Holmes, Oliver Wendell, nicknamed the Great Dissenter 1841-1935
US jurist

Born in Boston, he was educated at Harvard Law School and served in the Union army during the Civil War (1861-65). He practised law in Boston from 1867 and edited Kent's Commentaries (1873), became co-editor of the American Law Review, and Weld Professor of Law at Harvard (1882). He made his reputation with a fundamental book on The Common Law (1881), which was revolutionary in its willingness to address the pragmatic and accidental aspects of the law as opposed to its invincible logic. Associate Justice (1882-99) and Chief Justice (1899-1902) of the Supreme Court of Massachusetts, he became Associate Justice of the US Supreme Court (1902-32). He earned his nickname, 'the Great Dissenter', because he frequently dissented from his conservative colleagues' majority opinions, especially as the Court moved to dismantle social legislation. Eschewing liberal activism, however, he argued eloquently in favour of judicial restraint, particularly relating to regulation of the economy. The force and clarity of his arguments and his polished literary style gave him a stature on the Supreme Court unmatched by any justice other than John Marshall, and he is considered one of the great judicial figures in US history. He was the son of the writer, Oliver Wendell Holmes.