RES
GESTAE
Supreme
Court Historical Society
ANNUAL
REPORT BY WILLIAM H. PRESS
During
its third year of operations, which ended on June 30,
1978, the Supreme Court Historical Society enlarged
its membership, expanded its activities and made significant
progress toward its basic mission of better informing
the general public about the judicial branch of the
United States Government, and especially, about the
Supreme Court of the United States.
Members
were informed of this progress at the Third Annual Meeting
held on May 18, 1978.
The
first annual Symposium of the Society initiated at that
meeting was a most interesting and inspiring session
held in the recently restored Supreme Court Chamber
on the ground floor of the U.S. Capitol. Dr. Richard
B. Morris, Professor Emeritus of History at Columbia
University and Editor of the Jay Papers, presented a
paper on the Supreme Court during the Chief Justiceship
of John Jay, 1789-1795. Future lectures are planned
at least annually, and the papers will be printed and
distributed.
Later
in the day in the Supreme Court Room, President Gossett
presided over the General Membership Meeting and made
her Annual Report. Trustees whose terms expired on June
30, 1978 were re-elected to three year terms ending
June 30, 1981. They are: Elizabeth S. Black, Vincent
C. Burke, Jr., Charles T. Duncan, Elizabeth Hughes Gossett,
Lila Annenberg Hazen, Linwood Holton, Earl W. Kintner,
Sol M. Linowitz, William P. Rogers, Robert T. Stevens,
William F. Swindler, Lauson H. Stone and Fred M. Vinson,
Jr.
The
death of General Rowland F. Kirks in November, 1977
was recorded and mourned. Kirks was an incorporator
of SCHS, a trustee, Executive Committee member and a
loyal and enthusiastic supporter.
There
followed a brief meeting of the Board of Trustees which
was chaired by Robert T. Stevens, Chairman of the Board.
All SCHS officers were re-elected for three year terms,
ending June 30, 1978:
Chief
Justice Warren E. Burger, Honorary Chairman
Robert
T. Stevens, Chairman
Elizabeth
Hughes Gossett, President
Earl W. Kintner, Vice-President
William
P. Rogers, Vice-President
Whitney
North Seymour, Vice-President
Fred
M. Vinson, Jr., Vice-President
Mrs.
Hugo L. Black, Secretary
Vincent
C. Burke, Treasurer
Mary
Beth O'Brien, Assistant Secretary
Richard
B. Pilkinton Press, and William H. Ass't Treasurers
The
Chief Justice was the featured speaker at the Third
Annual Dinner before a capacity audience in the Great
Hall of the Supreme Court Building–a grand finale
to the events of the Annual Meeting. The Chief Justice
spoke about the relationship of Chief Justice John Marshall
to his contemporaries Aaron Burr and Thomas Jefferson.
From
July 1, 1977 until June 30, 1978, SCHS gained 877 new
members, bringing the total membership to over 2,200.
The Society concentrated its membership activities mainly
on Supreme Court Bar members. Mailings were also made
to the members of the General Practice Section of the
American Bar Association and selected groups of state
and local bar members and academicians. Support from
present members of SCHS was particularly gratifying,
with about 85% renewing their dues for the coming
year.
Financial
records for the last fiscal year, July 1, 1977-June
30, 1978 have been fully audited by Matthews, Carter
and Boyce, certified public accountants. During the
year, total general revenues were $187,950 against total
expenses of $201,273. There were no exceptions concerning
the handling of funds which totalled $257,905.
This
past year, the Society presented to the Court oil portraits,
of Associate Justices Henry B. Livingston and William
H. Moody. Funds for the paintings were provided by contributions
from the New York and Massachusetts Bar Foundations
and members of the General Practice Section of the American
Bar Association. With the addition of these paintings,
the Society has now completed its goal of providing
portraits of all former United States Supreme Court
Justices for display in the Supreme Court Building.
Several
unique and valuable items have been added to the Society's
collection of historic memorabilia and early American
furnishings this year. A damask-covered Clearfield style
sofa was the gift of Mr. and Mrs. Charles A. Hobbs.
The Society received a small, leather-covered travelling
box which was used to carry personal papers by Chief
Justice John Marshall,- the gift of Thomas Marshall
Forsythe, Jr., the great-great grandson of Marshall.
SCHS trustee David A. Morse made a gift of a rare legal
affidavit written entirely in the hand of Abraham Lincoln.
A 1664 edition of "Justinian's Code" was presented to
the Society by Huntington Cairns. The small leather-bound
book was at one time owned by Supreme Court reporter
Richard Peters and contains plentiful annotations and
marginal notes.
President
Gossett continued to add to the Society's acquisitions
of memorabilia of her father, Chief Justice Charles
Evans Hughes. Among her latest presentations were Hughes'
gold watch, Phi Beta Kappa key, travelling clock and
rare personal photographs and letters.
The
Society's major research project, "The Documentary History
of the Supreme Court, 1789-1800," continued at a rapid
pace in its second year. The total number of documents
which the staff anticipates collecting has soared from
3000 to 6000. The Documentary History Staff searched
for and reproduced many of these documents necessary
for the five-year editorial work, and projects that
the first volume will be ready for publication in 1979.
Early in 1978 the Society received its second annual
$25,000 matching grant from the National Historical
Publications and Records Commission for the project.
In June, a supplemental grant of $3525 was awarded
by the Commission to help offset the escalating expenses
of the project. A contribution of $26,000 was received
in April from Mr. William T. Gossett to cover the Society's
share of expenses for the first year of the Documentary
History, and $5,000 was awarded by the M. L. Annenberg
Foundation toward the 1978 expenses. The Annenberg Foundation
has pledged similar amounts for 1979 and 1980. The Society
is actively seeking funding for the balance of the 1978
share and for the remaining three years of the project.
Knowledge
and materials about the Courts are obviously required
by scholars and historians. But they must also be widely
circulated to the public to provide a clearer understanding
of the federal judicial process, particularly Supreme
Court functions and operations. Through its retail activities,
revenues from publications and gift items sold at the
SCHS kiosk located inside the Supreme Court Building
and through the mail were increased by three times over
last year's sales. Several new and attractive items
were added to the inventory, and a colorful mail-order
brochure was sent to all SCHS members during the pre-Christmas
season. Recently the U.S. Mint announced the completion
of two additions to its Commemorative Bronze Medallion
series honoring the Chief Justices of the United States.
The new medallions, of John Rutledge and Earl Warren,
bring the total of completed medallions to four. They
may be purchased from the Society's kiosk or through
the mail.
The
net profit realized from the Society's retail activities
in fiscal year 1977-1978 was $11,585, which will
provide some assistance for general operations and research
projects.
A
comprehensive review of SCHS activities was completed
in January, 1978. It was concluded that additional grants
and contributions were essential to defray the costs
of current and proposed projects. SCHS trustees have
been queried for their suggestions and cooperation in
identifying and approaching grantors. The staff has
prepared grant proposals to send to a carefully selected
list of foundations for this fund raising endeavor.
Each proposal was presented by an officer or trustee.
Thus far, two grants have been received for the Documentary
History, as was previously reported. Several of the
foundations approached have denied our request, but
a number of others have yet to be heard from. The SCHS
development program has been divided into seven specific
areas for which funding is being sought:
1. Acquisitions
2. Calendar
of Opinions
3. Documentary
History
4. Exhibits
5. Membership
Development
6. Oral
History
7. Student
Memberships
Currently,
studies are being made to determine which of the unresponsive
foundations should be reapproached to take favorable
action and the identity of additional potential foundations
and contributors.
The
Committees of the Supreme Court Historical Society have
discharged their assigned responsibilities commendably.
Chairpersons of the standing committees are as follows:
Annual
Meeting Ralph Becker
Art David
Kreeger
Acquisitions
Joseph Hennage
Constitutional
Bicentennial Richard Morris
Documentary
Advisory
History Patricia
Acheson
Exhibits
Robert T. Stevens
Kiosk
Melvin M. Payne
Membership
Fred Vinson
Nominating Elizabeth
Black
Publications William
Swindler
Yearbook
Advisory Merlo Pusey
Members
having an interest in participating in any of the committees
are requested to communicate with President Gossett
or the selected chairperson at the SCHS headquarters
office.
In
anticipation of the 1987 bicentennial of the signing
of the United States Constitution, historical and professional
societies, scholars and students across the country
are seeking to provide significant ways to commemorate
the anniversary of our republican form of government.
Locally, plans for the constitutional bicentennial are
being formulated jointly by the Supreme Court, U.S.
Capitol, Washington Monument and White House Historical
Societies. President Gossett has appointed a planning
committee, headed by Dr. Richard B. Morris, to advise
on the Society's involvement in bicentennial activities.
Arrangements
have been approved for the Supreme Court Historical
Society and the American Society for Legal History to
co-sponsor a major session at the annual meeting of
the American Historical Association in December of 1978.
Approval of the Society's participation in this important
academic convention marks the recognition of SCHS as
an established and noteworthy historical organization.
The
Supreme Court Historical Society was founded by judicial
and bar leaders and enthusiastic private citizens who
value our country's proud legal heritage. There are
now SCHS members in every state of the nation. Student
chapters are being chartered in law schools. But SCHS
needs many more members who will do what they can to
assure the restoration and survival of significant historic
records, memorabilia and furnishings. The Society will
continue to vigorously enlist new memberships in the
coming year. Current members are encouraged to increase
dues levels, make additional tax-deductible contributions
and submit the names of friends and associates as potential
members.
CLASSES
OF MEMBERSHIP
Individual
Annual Membership
$5
STUDENT–for students only–nonvoting membership
$25
INDIVIDUAL–minimum full voting membership
$50
ASSOCIATE–for individuals wishing to pay something
more than the minimum
Annual
Memberships for Individuals, Firms, Foundations and
Organizations
$100
CONTRIBUTING
$1000
SUSTAINING
$2500
PATRON
Life
Memberships for Individuals, Firms, Foundations and
Organizations
Life
membership may be paid at once, or over a period of
not more than 10 years. Life status will be reached
after full payment has been made.
$5,000
SPONSOR
$10,000
MAJOR SPONSOR
$50,000
BENEFACTOR
Non-member
readers of the Yearbook are invited to join the Supreme
Court Historical Society in any of the above classes
for which they qualify by writing the Chairman, Membership
Committee, Supreme Court Historical Society, 1511 K
Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20005. The Society's
telephone number is (202) 347-9888.
CONTRIBUTORS
Newman
Carter is a district of Columbia businessman and great-nephew
of Justice Edward D. White.
Melvin
I. Urofky is professor of history at Virginia Commonwealth
University and editor of the Letters of Justice
Brandeis.
Rennard
J. Strickland is Shleppey Research Professor of Law
and History at the University of Tulsa, and author of
several books on Indian law and culture.
William
R. Strickland is a member of the history faculty of
the University of Tennessee.
William
F. Swindler is editor of the Yearbook and editor-in-chief
of William and Mary's Studies on the Bicentennial
of American Legal Education.
George
M. Dennison is professor of history and associate dean
of liberal arts at Colorado State University.
Merlo
J. Pusey, former editorial writer for the Washington
Post, is author of the Pulitzer Prize winning
biography of Charles Evans Hughes.
S.
W. Finley is a nom de plume for a constitutional
historian who asked to remain otherwise anonymous.
Maeva
Marcus is editor-in-chief of the Society's Documentary
History of the Supreme Court, 1789–1801, and
author of the recently published President Truman
and the Steel Seizure Case.
Christine
Jordan is a member of the editorial staff of the Documentary
History of the Supreme Court, 1 789–1801.
Barrett
McGurn is Information Officer for the Supreme Court
and was formerly on the staff of the New York Herald-Tribune
Paris edition.
James
M. Marsh is a practicing attorney in Philadelphia, and
former law clerk to Justice Robert M. Jackson.
Patricia
Evans is Research Librarian, and Roger Jacobs Librarian,
in the Law Library of the Supreme Court.
William
H. Press is Executive Director of the Supreme Court
Historical Society.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The
Supreme Court Historical Society acknowledges with deep
appreciation the assistance and cooperation of a number
of agencies and individuals who provided illustrative
material for this fourth issue of the YEARBOOK:
Office
of the Architect of the Capitol, Art and Reference Department,
for the photograph of the Supreme Court Building frieze.
New
York Historical Society for the pictures of Peter Van
Schaack and John Jay. Library of Congress, Prints and
Photographs Division, for the photographs of
William
Howard Taft, Woodrow Wilson and Robert La Follette.
National
Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, for the lithograph
of Sequoia and the portraits of Benjamin Briscow, Henry
Clay, Daniel Webster, George Wythe and Webster Replying
to Haynes.
Rhode
Island Historical Society for the daguerreotype of Thomas
Dorr and the woodcuts of the Dorr "war."
Harvard
University Portrait Collection for the portrait of Christopher
Columbus Langdell.
Montana
Historical Society for the photograph of Senator Thomas
J. Walsh.
American
Jewish Archives of the Hebrew Union College, Cincinnati
Campus, for the photo of Louis Brandeis.
City
Archives of Philadelphia for the picture of William
Hanson Harrison. (Detail from a painting in Independence
Hall.)
U.S.
Department of Justice, for permitting us to photograph
their collection of portraits of former Attorneys General.
(Photos by Ankers Capitol Photographers)
Collections
of the Supreme Court of the United States for the cover
portrait, portraits of the other Supreme Court Justices
and the group photo of the Chase court.
James
M. Buchanan for the photographs of the Supreme Court
officers and the title pages of Cowell's INTERPRETER
and JUSTINIAN'S CODE.
