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Oliver Wendell Holmes by Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. –

Top 10 Facts about Oliver Wendell Holmes

Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. is regarded as the most famous US Supreme Court jurist and a leading specialist on American common law. He was born on March 6, 1841, and died on March 6, 1935. During his lifetime, he made significant contributions to the role of law in America in the early twentieth century.

He was and still is a key part of American law as he is one of the most widely cited in history, noted for his long service, concise, and pithy opinions—particularly for opinions on civil liberties and American constitutional democracy—and deference to the decisions of elected legislatures. Holmes retired from the court after 29 years of service.

Here are 10 facts you might not know about Oliver Wendell Holmes.

1. He came from an aristocratic family

Oliver Wendell Holmes by Harvard University-

He was the first child of Oliver Wendell Holmes, a well-known writer, poet, and physician. His father was a descendant of Anne Bradstreet, another Puritan poet. Amelia Lee Jackson, his mother, was the daughter of Charles Jackson, a Supreme Judicial Court justice in the state of Massachusetts. His heritage, according to Holmes Jr., made him proud and had a significant role in forming his mind and attitude.

2. He was admitted into Harvard College

Oliver Wendell by Library of Congress-

After attending a private school, Oliver Wendell Holmes was accepted into Harvard College, which is now known as Harvard University. Oliver Wendell Holmes became a poet after graduating in the class of 1861, which is interesting information about him. He enrolled at Harvard Law School in 1864 and graduated in 1866 with a bachelor’s degree. But, despite his father’s objections, he had considered going to medical school. In 1867, he passed the bar and promptly went to work as a lawyer.

3. Oliver helped create a law firm

Oliver Wendell Holmes by Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr-

After graduating from Harvard, Oliver Wendel Holmes Jr. headed to England. When he returned, he focused on his legal profession and assisted in the founding of the Shattuck, Holmes, and Munroe law firm. Holmes was so dedicated to his profession that he spent his free time after law school studying it even more.

4. Holmes served as Civil War Veteran

He enlisted in the Union Army after the Civil War broke out in the United States in 1861. He was a member of the 20th Massachusetts Regiment of Volunteers throughout his time there. During the war, he was known as “Harvard’s Army” and was wounded at the engagements of Ball’s Bluff, Antietam, and Chancellorsville.

5. He edited the magazine American Law Review

Fascinating detail about Oliver Wendell Holmes is that he produced various articles and essays about the law in addition to his private business as a lawyer. Between the years 1870 and 1873, Holmes was the editor of the American Law Review. In 1881, he also released The Common Law, a collection of his lectures and essays.

6.”Lochner v. New York” is Holmes Jr.’s most famous decision

He debated about the regulation of the national economy several times as a member of the US Supreme Court. “Lochner v. New York” was his most renowned opinion on the matter. He dissented when the court overturned a New York legislation limiting the number of hours a baker could work.

7. He had no children of his own

He began courtship after completing law school. During that time, he had been acquaintances with Fanny Bowditch Dixwell for a while. She was his schoolmaster’s daughter. They married on June 17, 1872, after waiting through wartime, law school, trips, and apprenticeship and though their marriage did not produce any children they adopted and raised an orphaned cousin, named Dorothy Upham.

8. Holmes was also well-known for his contributions to the restriction of free speech

An interesting fact about Oliver Wendell Holmes is that after World War I, he became increasingly well-known for his views on freedom of speech. He emphasized the importance of civil freedoms in his work as a Supreme Court justice. If free speech is restricted, he believed there was a “clear and present danger.” It was also “an experiment, as all life is an experiment,” he said.

9. He pursued other women

Despite the fact that the couple had been married for almost 50 years, Holmes Jr. pursued other women. He corresponded with a number of women on both sides of the Atlantic during his life. He also travelled to see them without his wife. He went so far as to put their photos on display in his home study. Despite this, it is thought that he never had sexual relations with anybody other than his wife and that they had a happy marriage.

10. In the United States Supreme Court, he was dubbed “The Great Dissenter”

Justice Oliver Wendell by Library of Congress-

In 1883, Holmes became an associate member of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, less than a year after starting as a lecturer at Harvard Law School. In 1899, he was appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, but only for a brief time. President Theodore Roosevelt nominated him to the US Supreme Court in 1902.

In the United States Supreme Court, he was known as “The Great Dissenter” because he frequently disagreed with his colleagues. On March 6, 1935, two days before turning 94, Holmes passed away in Washington from pneumonia.