Litchfield Law School collection
1890-10-0
Scope and Contents
In 1773, the newly married Tapping Reeve and Sally Burr Reeve settled in Litchfield where Reeve promptly established a legal practice. The following year, Sally's brother Aaron Burr came to live with them and Reeve began to instruct him in the law. Several prominent residents of Litchfield also sent their sons to Reeve for legal training, establishing his reputation as a teacher and forming the nucleus of what was to become America's first formal school of law. As the number of students increased, Reeve began to develop a series of formal lectures that prepared students to take the bar exam and practice law. In the years following the Revolution most lawyers taught through the apprenticeship system because there were no schools that offered law degrees. Reeve’s decision to pass on his legal knowledge through formal organized classes distinguished him from others who were training new lawyers. By 1784 the number of students enrolling outgrew the space in Reeve's parlor office, prompting Reeve to construct a one-room school building next to his house. Through his lectures, Tapping Reeve sought to train his students in legal principles and their application to any legal situation. Reeve and his eventual partner James Gould, developed a detailed eighteen month course of lectures, covering every aspect of legal practice. Students took copious lecture notes that they then carefully re-copied and had bound into leather volumes. These volumes provided the Litchfield Law School graduates with the basis of their office law libraries. The students then used their bound notes as reference manuals for the rest of their careers. Alumni of the Litchfield Law School had a tremendous impact on the development of the new nation, shaping the creation of the American legal and judicial systems, and profoundly influencing subsequent developments in legal education. Reeve's emphasis on a system of legal principles rather than local laws and statutes, his use of legal cases in teaching, his establishment of student moot courts, and his division of lectures into subjects, all shaped legal education as we know it today. The Law School attracted over 1,200 students from 13 states and territories to study in Litchfield. Graduates formed a network of leadership and influence that encompassed public service, business, and other areas of American life. Ultimately, the small law school would educate two US vice-presidents (Aaron Burr and John C. Calhoun), as well as 14 governors, 14 members of the federal cabinet, 28 U.S. Senators, 100 members of the House of Representatives, three Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court, and many other state and local public officials. This collection includes materials pertaining to Tapping Reeve, James Gould, the Litchfield Law School, and alumni of the school. It was assembled by the Historical Society over a period of years. The student images were originally collected for display on the walls of the Tapping Reeve House. When the house was reinterpreted in 1998, the photos were relocated to the Litchfield Law School Collection. Many of the published law books used by Reeve and his students are also held by the Society and can be found through the book catalog. The Society's institutional records document the history of the Tapping Reeve House and Litchfield Law School building. There is no known comprehensive collection of Tapping Reeve's personal or business papers though collections such as this contain examples of his correspondence and legal work.
Dates
- created: 1773-1990
- Other: Date acquired: 01/01/1890
Creator
- Reeve, Tapping, 1744-1823 (Person)
- Gould, James, 1770-1838 (Person)
- Litchfield Historical Society (Litchfield, Conn.) (Organization)
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Unpublished materials authored or otherwise produced by the creator(s) of this collection are in the public domain. There are no restrictions on use. Copyright status for other collection materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.
Extent
1.67 Linear Feet
4 boxes and 50 volumes other_unmapped
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
This collection includes materials pertaining to Tapping Reeve, James Gould, the Litchfield Law School, and alumni of the school. It was assembled by the Historical Society over a period of years. Many of the law books used by Reeve and his students are also held by the Society and can be found through the book catalog. The Society's institutional records document the history of the Tapping Reeve House and Litchfield Law School building.
Arrangement Note
The collection is arranged in three series.
1: Period documents, 1785-1835
2: Research materials, 1773-1978
3: Printed materials, 1828-1990
Custodial History
The Litchfield Law School collection was assembled by the Historical Society from various donations and purchases.
Source of Acquisition
Various
Method of Acquisition
Gift and purchase
Accruals and Additions
Gifts of Mrs. Nathan Rochester Child (1902); Jeannie Gould Lincoln (1908); Mrs. Emily N. Vanderpoel and Capt. Edgar Van Winkle (1915); George Gould Lincoln (1916); John D. Champlain, Jr. (1919); Grace Bigelow (1925); Esther Thompson (1931); Samuel Fisher (1932); Samuel A. Herman (1932); George Dudley Seymour (1932); Augustus N. Hand (1933-18-0); Katharine P. Loring (1933); Mary Floyd Williams (1942); Floyd R. DuBois (1946); Dorothy Telfair Mills Parker (1946); Floyd R. DuBois and Frank DuBois; Mrs. Mendenhall (1950); Epaphroditus Peck (1950); Mrs. G. Glen Gould (1955); Floyd L. Thoms (1968); Mrs. Lamar M. Fearing (1972); John D. Taylor (1979); Jane Endicott (1986); Mariam Greenberg (1988); Oliver Wolcott Library (1991); Museum purchase (2002); Malcolm and Carol Bramley (2004).
Existence and Location of Originals
multi-part note content
Other Descriptive Information
Processing of this collection in in progress. Please contact archivist@litchfieldhistoricalsociety.org for more information. Contact the Museum Curator curator@litchfieldhistoricalsociety.org for information about the Material culture/objects related to the Litchfield Law School. This collection was processed with support from the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR).
Subject
- Litchfield Law School (Organization)
- Reeve, Tapping, 1744-1823 (Person)
- Gould, James, 1770-1838 (Person)
- Gould, James
- Reeve, Tapping (1744-1823)
- Mather, Nathaniel Litchfield Law School Notebook
- Law Library
- Litchfield Law School Student lecture notes
- Morse, Sydney Edward Map
- Tapping Reeve correspondence
- Tapping Reeve Correspondence
- Augustus Cincinnatus Hand to Richard Charles Hand
- Augustus Cincinnatus Hand to Samuel Hand
- Augustus Cincinnatus Hand to Samuel Hand
- Tapping Reeve Correspondence
- Tapping Reeve Correspondence
- Certificate of Copyright
- John C. Calhoun to Tapping Reeve
- Tapping Reeve Correspondence
- Title
- Litchfield Law School collection
- Author
- Linda Hocking
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Litchfield Historical Society Repository
7 South Street
P.O. Box 385
Litchfield CT 06759
860-567-4501
860-567-3565 (Fax)
archivist@litchfieldhistoricalsociety.org