Law School Alumni Association records, 1924-1991

Summary Information

Description

Summary

This collection consists of the Law School Alumni Association committee and board meeting minutes as well as the records from reunions, conferences, and regional association events.

• Series I: Board and Committee Meetings, 1951-1990

  This series contains the records of the Law School Alumni Association Board meetings as well as those of the Committees, including the Finance Committee, Medal of Excellence Committee, Nominating Committee, Select Committee to Address the Special Needs of Alumni and the Student-Alumni Relations Committee. This series also includes some administrative records.

• Series II: Class Reunions, 1924-1989

  This series contains the records of the reunions held by the Class of 1899 to the Class of 1989. Most of the records date from the 1960s to the 1980s, when reunions started to be held regularly. Most classes meet every 5 years and during major anniversaries (10, 15, 25, 50); but some classes are more active than others. The records are organized by graduating class year.

• Series III: Events, 1962-1991

  This series contains the records related to events held by the Alumni Association. There events take place during national and regional association meetings (e.g., American Bar Association and the New York State Bar Association) but also local alumni events such as the annual Law Symposium, the Winter Luncheon, and the Stone-Agers Luncheon. The events are defined below. Materials are organized chronologically.

• Series IV: Regional Associations, 1976-1990

  As the number of alumni practicing law in many parts of the United States grew, the Law School Alumni Association encouraged the establishment of regional associations and the meetings of local alumni. By 1960, there were active associations in Atlanta (Association of the Southeast), Los Angeles (Southern California), San Francisco (Northern California), Texas and Washington, DC. Alumni met regularly, usually during state bar conventions, and on occasion to play host to alumni from other parts of the country attending regional or national bar conventions. These records are organized by state and/or region.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged in four series: Series I. Board and Committee Minutes; Series II. Class Reunions; Series III. Events; and Series IV: Regional Associations.

• Series I: Board and Committee Meetings, 1951-1990
• Series II: Class Reunions, 1924-1989
• Series III: Events, 1962-1991
• Series IV: Regional Associations, 1976-1990

Using the Collection

Restrictions on Access

You will need to make an appointment in advance to use this collection material in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room. You can schedule an appointment once you've submitted your request through your Special Collections Research Account.

Terms Governing Use and Reproduction

Reproductions may be made for research purposes. The RBML maintains ownership of the physical material only. Copyright remains with the creator and his/her heirs. The responsibility to secure copyright permission rests with the patron.

Preferred Citation

Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Law School Alumni Association records; Box and Folder numbers; University Archives, Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Columbia University Libraries.

Related Materials

Additional materials about the Law School Alumni Association can be found in the Historical subject files (UA#0002) Boxes 76 and 363. The Arthur W. Diamond Law Library's Special Collections is the official repository for archival materials related to the Law School. It contains a number of materials useful for either genealogical or institutional research such as class lists, student newspapers, photographs, and yearbooks from select years. The Diamond Law Library also holds materials which document many aspects of the Law School's history including student notebooks, faculty directories, building plans, course catalogs, reunion materials, and Law School publications such as the Columbia Law School Magazine. For more information, please contact the Law Library's Special Collections Librarian.

Accruals

No additions are expected.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

1994.003.

About the Finding Aid / Processing Information

Columbia University Libraries, Rare Book and Manuscript Library

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Joanna Rios in May 2023.

Revision Description

2023-05-19 Finding aid published (JR)

Historical Note

An association of graduates of the Law School was formed by the members of the first graduating class, on the May 18, 1860. A constitution was adopted on January 23, 1863, stating as the object of the Association "to revive and perpetuate by annual meetings and public exercises the memory and mutual good feeling of those who have participated in common labors, common pleasures and common benefits in their preparation for the legal profession; and to advance by every means within the power of its members the interests of the Law School and of the Association."

For the succeeding twelve years the Association actively elected officers, a Standing Committee, and orators to speak at the Law School commencements, but the records from 1872 to 1902 have been lost. The constitution was then revised in 1902 and after its reorganization, the Association met for annual meetings and held dinners and receptions for retiring judges and distinguished visitors. It also contributed to the Columbia Law Review and the library of the Law School. The Association established the Committee on Law Clerkships, which assisted graduates of the Law School secure positions.

During World War I the Alumni Association's activities fell off, but under the presidencies of George Welwood Murray (1919-1921) and Judge Edward R. Finch (1921-1924) the Association experienced a strong revival, and by 1923 there were about six hundred members. In 1926, under the leadership of Judge John M. Woolsey, the Association again revised its constitution, to authorize more widespread activities. By 1937, under the presidency of Judge Harold R. Medina Law 1912, there were 2,370 members.

In 1949, out of 8,650 living alumni of the Law School, 2,605 were members of the Association. The Association actively supported the moot court system, the Law Library, and the Columbia Law Review; in 1947 it helped establish the Columbia Law School News and continued to play an important part in the program for placing Law School graduates.

J.B. Pine, CC 1877, Law 1879, published an early history of the Association (See "The Alumni Association of the Law School of Columbia University," Columbia Alumni News (1916) 251.) To this, Gifford and Masur added and updated the information, which appears as "A Brief History of the Alumni Association of the Law School of Columbia University," in the Columbia Law Register XV (1949). A third update appears in the Columbia Law Register (1960).

Subject Headings

The subject headings listed below are found in this collection. Links below allow searches for other collections at Columbia University, through CLIO, the catalog for Columbia University Libraries, and through ArchiveGRID, a catalog that allows users to search the holdings of multiple research libraries and archives.

All links open new windows.

Name
Columbia University. School of Law -- : Alumni and alumnae	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID