Law Professor

Background.

Christopher Columbus Langdell was born on a farm in New Boston, New Hampshire, in 1826. He went to work in the textile mills of Manchester, New Hampshire, then worked his way through Exeter Academy before entering Harvard at the age of twenty-two. He left Harvard without a degree, returned to Exeter to read law, and then at the age of twenty-five entered Harvard Law School. Langdell stayed at the law school for three years, twice as long as most law students at the time. He supported himself by working in the college library and doing occasional editorial work for professors. After graduating in 1853, he practiced law in New York for sixteen years before returning to Harvard in 1870 as Dane Professor of Law and dean of the law school.

Changing the Law School.

Langdell changed the law school and the role of the...