Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.

<p>Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. was one of the most influential jurists of his time. From the antebellum era and the Civil War through the First World War and into the New Deal years Holmes' long life and career as a Supreme Court Justice spanned an eventful period of American history as the country went from an agrarian republic to an industrialized world power.</p> <p>In this concise engaging book Susan-Mary Grant puts Holmes' life in national context exploring how he both shaped and reflected his changing country. She examines the impact of the Civil War on his life and his thinking his role in key cases ranging from the issue of free speech in <i>Schenck v. United States</i> to the infamous ruling in favor of eugenics in <i>Buck v. Bell</i> showing how behind Holmes' reputation as a liberal justice lay a more complex approach to law that did not neatly align with political divisions. Including a selection of key primary documents <i>Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. </i>introduces students of U.S. Civil War and legal history to a game-changing figure and his times.</p>