Erwin Griswold (1904–94) was an American appellate attorney and legal scholar who shaped U.S. legal education and government policy. He served as U.S. Solicitor General (1967–73) under Presidents Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard Nixon and was Dean of Harvard Law School (1946–67,) expanding faculty and curriculum.
Born in East Cleveland, Ohio, Griswold earned degrees from Oberlin College (BA, MA) and Harvard Law School (LLB, SJD.) He joined Harvard’s faculty in 1934, becoming a leading expert in tax law and conflict of laws. As dean, he oversaw Harvard Law’s first female students (1950) and increased Black student enrollment.
A staunch civil rights advocate, Griswold served on the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights (1961–67) and supported desegregation. As Solicitor General, he argued numerous U.S. Supreme Court cases, including the Pentagon Papers case (1971.)
His publications include The Fifth Amendment Today (1955,) Law and Lawyers in the United States (1964,) and Oaths and the Law (1973,) reflecting his constitutional law and legal ethics expertise.
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Erwin Griswold
We have long had death and taxes as the two standards of inevitability. But there are those who believe that death is the preferable of the two.
—Erwin Griswold
Topics: Death, Taxes
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