Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. Biography

Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., Jurist
Occup.Jurist
FromUSA
SpouseFanny Bowditch Dixwell (1873-1929)
BornMarch 8, 1841
Boston, Massachusetts, USA
DiedMarch 6, 1935
Washington, D.C., USA
CauseNatural causes
Aged93 years
Early Life and Education And Learning
Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. was born on March 8, 1841, in Boston, Massachusetts, to Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr., a popular medical professional as well as writer, and also Amelia Lee Jackson Holmes. He grew up in a family members that emphasized education and learning and also intellectual quests. As a child, Holmes went to the most effective schools readily available in Boston, including Phillips Academy and Harvard College.

While at Harvard, Holmes examined regulation and also was heavily affected by the works of famous legal thinkers of the time, such as John Austin and also Jeremy Bentham. In 1861, upon finishing his bachelor's degree, Holmes made a decision to delay his legal profession to enlist in the United States Army to combat in the Civil War.

Armed Force Service as well as Law Studies
During his time in the armed forces, Holmes was wounded three times and also, because of his valor and devotion, he swiftly rose via the rankings. He was ultimately advertised to the setting of very first lieutenant in the 20th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. The experiences he gained throughout the battle significantly affected his later lawful work.

After his service, he returned to Harvard in 1864 to examine regulation. Holmes went on to graduate in 1866 and also, after passing bench, he began practicing legislation in Boston. In his initial years as a lawyer, he worked in private practice, focusing primarily on maritime regulation as well as business lawsuits. Nevertheless, his passions promptly increased to include constitutional as well as typical legislation concerns.

Academic as well as Literary Contributions
In the late 1860s, Holmes began releasing lawful essays in scholarly journals such as the "American Law Review". His most considerable publication, "The Common Law", was published in 1881. In this job, Holmes clarified on his belief that the foundation of regulation is not a set of repaired principles however instead develops as society modifications.

His job gathered much regard from fellow legal scholars such as Louis Brandeis and his previous Civil War associate, William James. Through their friendship and also document, Holmes ended up being familiarized with the jobs of European lawful scholars, which even more assisted shape his thoughts on jurisprudence.

Judicial Career
In 1882, Holmes was assigned by Massachusetts Governor John D. Long to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. Although he was understood for his rigorous as well as unbiased judgments, Holmes ended up being respected for his promo of judicial restriction and the idea that the Constitution need to be translated in the context of the here and now, not only based upon the intentions of its 18th-century.

In 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt chose Holmes to the United States Supreme Court. He was verified by the Senate later on that year as well as became the very first Bostonian since John Quincy Adams to serve on the highest court in the land.

Throughout his time on the Supreme Court, Holmes came to be recognized for a number of landmark rulings, including his dissenting opinion in "Abrams v. United States" (1919), where he promoted for the defense of totally free speech under the First Amendment. His dissent in this case brought about the development of the modern-day idea of the "marketplace of ideas". Holmes likewise authored the majority viewpoint in "Schenck v. United States" (1919), in which he introduced the "clear and existing danger" examination, which would certainly end up being an essential of First Amendment jurisprudence.

Later On Life and Legacy
Holmes relinquished the Supreme Court in 1932 at the age of 90 due to health and wellness concerns. He spent the remaining three years of his life in Washington, D.C., where he remained to refer famous figures of the time, including President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Holmes passed away on March 6, 1935, just 2 days timid of his 94th birthday.

Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. is extensively regarded as among the most influential justices in United States Supreme Court background. Referred to as "The Great Dissenter", he left a profound mark on American law, particularly in the areas of complimentary speech, lawful realism, and the advancing nature of legislation.

Our collection contains 34 quotes who is written / told by Oliver, under the main topics: Money - Experience - Legal.

Related authors: William James (Philosopher), Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. (Poet), Jeremy Bentham (Philosopher), John D. Long (Politician), Lawrence Taylor (Athlete), Theodore Roosevelt (President), Franklin D. Roosevelt (President), John Quincy Adams (President)

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34 Famous quotes by Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.

Small: A childs education should begin at least one hundred years before he is born
"A child's education should begin at least one hundred years before he is born"
Small: A man is usually more careful of his money than of his principles
"A man is usually more careful of his money than of his principles"
Small: A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions
"A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions"
Small: Truth is tough. It will not break, like a bubble, at the touch, nay, you may kick it about all day like
"Truth is tough. It will not break, like a bubble, at the touch, nay, you may kick it about all day like a football, and it will be round and full at evening"
Small: The greatest thing in this world is not so much where we are, but in what direction we are moving
"The greatest thing in this world is not so much where we are, but in what direction we are moving"
Small: People talk fundamentals and superlatives and then make some changes of detail
"People talk fundamentals and superlatives and then make some changes of detail"
Small: Every event that a man would master must be mounted on the run, and no man ever caught the reins of a t
"Every event that a man would master must be mounted on the run, and no man ever caught the reins of a thought except as it galloped past him"
Small: I despise making the most of ones time. Half of the pleasures of life consist of the opportunities one
"I despise making the most of one's time. Half of the pleasures of life consist of the opportunities one has neglected"
Small: Lawyers spend a great deal of their time shoveling smoke
"Lawyers spend a great deal of their time shoveling smoke"
Small: Mans mind, stretched by a new idea, never goes back to its original dimensions
"Man's mind, stretched by a new idea, never goes back to its original dimensions"
Small: A new and valid idea is worth more than a regiment and fewer men can furnish the former than command th
"A new and valid idea is worth more than a regiment and fewer men can furnish the former than command the latter"
Small: A moments insight is sometimes worth a lifes experience
"A moment's insight is sometimes worth a life's experience"
Small: The right to swing my fist ends where the other mans nose begins
"The right to swing my fist ends where the other man's nose begins"
Small: The great act of faith is when a man decides he is not God
"The great act of faith is when a man decides he is not God"
Small: Certitude is not the test of certainty. We have been cocksure of many things that were not so
"Certitude is not the test of certainty. We have been cocksure of many things that were not so"
Small: We should be eternally vigilant against attempts to check the expression of opinions that we loathe
"We should be eternally vigilant against attempts to check the expression of opinions that we loathe"
Small: The only prize much cared for by the powerful is power
"The only prize much cared for by the powerful is power"
Small: The greatest act of faith is when a man understands he is not God
"The greatest act of faith is when a man understands he is not God"
Small: Men must turn square corners when they deal with the Government
"Men must turn square corners when they deal with the Government"
Small: Life is an end in itself, and the only question as to whether it is worth living is whether you have ha
"Life is an end in itself, and the only question as to whether it is worth living is whether you have had enough of it"
Small: I have no respect for the passion of equality, which seems to me merely idealizing envy
"I have no respect for the passion of equality, which seems to me merely idealizing envy"
Small: Dont be consistent, but be simply true
"Don't be 'consistent,' but be simply true"
Small: Carve every word before you let it fall
"Carve every word before you let it fall"
Small: Beware how you take away hope from any human being
"Beware how you take away hope from any human being"
Small: Any two philosophers can tell each other all they know in two hours
"Any two philosophers can tell each other all they know in two hours"
Small: Most of the things we do, we do for no better reason than that our fathers have done them or our neighb
"Most of the things we do, we do for no better reason than that our fathers have done them or our neighbors do them, and the same is true of a larger part than what we suspect of what we think"
Small: It seems to me that at this time we need education in the obvious more than the investigation of the ob
"It seems to me that at this time we need education in the obvious more than the investigation of the obscure"
Small: On the whole, I am on the side of the unregenerate who affirms the worth of life as an end in itself, a
"On the whole, I am on the side of the unregenerate who affirms the worth of life as an end in itself, as against the saints who deny it"
Small: Nothing is so commonplace has the wish to be remarkable
"Nothing is so commonplace has the wish to be remarkable"
Small: Life is action and passion therefore, it is required of a man that he should share the passion and acti
"Life is action and passion; therefore, it is required of a man that he should share the passion and action of the time, at peril of being judged not to have lived"
Small: As life is action and passion, it is required of a man that he should share the passion and action of h
"As life is action and passion, it is required of a man that he should share the passion and action of his time, at the peril of being not to have lived"
Small: A word is not a crystal, transparent and unchanged it is the skin of a living thought and may vary grea
"A word is not a crystal, transparent and unchanged; it is the skin of a living thought and may vary greatly in color and content according to the circumstances and time in which it is used"
Small: Young man, the secret of my success is that an early age I discovered that I was not God
"Young man, the secret of my success is that an early age I discovered that I was not God"
Small: The mind of a bigot is like the pupil of the eye. The more light you shine on it, the more it will cont
"The mind of a bigot is like the pupil of the eye. The more light you shine on it, the more it will contract"