Joseph Henry Beale
Encyclopedia
Joseph Henry Beale was an American
law professor at Harvard Law School
and served as the first dean of University of Chicago Law School
. He was notable for his advancement of legal formalism
, as well as his work in Conflict of Laws, Corporations, and Criminal Law.
in Boston, Massachusetts. He attended Harvard University
as an undergraduate, distinguishing himself in classics and mathematics. He graduated fifth in his class in 1882.
He studied law at Harvard Law School
. Upon graduation, he declined an offer to clerk for the United States Supreme Court, and opened his own practice.
. Based upon the reputation of this treatise, Beale was offered the post of assistant professor at Harvard Law School
in 1892.
During his career at Harvard Law School, Beale was a renowned and influential legal scholar. One of Beale’s most famous works of scholarship was his 1916 essay entitled “The Nature of Law” which appeared in the treatise “Treatise on the Conflict of Laws.” Beale was best known, along with Christopher Columbus Langdell
, as an influential proponent of the model of legal thought known as legal formalism
.
In 1902, at the request of William Rainey Harper
, first President of the University of Chicago
, for assistance from Harvard's faculty in setting up a law school at Chicago, Beale was "lent" by Harvard to became the first dean of the University of Chicago Law School
. During his two-year tenure (a leave of absence from Harvard), Beale hired numerous faculty and established Chicago's law school as "one of the best in the country," garnering Beale honorary degrees from Chicago and the University of Michigan. Chicago continues to award the Joseph Henry Beale prize for outstanding performance in legal research and writing to first-year students every year. He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
in 1906.
Beale retired from teaching in 1938.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
law professor at Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
and served as the first dean of University of Chicago Law School
University of Chicago Law School
The University of Chicago Law School was founded in 1902 as the graduate school of law at the University of Chicago and is among the most prestigious and selective law schools in the world. The U.S. News & World Report currently ranks it fifth among U.S...
. He was notable for his advancement of legal formalism
Legal formalism
Legal formalism is a legal positivist view in philosophy of law and jurisprudence. While Jeremy Bentham's can be seen as appertaining to the legislature, legal formalism appertains to the Judge; that is, formalism does not suggest that the substantive justice of a law is irrelevant, but rather,...
, as well as his work in Conflict of Laws, Corporations, and Criminal Law.
Early life and education
Beale was born in the neighborhood of DorchesterDorchester, Massachusetts
Dorchester is a dissolved municipality and current neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is named after the town of Dorchester in the English county of Dorset, from which Puritans emigrated and is today endearingly nicknamed "Dot" by its residents. Dorchester, including a large...
in Boston, Massachusetts. He attended Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
as an undergraduate, distinguishing himself in classics and mathematics. He graduated fifth in his class in 1882.
He studied law at Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
. Upon graduation, he declined an offer to clerk for the United States Supreme Court, and opened his own practice.
Legal and Academic Career
Beale worked for several years in his own practice, authoring or co-authoring several treatises during this time, including an influential treatise on damagesDamages
In law, damages is an award, typically of money, to be paid to a person as compensation for loss or injury; grammatically, it is a singular noun, not plural.- Compensatory damages :...
. Based upon the reputation of this treatise, Beale was offered the post of assistant professor at Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
in 1892.
During his career at Harvard Law School, Beale was a renowned and influential legal scholar. One of Beale’s most famous works of scholarship was his 1916 essay entitled “The Nature of Law” which appeared in the treatise “Treatise on the Conflict of Laws.” Beale was best known, along with Christopher Columbus Langdell
Christopher Columbus Langdell
Christopher Columbus Langdell , American jurist, was born in the town of New Boston, New Hampshire, of English and Scots-Irish ancestry....
, as an influential proponent of the model of legal thought known as legal formalism
Legal formalism
Legal formalism is a legal positivist view in philosophy of law and jurisprudence. While Jeremy Bentham's can be seen as appertaining to the legislature, legal formalism appertains to the Judge; that is, formalism does not suggest that the substantive justice of a law is irrelevant, but rather,...
.
In 1902, at the request of William Rainey Harper
William Rainey Harper
William Rainey Harper was one of America's leading academics of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Harper helped to organize the University of Chicago and Bradley University and served as the first President of both institutions.-Early life:Harper was born on July 26, 1856 in New Concord,...
, first President of the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, for assistance from Harvard's faculty in setting up a law school at Chicago, Beale was "lent" by Harvard to became the first dean of the University of Chicago Law School
University of Chicago Law School
The University of Chicago Law School was founded in 1902 as the graduate school of law at the University of Chicago and is among the most prestigious and selective law schools in the world. The U.S. News & World Report currently ranks it fifth among U.S...
. During his two-year tenure (a leave of absence from Harvard), Beale hired numerous faculty and established Chicago's law school as "one of the best in the country," garnering Beale honorary degrees from Chicago and the University of Michigan. Chicago continues to award the Joseph Henry Beale prize for outstanding performance in legal research and writing to first-year students every year. He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
in 1906.
Beale retired from teaching in 1938.