American Bench Loses Services of Greatest Jurist of Century With Resignation of Justice Holmes From U.S. Supreme Court

"With the retirement of Justice Holmes America loses the services of one of the greatest justices who has over sat on the United States Supreme Court, and one of the Harvard Law School's greatest sons," Zechariah Chafee, Jr., Professor of Law, said yesterday in commenting on the announcement that Oliver Wendell Holmes '61, has tendered his resignation from the Supreme Court of the United States.

"In my opinion Justice Holmes stands as the greatest jurist of this century, and the ideas now formulated by most lawyers were expressed by him a generation ago. I feel sure that no other member of the Supreme Court in the history of the body has been so productive of ideas. Although he gave up his law professorship here many years ago, he has always been one of the Law School's warmest friends, accepting the presidency of the Harvard Law School Association for a long period of years, and it is very fitting that his latest portrait should hang opposite that of John Marshall, America's greatest chief justice, and holder of an honorary degree from this institution," Professor Chafee continued.

"Justice Holmes comes from an old Harvard family, and since his graduation from college he has upheld Harvard's reputation in the legal profession as his father upheld the University's literary standards," Professor Chafee stated. "His legal writing stands in the first rank, and his book "The Common Law" is one of the classic commentaries on the growth of the legal system, while his collected papers are read by almost every law student in the country."

"Some men write law and opinions in books which Justice Holmes has fully expressed in sentences. If he had not become a lawyer he would undoubtedly have been a great philosopher, or writer on philosophical subjects. No English or American judge has ever possessed a finer literary style," Professor Chafee said of his contribution to law literature.