Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.

Oliver Wendell Holmes the younger, (March 8, 1841 – March 6, 1935) was an American jurist noted for his hard-edged rejection of the prevailing property-rights ideology embraced by other judges of his time. He was called The Great Dissenter.

Law practice and state judgeship

After the war's conclusion, Holmes returned to Harvard to study law, being admitted to the bar in 1866, and went into practice in Boston.

Related Topics:
Law - 1866

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In 1870, Holmes became editor of the American Law Review. In 1881, he published the first edition of his well regarded book The Common Law. In 1882, he became both a professor at Harvard Law School and a justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. In 1899, he was appointed Chief Justice of the state court. He became known for his innovative, well-reasoned decisions, balancing property rights with rule by the majority, with the latter taking precedence over the former. He was one of the first to recognize workers' right to organize trade unions as long as no violence or coercion was involved, contrary to some earlier decisions by others who had argued that organized labor was by nature illegal.

Related Topics:
1870 - American Law Review - 1881 - The Common Law - 1882 - Harvard Law School - Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court - 1899 - Chief Justice - Trade unions - Organized labor

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