Erwin Griswold

Erwin Griswold
Name	Erwin Griswold
Caption	Griswold c. 1967
Office	Solicitor General of the United States
President	Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon
Term start	October 1967
Term end	June 1973
Predecessor	Thurgood Marshall
Successor	Robert Bork
Birth date	14 July 1904
Birth place	East Cleveland, Ohio
Death date	19 November 1994
Death place	Boston, Massachusetts
Education	Oberlin College (BA), Harvard Law School (LLB)
Spouse	Harriet Ford (m. 1931)

Erwin Griswold was a preeminent American legal scholar and government official who served as the Solicitor General of the United States and as Dean of Harvard Law School. Known for his formidable intellect and advocacy before the Supreme Court of the United States, he argued many landmark cases during a period of significant social change. His career spanned academia, where he was a noted critic of McCarthyism, and high government office, where he defended controversial administration policies during the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal.

Early life and education

Born in East Cleveland, Ohio, he was the son of a Congregational minister. He attended Oberlin College, graduating with a degree in mathematics before deciding to pursue law. He then enrolled at Harvard Law School, where he served as president of the Harvard Law Review and graduated first in his class in 1928. Following graduation, he clerked for Justice Harlan Fiske Stone of the Supreme Court of the United States, an experience that deeply influenced his understanding of federal jurisprudence.

Legal career and academia

After his clerkship, he joined the prestigious Cleveland law firm Squire, Sanders & Dempsey, practicing there until 1934. He then returned to Harvard Law School as a professor, specializing in federal taxation and jurisdiction. In 1946, he was appointed Dean of Harvard Law School, a position he held for 21 years. As dean, he oversaw a major expansion of the school's faculty and physical plant, recruited prominent scholars like Archibald Cox and Paul Freund, and was a vocal opponent of loyalty oaths and the tactics of Senator Joseph McCarthy.

Solicitor General of the United States

In 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed him to the post of Solicitor General of the United States, succeeding Thurgood Marshall. He continued in the role under President Richard Nixon, serving until 1973. His tenure was marked by the defense of highly contentious government positions, including the legality of the Vietnam War, the constitutionality of the draft, and the government's right to prior restraint in the Pentagon Papers case against The New York Times and The Washington Post.

Supreme Court advocacy and notable cases

He argued 118 cases before the Supreme Court of the United States, winning a majority. Beyond the Pentagon Papers case, his notable arguments included defending the Taft-Hartley Act against labor challenges and representing the government in key civil rights and desegregation cases. He also argued for the government in United States v. Nixon, the landmark case concerning executive privilege during the Watergate scandal, which ultimately compelled the President to surrender the White House tapes.

Later life and death

After leaving the Department of Justice, he returned to private practice with the Washington, D.C. firm Jones Day. He remained an active and respected figure in the legal community, writing extensively on legal ethics and the role of the Solicitor General. He died of pneumonia in Boston, Massachusetts in 1994, survived by his wife, the former Harriet Ford, and their two children.

Legacy and honors

His legacy is that of a brilliant advocate and principled administrator who served during tumultuous times in American history. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1993 from President Bill Clinton. The Erwin N. Griswold Prize is awarded annually by the Harvard Law Review for the best student-written piece, and a moot court room at Harvard Law School bears his name. His papers are held at the Library of Congress, a testament to his significant impact on American legal history.

Category:American legal scholars Category:Solicitors General of the United States Category:Harvard Law School deans