James S. Harlan

James S. Harlan (November 24, 1861 – September 20, 1927) was an American lawyer and commerce specialist, son of U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Marshall Harlan and uncle of Justice John Marshall Harlan II.

James S. Harlan
Harlan, c. 1925
Born(1861-11-24)November 24, 1861
Evansville, Indiana, U.S.
DiedSeptember 20, 1927(1927-09-20) (aged 65)
Alma materPrinceton University
OccupationLawyer
Spouse
Mary Maud Noble
​
(m. 1897)​
Parent
RelativesJohn Marshall Harlan II (nephew)

Biography

Harlan was born at Evansville, Indiana, graduated from Princeton University in 1883, and studied law in the office of Melville W. Fuller in 1884 to 1888. Admitted to the bar in 1886, he practiced law in Chicago as a member of the firms of Gregory, Booth, and Harlan, and Harlan and Harlan. From October 1888 to 1889, he served as the first law clerk to Chief Justice Fuller.[1][2]

In 1894, alongside Clarence Darrow and Stephen S. Gregory, Harlan represented Patrick Eugene Prendergast (the assassin of Chicago Mayor Carter Harrison Sr.) in petitioning for a jury to determine his sanity in order to challenge his conviction to the death sentence. They succeeded in getting a jury to hear Prendergast's insanity defense. However, Prendergast was deemed sane and was executed.[3]

In 1901, President Theodore Roosevelt nominated Harlan as Attorney General of Puerto Rico and he served until 1903.[4][5] He became a member in 1906, and chairman in 1914, of the United States Interstate Commerce Commission.[6]

Personal life

In 1897, he married Mary Maud Noble in Washington, D.C.[7]

See also

References
  1. Peppers, Todd C. (Winter 2010). "The Supreme Court and the Curse of the Gypsy" (PDF). Green Bag 2d. 13: 173–186. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
  2. Peppers, Todd C. (2006). Courtiers of the Marble Palace: The Rise and Influence of the Supreme Court Law Clerk Front Cover Todd C. Peppers. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. p. 49. ISBN 0804753822. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
  3. "The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography" (PDF). moses.law.umn.edu. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
  4. "Harlan, John Marshall". Princeton University. Retrieved September 29, 2017.
  5. "Porto Rico Attorney General; James S. Harlan Is Nominated by the President". New York Times. January 4, 1901. p. 1. Retrieved September 29, 2017. Paid subscription access.
  6. "Methods to Reduce Danger of Travel". Evening Star (Washington, D.C.). Library of Congress Historic Newspapers. November 20, 1914. p. 1. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
  7. "Greystone". Essex on Lake Champlain Blog. March 2, 2013. Retrieved September 29, 2017.
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