Call Number:

MSS.005

Repository:

University of Pennsylvania: Biddle Law Library

Extent:

1 linear_foot (12 items.)

Language:

English

Preferred Citation:

John Dickinson Notebooks, MSS.005, Biddle Law Library, University of Pennsylvania Law School.

Date:

1940s (inclusive)

Creator:

Dickinson, John

Form:

Faculty papers and Research (documents)

Abstract:

John Dickinson was born in Greensboro, Maryland in 1894. He was a descendent of John Dickinson, who drafted the Articles of Confederation. After teaching American and Medieval history, Dickinson earned his Ph.D. from Princeton University in 1919. That same year, he enrolled at Harvard Law School, where he received his LL.B. degree in 1921. At the time, Dickinson practiced law in New York and Los Angeles. He also was a noted writer, publishing his Administrative Law and the Supremacy of Nations in 1927. A pioneering work in administrative law, the book is widely regarded as a legal classic. After stints teaching at Harvard and Princeton, Dickinson accepted an offer to teach at the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1929, where he remained until his resignation in 1948. Dickinson taught on a range of topics, including constitutional law and medieval theory. He continued to write articles and books. At the time of his sudden death in 1952, Dickinson was undergoing a study of Western thought from Hellenic Greece to modern times. The project included a detailed analysis of Roman law and institutions. The collection probably dates from the early to mid-1940s. The 12 notebooks include handwritten and typewritten excerpts from books related to Roman law, as well as Dickinson's own notes on the subject. Dickinson was writing a book on Roman law at this time.

John Dickinson was born in Greensboro, Maryland in 1894. He was a descendent of John Dickinson, who drafted the Articles of Confederation.

A early student of Greek and Latin, Dickinson graduated from the Johns Hopkins University with a degree in Classics at age 19. After teaching American and Medieval history, Dickinson earned his Ph.D. from Princeton University in 1919. That same year, he enrolled at Harvard Law School, where he received his LL.B. degree in 1921. At the time, Dickinson practiced law in New York and Los Angeles. He also was a noted writer, publishing his Administrative Law and the Supremacy of Nations in 1927. A pioneering work in administrative law, the book is widely regarded as a legal classic.

After stints teaching at Harvard and Princeton, Dickinson accepted an offer to teach at the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1929, where he remained until his resignation in 1948. Dickinson taught on a range of topics, including constitutional law and medieval theory. He also continued to practice law during this time, and he also served as General Counsel to the Pennsylvania Railroad.

Dickinson also continued to write articles and books. At the time of his sudden death in 1952, he was undergoing a study of Western thought from Hellenic Greece to modern times. The project included a detailed analysis of Roman law and institutions.

Dickinson died in Baltimore in 1952.

The John Dickinson Notebooks probably date from the early to mid-1940s. The 12 notebooks include handwritten and typewritten excerpts from books related to Roman law, as well as Dickinson's own notes on the subject. Dickinson was writing a book on Roman law at this time.