE, JUNE, 1915 BY EUGENE WAMBAUGH 76 ARTICLE IN HARVARD ALUMNI BULLETIN, MARCH 3, 1915 BY EZRA RIPLEY THAYER 84 PROCEEDINGS OF THE BAR ASSOCIATION OF THE CITY OF BOSTON AND THE SUPREME JUDICIAL 898 COURT OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF MASSA- CHUSETTS REMARKS OF SAMUEL JAMES ELDER 93 MEMORIAL PRESENTED BY MOORFIELD STOREY 95 REMARKS OF JOSEPH BANGS WARNER 104 REMARKS OF SAMUEL WILLISTON 113 ERRYMOUNT PRESS . BOSTON REMARKS OF ROLAND WILLIAM BOYDEN 119 [ V ] CONTENTS REMARKS OF JOHN GORHAM PALFREY 122 CONCLUDING REMARKS OF SAMUEL JAMES ELDER 124 RESPONSE OF MR. JUSTICE LORING 126 RESOLUTION OF THE TRUSTEES OF THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS 132 MEMORIAL SKETCH FOR THE CAMBRIDGE HISTOR- ICAL SOCIETY BY HOLLIS RUSSELL BAILEY 134 MEMORIAL SKETCH FOR THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES BY JOSEPH HENRY BEALE 137 JOHN BIBLIOGRAPHY OF PUBLISHED WRITINGS OF JOHN CHIPMAN GRAY 141 MEMOIR BY ROLAND GRAY1 I N one of his official reports, General Sherman mentions the dispatch of a boat up the Savannah River on an errand of importance in charge of "avery intelligent officer whose name I cannot recall." The officer was Major John Chipman Gray. It was charac- teristic of him that he found this form of honorable mention not displeasing. Throughout a long career in civil life, during which he attained greater distinc- tion than he ever had the opportunity to achieve in military life, he remained singularly modest. While he appreciated the good opinion of those qualified to judge his work, he disliked all publicity. John Chipman Gray was born in Brighton, now a part of Boston, on July 14, 1839, the son of Horace Gray and Sarah Russell Gray, daughter of Samuel Pickering Gardner. He was a grandson of Lieuten- ant-Governor William Gray, a merchant of Salem and Boston, who was the greatest shipowner in the country at a time when we took a leading part in the commerce of the world. From this grandfather came to him the house in Cambridge in which he lived a part of the year. William and Abraham Gray, the grandfather and father of William Gray, were pioneers in the shoe 1 This memoir was originally prepared for the Massachusetts Historical Soci- ety, and is printed in their Proceedings for May, 1916. [3] JOHN CHIPMAN GRAY JOHN CHIPMAN GRAY manufacturing business in Lynn. Two of Mr. Gray's college days. In a letter to him many years later, one uncles, Francis Calley Gray and John Chipman Gray, of his schoolmates tells an incident which shows that were men of prominence in Boston and benefactors Mr. Gray possessed in his youth the strong sense of of Harvard College. Both were members of the Mas- justice which later distinguished him, together with sachusetts Historical Society. The name John Chip- an independent spirit rare among boys. It casts light man was derived from the father and grandfather also on life in the school. of Elizabeth Chipman, wife of Lieutenant-Governor In our Fourth Class year, Mr. Gardner arranged a match Gray, the elder of whom was a well-known clergy- between our class and the class above us in Virgil. From man of Beverly. 9 to 10, both classes were set to study a certain number of Horace Gray, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court lines; and from 9 to 2, we were all examined together by of Massachusetts and Associate Justice of the Su- John Noble. How vividly I recall the time of that fearful preme Court of the United States, was an older half- five hours examination. As our class had not yet studied brother. Their father, Horace Gray, the senior, was Virgil at all, the First Class lent us their books. I remem- ber that you and I alone had so few as four mistakes only a merchant on a considerable scale, but met with busi- -one of which I was so lucky as to wipe out by two cor- ness reverses before his sons had grown up, which rections" of false quantities, thereby saving my "approba- forced them to depend as young men upon their own tion card" at the week's end. Next day Mr. Gardner came exertions. In after years Mr. Gray attributed what- down with a copy of Virgil in his hand, saying that the ever success Judge Gray and he achieved to this stim- First Class had complained of the way in which their books ulus in their early lives. It seems probable that men had been handled and he asked which of us had used the of such active minds would have achieved distinction copy he then held. It turned out that had had it. Mr. Gard- under any circumstances, but they might have done ner then asked if that was the way I used borrowed books. SO in different fields from those in which their careers I examined the book; there were no torn leaves, no dog's actually lay. In the case of John Chipman Gray, his ears, no markings with pen or pencil, no blots or black spots life might perhaps have been devoted more exclu- at all - only a slight soiling which could not have been avoided from the perspiration of the hands (for I had held sively to scholarly pursuits. that book five hours open at the same place, in front of the Mr. Gray was educated at the Boston Latin School furnace register). "Well?" roared Mr. Gardner. "I don't and at Harvard College, from which he graduated see- I began, intending to say, "I don't see there is any in 1859. There is little record left of his school and [ 4 5 ] JOHN CHIPMAN GRAY JOHN CHIPMAN GRAY injury I could have avoided under the circumstances." But The college course was followed by two years in Mr. Gardner burst in after the word "see." 'Don't see!' the Harvard Law School, from which he graduated he bellowed. "Pass the book down the division and let us in 1861. He returned for a third year of study, but know how many can't see." So the book passed down, and, left the School in January, 1862, receiving his Mas- as there was the slight soiling I have mentioned, every boy ter's degree at Commencement that year. The Law confessed he did "see." Mr. Gardner burst out upon me School was not then a place of strenuous work for with a - 'Well, Sir, have you concluded that you can teacher and student, such as it later became under see?" "No, Sir," I replied, with the miserable sense of the sway of a new generation of professors, of whom being denied all justice in the way of explanation of what I could not see. Mr. Gardner's eyes flashed fire. Striding up Mr. Gray was one. His mind, however, was actively to me, he shook that mighty fist of his within an inch or employed not only in studying law but in reading on two of my face, and roared out: "Speak another word, and a great variety of other subjects. He passed there I will thrash you !" Then, turning to the division, he cried two of the happiest years of his life. "How many boys in this room will ever believe this young On leaving the Law School, perhaps before doing man again on his word?" Out of the forty or fifty boys in so, he entered the office of Peleg W. Chandler, a pro- the room, only two dared to hold up their hand. You, who minent member of the Boston bar. There he imme- sat next to me, instantly held up yours; and Ned Blagden, diately showed an aptitude for the legal profession. emboldened by your example, soon after timidly raised his. When Mr. Chandler subsequently recommended him Mr. Gardner was thunderstruck at seeing you raise your for the position of judge advocate he wrote: "John hand; for he, no less than all the rest in that room, knew you Gray was with me a year. He is the ablest man of to be the most conscientious and truthful boy in the class. his age as a lawyer that I know of.' Mr. Gray was Mr. Gray left the Latin School at the end of the admitted to the bar September 18, 1862. third class year, and thus gained a year in entering While Mr. Gray was never an abolitionist, nor college. By his own account he did not study very an indiscriminate admirer of the leaders of the Re- hard in college at any subject except mathematics, publican party, he was an uncompromising Union in which he was always especially interested. Never- man and believed in prosecuting the war with vigor. theless, he obtained the fifth place in the class. He His fair prospects in his profession, the necessity of was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society and standing on his own feet, and his natural inclination of the Hasty Pudding and Porcellian clubs. toward intellectual pursuits did not prevent him from [6] [ 7 JOHN CHIPMAN GRAY JOHN CHIPMAN GRAY In later life he seemed little of a military or ex-mil- itary man. Although he took an interest in military paign, was enhanced by that President's courage in vetoing pension bills. history, European as well as American, he seldom On returning from the war Mr. Gray formed a spoke of his experiences in the army and did not care partnership with Mr. Ropes, which lasted until the lat- to be addressed by his military title. One of his col- leagues in the Law School tells how some of them, ter's death in 1899. In 1878 the firm was enlarged after many years' association with him, first learned by the addition of Mr. William Caleb Loring, now a Justice of the Supreme Court of Massachusetts. that Professor Gray was entitled to call himself Ma- Mr. Gray continued until his death in active practice jor, from a chance visitor addressing him by that title. as head of the firm, which included at that time eight This apparent lack of interest in his military career of his former pupils at the Harvard Law School. was probably due to an extreme modesty which dis- In the autumn of 1866 Mr. Ropes and he became liked all titles of honor and preferred that the per- editors of the American Law Review, then first es- formance of a simple duty in an inconspicuous way tablished, and edited four volumes, from 1866 to should not be treated as a distinction. It was also char- 1870. acteristic of him not toindulge in reminiscences about On December 4, 1869, he was appointed lecturer the past. The Spanish War he always thought unjus- in the Harvard Law School for the residue of the tifiable in fact, he hated the mention of it, although academic year; this appointment was renewed for the he admitted that the mass of the people of the United three academic years 1871-74, and on March 18, States were actuated in it by generous motives. 1875, he became Story Professor of Law. In 1883 his One of the few occasions on which Mr. Gray seemed to remember that he had been an officer was title was changed to Royall Professor, and this posi- tion he occupied until February 1913, when his res- when he expressed his disgust with pension grab- bers. He felt the exploits of the grabbers, and the ignation was accepted and he was appointed Royall Professor Emeritus. attitude of Congress in currying favor with them, as not only a disgrace to the country, but an insult to During this period he was publishing his books- the army in which he had served. His admiration for Restraints on Alienation in 1883, The Rule against Grover Cleveland, which came hard to one who had Perpetuities in 1886. In 1906 Columbia University published a series of lectures on jurisprudence, de- been a Republican all his life till the Blaine cam- livered there by him, under the title The Nature and [ 20 ] [ 21 ] JOHN CHIPMAN GRAY JOHN CHIPMAN GRAY Sources of the Law. A second edition of Restraints on the Military Historical Society of Massachusetts. He Alienation was published in 1895, and second and never held any public office, although he was several third editions of The Rule against Perpetuities in 1906 times offered a seat on the bench of the Supreme and 1915, all the new editions receiving substantial Court of Massachusetts, and once at least that of revision. Chief Justice. On June 4, 1873, Mr. Gray married Anna Sophia Mr. Gray became a trustee of the Museum of Fine Lyman Mason, daughter of the Reverend Charles Arts in 1896, and held the position through life. In Mason, Rector of Grace Churchi in Boston, and grand- the Annual Report of the Museum for 1915 is a daughter of Jeremiah Mason, Senator from New memorial, stating his valuable services to the Mu- Hampshire and rival of Daniel Webster for the lead- seum, in which he is spoken of as having "that wis- ership of the bar of the United States. He had two dom which is born of sympathy and justice." children, both of whom survive him -Roland and In these varied activities Mr. Gray continued en- Eleanor Lyman, now the wife of Henry D. Tudor- gaged with little diminution of energy until after the and he lived to see six grandchildren. age of seventy. Not before 1912 did he begin to feel Professor Gray received the degree of Doctor of the strain seriously. In January, 1913, he resolved to Laws from Yale in 1894 and from Harvard in the cut down the amount of his work, and accordingly following year. Among the honors conferred on him sent his resignation to Harvard College. This mea- were the offices of president of the Harvard Alumni sure of relaxation, however, had been too long de- Association; president of the Harvard Chapter of the layed. The same month, while engaged in the prepa- Phi Beta Kappa Society; vice-president of the Har- ration of a case in court, he had a stroke of paralysis. vard Law School Alumni Association member of the He recovered from this rapidly and was back in his Council of Radcliffe College; president of the Bos- office, though physically feeble, during the spring; ton Bar Association; vice-president of the American next autumn he was actively practising law. In April, Academy of Arts and Sciences; trustee of the Bos- 1914, a few days subsequent to the argument of an ton Museum of Fine Arts, the Boston Athenum, important case, he had another stroke, after which and the Social Law Library; he was a member of the he never returned to his office. He retained his intel- Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United lectual faculties, however, until his death, which took States, the Massachusetts Historical Society, and place February 25, 1915. Within a few weeks of the [ 22 ] [ 23 ] JOHN CHIPMAN GRAY JOHN CHIPMAN GRAY end he was not only enjoying conversation with his attract public notice. A great part of his time, how- friends, but working at the revision of his books and ever, was spent in business of public interest, acting expressing opinions on novel points of law. as counsel to churches and educational institutions. He was an authority on the law of charities, which in- The most unusual feature of the career thus briefly cludes, in legal parlance, all religious and educational sketched was the high degree of success achieved bodies of a public character. Among the institutions in three fields, all related to the law, but requiring by which he was consulted were St. Paul's Church, different qualities. Mr. Gray was eminent as a prac- Trinity Church, King's Chapel, Harvard College, the tising lawyer, a teacher, and a writer. American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Boston He was the leading authority in New England, and Athenxum, Phillips Academy in Andover, and the probably in the United States, on the law of property. Worcester Art Museum. His opinions on questions in that branch of the law For St. Paul's Church he argued the case of St. had more weight with the bar in other states than Paul's Church V. Attorney General ( 164 Mass. 188) those of any person except perhaps their local lead- which decided important questions in the law of char- ers; and by many lawyers, at least in states where ities; and he also acted as counsel at the time of the the common law prevailed, they were regarded as transformation of the church into St. Paul's Cathe- of the highest authority without even such excep- dral. For Trinity Church he argued the case of Sears tion. His practice, however, was not confined to a sin- V. Attorney General 193 Mass. 551 which finally gle part of the law, but took a wide range. He had removed the long-standing doubts, arising from some a plain common sense and a shrewdness in dealing incidents in the ecclesiastical history of this Common- with practical affairs such as are seldom found in com- wealth, whether a gift devoted to religious uses, in bination with great technical learning. connection with a particular church, is a public charity. Mr. Gray avoided rather than sought cases in any In 1907 he was consulted with regard to the convey- way notorious. He always endeavored to prevent liti- ance of King's Chapel to trustees. As was natural, he gation, and the nature of the questions on which he frequently advised Harvard College, and he argued was an authority was such that most of the cases for it the case of Dexterv. Harvard College 176 Mass. in which he was engaged, even when they involved 192), in which the validity of bequests for scholar- large interests and important questions of law, did not ships, with a preference for the founder's kin, was sus- [ 24 ] [ 25 ] JOHN CHIPMAN GRAY ADDRESS of literature, properly SO called. He loved books, and BY OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES' his beautiful collection ranged from the Theodosian THE affectionate intimacy of a lifetime may not be code to curious eighteenth century tracts. the best preparation for an attempt to characterize He brought this scholarship to bear unobtrusively a friend whom one has known and loved SO long. His but powerfully when he came to write. His treatise qualities come to be felt too instinctively for articu- on Perpetuities is a quiet masterpiece that stands on late enumeration just as one ceases to be conscious of an equal footing with the most famous works of the the judgments that govern one's walk in the streets. great English writers upon property law. His last But with SO marked a personality as that of John little book on The Nature and Sources of the Law is Gray, there were features that no one could forget. worthy of the German professors who might seem He came of a family in which scholarship was in the to have made that theme their private domain. But blood; and I think that perhaps the first thought that unlike much German work, instead of pedantry, it is would occur to me would be that he was a scholar written with the light touch and humor of a man of born. He was a scholar of a type that is growing rare. the world. For his knowledge not only was converted For his knowledge, his immense reading, his memory into the organic tissue of wisdom, but flowered with were not confined to the actualities of the day. Along- a quiet humor that sometimes emerged in his writing side of mathematics, and the latest German works on and that gave habitual delightfulness to his talk. jurisprudence, alongside of his mastery of the law, He was a very wise man. So wise that those who equally profound and available for teaching in the met him in affairs perhaps would say that wisdom Law School and advising upon great affairs, he not was the first thing to be mentioned with his name. only kept up the study of Greek and Roman classics, He was able as no one else has been to unite prac- but he was familiar with a thousand bypaths among tice in Boston, in which he was consulted and relied books. I think he could have given a clear account of upon in matters of the largest import, with teaching the Bangorian controversy, the very name of which at the Law School, where his subjects required study has been forgotten by most of us, and he could have of subjects that seemed most remote from every day; recited upon all manner of curious memoirs or upon and both with equal success. pretty much any theme that falls within the domain In this connection, it is worth recalling that when 1 Read by the President of the Society. he was in the army he was the first officer to meet [ 48 ] [ 49 ] JOHN CHIPMAN GRAY ADDRESS Sherman at Savannah after the march to the sea, and BY MOORFIELD STOREY that he is referred to in Sherman's report of his opera- tions as very intelligent officer whose name I have I AM very glad to add my tribute of high respect and forgotten," a striking tribute to one who barely had warm regard for John C. Gray, though what I say at reached manhood from the great commander at the best will be only a faint echo of what has been said crowning moment of his success. SO well by Justice Holmes. Such capacity as Gray's for voluminous occupa- I have known Mr. Gray for more than forty years tion is apt to go with a loose fibre, or, one might say, -at the monthly dinners of a small club formed a somewhat coarse grain, but Gray was delicate, ac- when we were all young and where conversation was curate, and fine grained. Like all his race, he was frank and intimate, in other social relations, and in keenly observing without showing it, seeming to see the practice of the law to which we have alike been from the sides of his eyes like a woman. And none devoted during the whole period, though our asso- of his remarkable qualities and capacities remained ciations were never very close. He was essentially a isolated or futile, but they all united to give charac- scholar, a voluminous reader, at home in his library ter to the stream of his thought. It will be seen that and master of its contents, but, as it seemed to me, I am trying to describe a master, one who fairly may more interested in his books than in the active con- be called a great master, who was listened to with flicts of life. The political controversies, for example, equal respect by clients, by courts, and by all stu- which have divided the nation since the Civil War dents of the law, and at the same time an extraor- excited in him rather the interest of a spectator than dinary and delightful man, whose conversation gave a desire to take part in the struggle, and for sports equal pleasure to specialists and men of the world. and outdoor life he had little taste. His interests were When I add to this that he was a most faithful and intellectual, and he was a type of the refined and edu- affectionate friend, I have said enough perhaps to cated men who seem unfortunately to be growing show, I will not say what a loss is his death, for less common in this country. he had lived as long as a man can hope to live, but The great interest of his life was his profession, to what a gain, not only to us who loved him, but to the which he gave the best that was in him. He became world, was his life, a life rich in fruits and ending instructor at the Harvard Law School in the year surrounded by honor and by love. when I was admitted to the bar, and until his failing [ 50 ] [ 51 ] JOHN CHIPMAN GRAY JOHN CHIPMAN GRAY health compelled his retirement continued there as tion which was his due. He seemed in his daily labors lecturer and professor. As a student, as a writer, and as a teacher his success was brilliant, and the high to recognize and act upon the truth stated by Justice Holmes, that "the root of joy as of duty is to put reputation which he enjoyed among lawyers every- out all one's powers for some great end to ham- where was well deserved. His position at Harvard mer out as compact and solid a piece of work as gave him a great opportunity, for he who controls the one can, to try to make it first rate, and to leave it fountain can color the stream. Many of the lawyers unadvertised." now eminent at the bar of the United States owe to Such a man though taken in the fullness of time is him their inspiration, and gratefully recognize their a great loss to the community, and in his profession debt. Among the professors at the School he did his his death leaves à void which will not easily be filled. full share in moulding the opinions and fixing the standards of lawyers all over this country, and the news of his death will be received by them with profound sorrow. In active practice he was strong in counsel and in the presentation of legal questions to the court. He was familiar with the business of life, was a wise and safe adviser on important matters, and his opinions in difficult cases were sought and followed; but the dust of the arena had no attraction for him, and he was not fitted to enjoy the struggles and squabbles of jury practice. He was a man whom an opponent could trust implicitly, absolutely certain that nothing unfair or unworthy would ever be done in a case for which he was responsible. He went through life serenely, earnestly, modestly, with scrupulous regard for the rights and feelings of others, but without seeking notoriety or apparently even caring for the recogni- 52 ] [ 53 ] Carl M. Brauer. Ropes 1/2 Gray, 865-1990- Boston: Ropes Gray, 1991. JOHN CHIPMAN GRAY 1839 - 1915 JOHN C. GRAY was born in Brighton, now a part of Boston, son of Horace Gray and grandson of "Billy" Gray of Salem, famed for being the owner of more vessels than any other man in the country at a time when the commerce-fleet of the United States was a familiar sight in all the ports of the world. The grand- father moved to Boston in later life, and was chosen Lieutenant-Governor of the Commonwealth. An older half-brother, also named Horace Gray, was Chief Jus- tice of the Supreme Judicial Court of his State and afterward a Justice of the United States Supreme Court. The father suffered financial reverses before his boys were grown, making them dependent on their own exer- tions, and the brothers believed that the spur of neces- sity was a responsible factor in such success as they achieved, but it is hard for us to believe that such native industry and ability as theirs needed that stimulus. John Gray's career at the Boston Latin School and Harvard College was without noteworthy incident, un- less perhaps the occasion when he and another boy - alone out of a class of forty - - faced down an angry, browbeating schoolmaster in the matter of injustice to JOHN CHIPMAN GRAY a schoolmate. At college he stood fifth in his class, though, with the exception of mathematics, the curricu- lum of the day attracted little of his interest or effort. I44 145 He was chosen to the Phi Beta Kappa, also to the soldier's career was thenceforth almost as if it had Hasty Pudding and Porcellian Clubs. A friend of his never been. boyhood days seems still to feel a slight flutter as she October I, 1865, Mr. Ropes and Mr. Gray joined recalls that he was then "the most admired young man in partnership for the practice of law, the union lasting in Boston, with beautiful eyes that captivated every till Mr. Ropes' death in 1899, after which Mr. Gray girl." continued the work almost until his own death in 1915. He took his LL.B. at the Law School in '61, having December 4, 1869 he was appointed lecturer at the devoted himself only moderately to study of law as was Harvard Law School; March 18, 1875, he became Story usual in those days, but ranging far and wide through Professor; in 1883 he was made Royall Professor, and other fields of reading. After graduation he spent a in 1913 he resigned to become Royall Professor Emeri- year in the law office of Peleg W. Chandler who after- tus - forty-four years of teaching law, a term perhaps ward recommended him for the office of Judge Advo- unparalleled. cate, saying, "He is the ablest man of his age as a lawyer From 1866 to 1870 he and Mr. Ropes edited the that I know of." American Law Review; in 1868 he edited a new edition In October of '62 he was enrolled as Second Lieu- of Story's Partnership; in 1883 was published his Re- tenant in the Forty-first Massachusetts Volunteers, and straints on Alienation; in 1886 The Rule against Per- in the latter days of the war served as Aide to General petuities; in 1888-1892 his six-volume collection of Gordon, also as Major and Judge Advocate on the staffs Cases on the Law of Property; and in 1909 The Nature of General Foster and General Gillmore. The greater and Sources of the Law, other less notable publica- part of his war-time labors was administrative, as tions having appeared meantime in legal periodicals at described in his war-letters, but toward the end he irregular intervals. saw active duty and was under fire more than once. We see Mr. Gray, therefore, a practitioner in the After a brief meeting, General Sherman referred to business world, a teacher stimulating and disciplining him as "a very intelligent officer whose name I can- the powers of youth, a philosopher disentangling the not recall" - such a perfect description of modesty gossamer threads of legal abstractions - a trio of waiting on capacity that few accounts of Mr. Gray fail rôles, each a specialty in its own right, and he acclaimed to mention it. His military duties left him much time a master mind in all three. for reading, and he filled these hours with Latin, Greek, But what manner of man was Mr. Gray in his daily Italian, French, German and English literature, theol- walk? What did friends, clients, pupils, acquaintances, ogy, history, mathematics, natural science, military sci- see there; they knew, of course, his reputation in respect ence and law; shortly after leaving the army, he began to the law, but man is many-sided, and the world notes, the study of Spanish. When the war was ended and the not one side only, but all. Perhaps the first impression uniform was laid aside, the military title and pretty received upon contact with Mr. Gray was that of an much all reference to military life went with it. The exceptionally well informed and well read man. He had 146 147 He was chosen to the Phi Beta Kappa, also to the soldier's career was thenceforth almost as if it had Hasty Pudding and Porcellian Clubs. A friend of his never been. boyhood days seems still to feel a slight flutter as she October I, 1865, Mr. Ropes and Mr. Gray joined recalls that he was then "the most admired young man in partnership for the practice of law, the union lasting in Boston, with beautiful eyes that captivated every till Mr. Ropes' death in 1899, after which Mr. Gray girl." continued the work almost until his own death in 1915. He took his LL.B. at the Law School in '61, having December 4, 1869 he was appointed lecturer at the devoted himself only moderately to study of law as was Harvard Law School; March 18, 1875, he became Story usual in those days, but ranging far and wide through Professor; in 1883 he was made Royall Professor, and other fields of reading. After graduation he spent a in 1913 he resigned to become Royall Professor Emeri- year in the law office of Peleg W. Chandler who after- tus - forty-four years of teaching law, a term perhaps ward recommended him for the office of Judge Advo- unparalleled. cate, saying, "He is the ablest man of his age as a lawyer From 1866 to 1870 he and Mr. Ropes edited the that I know of." American Law Review; in 1868 he edited a new edition In October of '62 he was enrolled as Second Lieu- of Story's Partnership; in 1883 was published his Re- tenant in the Forty-first Massachusetts Volunteers, and straints on Alienation; in 1886 The Rule against Per- in the latter days of the war served as Aide to General petuities; in 1888-1892 his six-volume collection of Gordon, also as Major and Judge Advocate on the staffs Cases on the Law of Property; and in 1909 The Nature of General Foster and General Gillmore. The greater and Sources of the Law, other less notable publica- part of his war-time labors was administrative, as tions having appeared meantime in legal periodicals at described in his war-letters, but toward the end he irregular intervals. saw active duty and was under fire more than once. We see Mr. Gray, therefore, a practitioner in the After a brief meeting, General Sherman referred to business world, a teacher stimulating and disciplining him as "a very intelligent officer whose name I can- the powers of youth, a philosopher disentangling the not recall" - such a perfect description of modesty gossamer threads of legal abstractions - a trio of waiting on capacity that few accounts of Mr. Gray fail rôles, each a specialty in its own right, and he acclaimed to mention it. His military duties left him much time a master mind in all three. for reading, and he filled these hours with Latin, Greek, But what manner of man was Mr. Gray in his daily Italian, French, German and English literature, theol- walk? What did friends, clients, pupils, acquaintances, ogy, history, mathematics, natural science, military sci- see there; they knew, of course, his reputation in respect ence and law; shortly after leaving the army, he began to the law, but man is many-sided, and the world notes, the study of Spanish. When the war was ended and the not one side only, but all. Perhaps the first impression uniform was laid aside, the military title and pretty received upon contact with Mr. Gray was that of an much all reference to military life went with it. The exceptionally well informed and well read man. He had 146 147 a love of books, a gift for languages, an active and ponderous personality, one which might tend to keep a inquiring mind, a faculty of appreciation and discrimi- less erudite companion on the anxious seat; instead, the nation, a wealth and variety of interests, that gave him man was modest - almost shy - easy, unobtrusive, a lifetime of pleasure in his reading; the inclination friendly all his vast learning was carried, as it were, in was warm in youth and held strong in age, SO he might the hollow of his hand, gracefully, apparently without say of his reading as he did of his law-study, "I have consciousness that his attainments were unusual. He pursued at eve what I pursued at morn." He wandered was the same in his writings as in person; in his book far and wide, delving deep into topics of whose very on Jurisprudence, proposing to compare the common- existence the general reader is ignorant, and from such law of England and the United States with the civil- he passed off-hand to the light or heavy literature of law as exemplified in the laws of Rome, Germany, the day; he was accustomed to beguile the hours of a France and Scotland, he said apologetically, long train-ride with the joyous pages of a book on the higher mathematics. This, be it noted, was not from "As to the other countries of Europe, I regret to say that I any Puritanic desire for self-discipline it was pleasure have next to no knowledge of their law." and recreation. Like Dr. Johnson, he was "born to When almost seventy years of age he attended regularly grapple with whole libraries." His colleague, Professor as a pupil the course on Roman Law given by Professor Ezra Thayer, said, Roscoe Pound, who, years before, had been a young "He seemed to have read everything in the world the newest student in his own classes. In all his personal relations speculation was as familiar to him as the oldest classic." he was simple and unassuming, indeed usually in the attitude of one seeking light. At the office he was ac- Mr. Justice Holmes said of his reading customed to discuss questions of law earnestly with his "His knowledge, his immense reading, his memory, were not junior partners and young associates - to the conster- confined to the actualities of the day. Alongside of mathe- nation of the latter - quite as if the minds and learning matics, and the latest German works on jurisprudence, along- of both were on a parity. He was, in fact, seeking side of his mastery of the law, equally profound and avail- light, and doubtless often found it, either by way of able for teaching in the Law School and advising upon great his companion's different viewpoint, or merely by the affairs, he not only kept up the study of Greek and Roman clarification which came from putting his own thoughts classics, but he was familiar with a thousand by-paths among into words as he paced back and forth across the room. books. I think he could have given a clear account of the At the close of such a discussion he would sometimes Bangorian controversy, the very name of which has been for- say, "Well, my opinion is so and so; at least, that is gotten by most of us, and he could have recited upon all man- ner of curious memoirs or upon pretty much any theme that my ambulatory opinion." His disregard of minor sar- falls within the domain of literature, properly so-called." torial conventions, his frequent obliviousness of trifles, his evident liking for the young men about him, sug- Such a freight of learning suggests a formidable and gested something of the lovable, absent-minded pro- 148 I49 fessor familiar to college traditions. On one day his sometimes gave people a surprise. Meeting him in necktie would be thought by the boys to be unduly Cambridge one Saturday afternoon amid the throng gaudy; the next day there might be no necktie at all streaming to the Harvard-Yale football game, a friend It is a fact that against the latter contingency he always said, "Going to the game?" "No," was the reply, "I kept an emergency tie in his desk at the School. An don't go to the games, but I sometimes come out to see illustration of his negative attitude in such matters is the crowd. I like to watch their faces." Once a student found in a letter which he - then nineteen years of dining at Mr. Gray's home began conversing on topics age, and at a season when the young man's fancy lightly which he thought suited to such a lofty occasion. As turns to thoughts of dazzling raiment - wrote uncon- he paused, Mr. Gray broke in, "Do you ever go to cernedly to his tailor Revere Beach ?" The student, taken somewhat aback, April 2, 1869 stammered a bit about enjoying the surf and sea- "Messrs. Gibbs and Co. breezes. "Ah," said Mr. Gray, "I like a ride on the roller-coaster, myself." An endearing touch occurs in Gentlemen : an address which Mr. Gray made at a Radcliffe Com- Please make me a sack coat of dark cloth for Spring wear mencement, wherein he explained how he happened to (any colour but brown) and two pairs of Spring trousers, one be instrumental in obtaining authority for Radcliffe to of coarse mixed stuff and one light or checked. You have my confer the Ph.D. degree: measures." More than once he appeared at the office holding an "And now you must pardon me if I give a bit of personal umbrella in outstretched hand, saying to the boy some- history. One evening my wife told me she had seen Mrs. thing like this, "I seem to have picked up this umbrella, Agassiz that day, that Mrs. Agassiz looked troubled, and probably at the library, I don't know whose it is. See was much distressed and perplexed about Radcliffe College and its degrees. At that time, to my shame be it said, I knew if you can find the owner and return it." Once he was little and cared less about Radcliffe College, but I was sorry mystified as to the origin and ownership of a fur coat that Mrs. Agassiz should be harassed, so I began wondering which lay across his arm. At the School he one day whether anything could be done to relieve the difficulty, etc. repeated to the class - to its infinite mirth - the same etc." lecture on Dumpor's Case that he had given them only the day before. Mr. Gray, however, was quite able Afterward he was long a member of the Council of to take care of himself. To a blundering and intruding Radcliffe College, and he once thus concluded his re- student, call him "Mr. Smith," who usurped the time marks to an assemblage of Alumnae : of the class to ask a foolish question as to the law ap- "I fear I have been too didactic for such an occasion, but plicable to a certain impossible state of facts, the the lecturing habit is strong. A speaker can always, teacher's only reply was, "Quaere de hoc? Mr. Brown, however, ease his conscience by remembering the saying of will you state the next case." Mr. Gray's cast of mind the Arab Sheik to an English traveller, a saying from which 150 151 I have myself derived the greatest support when playing the "If you want to know what the law used to be, ask Langdell part of the hearer. The Sheik said 'O my Soul, O my Lamb, if you want to know what it is going to be, ask Beale; if thou hast spoken many words, but there is no harm done, for you want to know what it ought to be, ask Ames; but if the speaker is one and the listener is another'." you want to know what the law is, ask Gray." There are countless instances of Mr. Gray's colloquial In general practice he was among the leaders of the and humorous expressions, written and spoken - in- profession, and in his specialty, the law of property, deed, except on occasions which forbade levity, he he was probably the leading authority in the United rarely closed without something of the sort. At a dinner States, his aid being often sought far from home. in honor of President Eliot, Mr. Gray referred to the Where property questions were involved, his opinions President's development of the Divinity School were accepted by the Bar almost as authoritative state- "It seemed a hopeless undertaking, there was much contemp- ments of the law, and in some technical cases of his the tuous laughter I remember that I sat in the seats of the scorn- argument before the Court became hardly more than ful, but the President set to work suo modo, quietly, delib- a discussion of his published opinions, Gray the counsel erately, but with a determination as fixed as the needle to expounding the writings of Gray the Professor. It is the pole, and he has succeeded. The dark clouds loved by said that the odium theologicum have been blown away, and lo! under a serene sky, we see the orthodox, evangelical lamb descend- "in his latter days more than one court of supreme jurisdic- ing even now from the upland fold of its Andover Zion to tion seemed to hang upon his words with the same sense of dwell with the Socinian wolf, not inside mark you, but conviction as if it had been his class in property." alongside, in brotherly love in the Divinity School of Harvard Though he was born a scholar, and was in some trifling University." ways the absent-minded professor of fable, he was dis- The foregoing incidents and quotations may give some tinguished from most such by having a shrewd, hard suggestion as to Mr. Gray on the lighter side. head for business and finance, together with a thor- As to Mr. Gray the practitioner. Whether or not oughly worldly understanding of human nature in its he believed that all teachers of law should also engage day to day manifestations. He met men of business on in practice, he certainly believed this to be best for him- their own ground, and needed not the Biblical admoni- self. In his own case the decision was undoubtedly a tion, "With all thy wisdom, get understanding." His sound one, and it is fair to assume that it was his con- modesty, his fairness, his aim for the truth and the tinuous participation in the exigencies and responsibili- whole truth, were as unconscious as innocence itself, ties of the outside world which helped all his teaching and the Bar, even in the heat of conflict, finding these to its unusual non-professorial flavor. Even when qualities most disarming, responded generously. He among the abstractions of jurisprudence, he never lost was given the management of large estates; wills and touch with reality. It was this quality of his which trusts drafted by him were borne to the safe-deposit caused the students to say: box in comfortable assurance; troubled executors, trus- 152 53 tees, cotton mills, colleges, charitable foundations, mil- by their names and by their writings, are known to every lionaires and poor widows, all came to Mr. Gray; all educated English lawyer. received kindly courtesy, wise and sane advice. Most The professors of Harvard have, throughout America, of his office work was of a sort that passed unnoticed finally dispelled the inveterate delusion that law is a handi- outside the walls, and even his important litigated cases craft to be practised by rule of thumb and learned only were so learned and technical as to have little public by apprenticeship in Chambers or offices; they have convinced appeal. This suited his taste, as the thought of seeking the leaders of the Bar that the Common Law of England is - or, equally, that of avoiding - publicity probably a science." never entered his mind. "The dust of the arena had Mr. Gray, however, was more than an exponent of no attraction for him," and court-room dramatics, the the case-system; he had a mission to youth as a gifted heart's blood of many lawyers, had no part in his life. teacher, and his forty-odd years of teaching were the He several times declined a seat on the bench of the great joy of his life. His active mind never allowed his Supreme Court of Massachusetts, once at least that of work to degenerate into flavorless repetition. He said: Chief Justice. Such was the practitioner. "Law is as complex as life. However often I may have been Remarks upon Mr. Gray as a teacher may begin with over a subject, I never go over it again without coming across his prominence in that group of Harvard Law School questions, analogies, that I never saw before. A teacher teachers who remodeled and revitalized the whole who has not allowed his wits to be dulled by routine, will find teaching of law, this being brought about by substitut- plenty of matter for research in his daily work." ing for the lecture-system a case, or laboratory, system by which the pupil studies the raw materials of the law Again, he said to elucidate for himself its development and present "I cannot imagine any more delightful work than teaching status. So radical a change naturally met warm oppo- intelligent young men things which you know, and they do sition and, though the original idea was Dean Lang- not know but desire to know." dell's, a great factor in its wide acceptance among His manner with his classes was informal and friendly, teachers of law was the distinguished ability with which acute, unmistakably clear, with a way of his own for the experiment was conducted by his colleagues. The transmuting high-sounding legal verbiage into collo- fact that John C. Gray, in active practice, became a quial simplicity, as when he said nonchalantly that an convert to the idea had much to do with its acceptance Act of God is "something disagreeable which nobody by the Bar. Its success made fame for Dean Langdell, can help." The world knows that erudition alone never for his associates and for Harvard. Professor Dicey made a good teacher; Professor Gray had the necessary of Oxford wrote: additional qualities, first, a warm personal liking for the youths whom he saw entering eagerly upon their "His (Langdell's) labors have been nobly seconded by col- life work, and, second, an unfailing pleasure in the leagues such as Thayer, Gray, Ames and others, all of whom, exchanges between their growing minds and his own. 154 I55 At the School he kept his work-desk in an alcove of the His Restraints upon Alienation and Rule against students' reading room, informally accessible to all, Perpetuities each tapped a narrow vein, but in each instead of immuring himself out in "the stack." In the instance the vein was cleared and cleaned of all valu- early days of his teaching, he was practically the only able metal when the book ended. Especially, his play one of the faculty to whom the puzzled and inquiring upon the intricacies and ramifications of Perpetuities students made general resort, and to the end it is said is a model of lucid, logical, and concise exposition. Only that more of them sought light from him than from all a master-hand can be complete, clear - and concise ! the other members of the Faculty. He said of his The book wholly realized Mr. Gray's purpose as stated teaching in the preface, and it is worth while to note the balance "I have always felt that on both sides it was not an attempt and sense of proportion in his statement: to show how much we knew, or how smart we were, but that "Such a book should deal with the whole of its subject, its we were fellow-students trying to get to the bottom of a diffi- history, its relation to other parts of the law, its present con- cult subject," dition, the general principles which have been evolved and and the dedication of his last book ran: the errors which have been eliminated in its development, "To his old pupils, whose affectionate regard has been to him and the defects which still mar its logical symmetry, or, what a life-long blessing, from their grateful master." is of vastly greater moment, lessen its value as a guide to conduct." At the time he finally resigned office, all other members of the Law School Faculty had formerly sat at his feet No less an authority than Mr. Justice Holmes declared as pupils. The case-books which he prepared for teach- the Perpetuities to be "a masterpiece that stands on ing the law of property have since provided the basis an equal footing with the most famous works of the for teaching that topic in many other law-schools; great English writers on property law." Even in Eng- they have also served, and will long continue to serve, land where this branch of the law is more familiar to as a large part of the foundation for any scholarly the Bench and Bar than here, and where scant recogni- writing on the subjects covered. tion is usually given American law-writers, Mr. Gray's Coming now to Mr. Gray, the author, it may be said Alienation and Perpetuities are widely known to the that the name of the successful legal practitioner is Bar and are frequently cited in Court opinions. One writ in water; the name of a revered teacher lives English author, specializing in these topics, and differ- chiefly in the memory of his pupils and in the records ing from Mr. Gray in some points, has gone so far as of his school; but the tooth of time bites granite when to complain that "The tendency of our judges is to re- it makes its attempt upon the name of an author who gard him as orthodox, if not infallible." has given a Classic to the world - even a legal Classic The Perpetuities has been cited as an authority in re- - so it is doubtless as author that Mr. Gray's name ported cases all over the English-speaking world from will longest hold its lustre. Manitoba to New South Wales and New Zealand. 156 I57 But it is Mr. Gray's Nature and Sources of the Law lowest terms that they are deceptive; they seem easy, that displays in high-light the depth, range, delicacy and simple. It is like watching an expert billiard player as precision of his thought, together with his gift for the ivory balls seem almost to anticipate his bidding; artlessly simple statement, illustrated by instances so it creates an illusion in the spectator that he could as familiar and so pointed that their light is immediate, readily do the same. An English reviewer says of the and this in a field of philosophic thought where SO many book that it writers abandon themselves to the cumbersome jargon "bears in every page the marks of thorough and independent of the schools. His style has been compared to others thought clearly expressed, and yet it is one which can be as fresh sunlight to fog. Take an instance of his easy- read in an easy chair with a pipe in one's mouth and one's going but sure-footed manner. In writing upon Sov- feet on the fender." ereignty, seeking to discover the ultimate source of authority, the legal causa causans, and the precise Rarely are the easy chair, the pipe and the fender asso- nature of its essence - an elusive and baffling abstract ciated with a book on such a topic as jurisprudence, a conception - Mr. Gray said: book of which Dean Roscoe Pound said that it showed the author to be "the foremost analytical jurist of the "The first of these theories is that Law is made up of the commands of the sovereign. This is Austin's view. 'Every day." The Centennial History of the Harvard Law Positive Law,' he says, 'obtaining in any community is-a School states that it is probably the best book on Juris- creature of the Sovereign or State' In a sense this prudence in the English language. is true; the State can restrain its courts from following this or From time to time Mr. Gray served as President of that rule, but it often leaves them free to follow what they the Harvard Alumni Association, Vice President of the think right. Mr. A.B., who wants a house, employs Harvard Law School Alumni Association, President of an architect, Mr. Y.Z., to build it for him. Mr. Y.Z. puts the Harvard Chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa, Member up a staircase in a certain way; in such a case, nine times out of the Council of Radcliffe College, President of the of ten, he puts it up in that way because he always puts up Boston Bar Association, Vice President of the Amer- staircases in that way, or because the books on construction ican Academy of Arts and Sciences, Trustee of the say they ought to be so put up, or because his professional Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the Boston Athenaeum, brethren put up their staircases in that fashion, or because and the Social Law Library. The Honorary LL.D. was he thinks to put it up so would be good building or in good taste, or because it costs him less trouble than to put it up in conferred upon him by Yale University in 1894, and some other way; he seldom thinks whether Mr. A.B. would by Harvard in the following year. like it in that way or not; and probably Mr. A.B. never thinks Mr. Gray's life and character, with his trinity of it could have been put up in any other fashion. Here it cer- professional distinctions, make it easy to understand tainly seems strained to speak, as Austin would do, of the the declaration of Mr. Justice Holmes that, while he staircase being the 'creature' of Mr. A.B." might have doubts as to some men, he had no doubt Mr. Gray's statements are SO far reduced to their that John C. Gray was "a great man." Who could 58 159 know better than he? Who could better judge "great- ness"? But greatness is not all ! In closing, there is a bene- diction in the recollection of Mr. Gray's own creed that "there is no surer and more unfailing source of happiness than the disinterested love of knowledge." 160 XFINITY Connect Page 1 of 2 XFINITY Connect eppster2@comcast.net Font Size Re: Ropes & Gray From : Kathy Growney Wed, Apr 18, 2012 11:42 PM Subject : Re: Ropes & Gray To : Ronald & Elizabeth Epp Hi, Last I knew there was still one person there that I worked with: Kimberly Sweet. I believe everyone else has moved on our retired. There was no "archive" that I recall, but there were very old legal books out on the shelves. When I first started working there, it was a large and beautiful corporate library on the 41st floor with beautiful veiws of the ocean. There were several smaller satellite libraries on different floors. They then shrunk the collection and moved it to the fourth or fifth floor and placed everything in compact shelving. It was a pretty dismal change. I don't know what was kept vs discarded. I am very greatful though not to be working in a sky scraper any more. The elevator rides were a nightmare! Have a good week. Kathy On Mon, Apr 16, 2012 at 11:43 AM, Ronald & Elizabeth Epp wrote: Hi Again, I notes your employment at Ropes & Gray. Do you still know anyone who works there? I may have mentioned to you that in the 19th-century Ropes & Gray was established by the family of the mother of George B. Dorr, the founder of Acadia N.P., the subject of my completed manuscript. I've always wondered whether their professional library had archival materials that tracked back to the beginning of the firm. have a good week! Ron Cly Color Ronald H. Epp, Ph.D. 532 Sassafras Dr. Lebanon, PA 17042 hhttp://sz0122.wc.mail.comcast.net/zimbra/h/printmessage?id=46240&tz=America/New_Y..4/19/2012