Edward Cochrane McLean (October 16, 1903 – October 12, 1972) was a

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district, which each cover one U.S. state or, in some cases, a portion of a state. Each district cou ...

of the

United States District Court for the Southern District of New York The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (in case citations, S.D.N.Y.) is a federal trial court whose geographic jurisdiction encompasses eight counties of New York State. Two of these are in New York City: New ...

Education

Born on October 16, 1903, in

Hoosick Falls Hoosick Falls is a village in Rensselaer County, New York, United States. The population was 3,501 at the 2010 census. During its peak, in 1900, the village had a population of approximately 7,000. The village of Hoosick Falls is near the center ...

, New York, McLean received an Artium Baccalaureus degree from

Williams College Williams College is a private liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams, a colonist from the Province of Massachusetts Bay who was kill ...

in 1924 and a

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Ch ...

from Harvard Law School in 1929. While at Harvard, he served on the '' Harvard Law Review'' with Lee Pressman and knew Alger Hiss. (In the mid-1930s, both Pressman and Hiss became members of the

Ware Group The Ware Group was a covert organization of Communist Party USA operatives within the United States government in the 1930s, run first by Harold Ware (1889–1935) and then by Whittaker Chambers (1901–1961) after Ware's accidental death on Augu ...

, a Soviet underground apparatus founded by

Harold Ware Harold or "Hal" Ware (August 19, 1889 – August 14, 1935) was an American Marxist, regarded as one of the Communist Party's top experts on agriculture. He was employed by a federal New Deal agency in the 1930s. He is alleged to have been a S ...

, succeeded by

Whittaker Chambers Whittaker Chambers (born Jay Vivian Chambers; April 1, 1901 – July 9, 1961) was an American writer-editor, who, after early years as a Communist Party member (1925) and Soviet spy (1932–1938), defected from the Soviet underground (1938) ...

Career

McLean served as a deputy assistant district attorney for

New York County Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

from 1935 to 1936, working for future Governor of New York

Thomas E. Dewey Thomas Edmund Dewey (March 24, 1902 – March 16, 1971) was an American lawyer, prosecutor, and politician who served as the 47th governor of New York from 1943 to 1954. He was the Republican candidate for president in 1944 and 1948: although ...

, then the special rackets prosecutor. He entered private practice in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

from 1943 to 1962. He was a Judge of the Darien,

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...

Probate Court from 1957 to 1962.

Hiss Case

While in private practice with Debevoise, Plimpton and McLean (now

Debevoise & Plimpton Debevoise & Plimpton LLP (often shortened to Debevoise) is an international law firm headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1931 by Harvard Law School alumnus Eli Whitney Debevoise and Oxford-trained William Stevenson, the firm was origi ...

), McLean served on defense teams for Alger Hiss. He served as attorney of record for the Hiss libel suit as well as the first Hiss criminal trial and posted bail for Hiss after his indictment. His firm also coordinated finances for the trials (recorded in papers of common Harvard frien
Richard H. Field
. The trial team included Robert von Mehren, also new to Debevoise, Plimpton and McLean, as well as

Harold Rosenwald Harold Rosenwald (July 23, 1907 - March 9, 1990) was a 20th-century American lawyer, best known for working on the defense team of Alger Hiss during 1949 and in the prosecution of Louisiana governor Huey Long. Background Harold Rosenwald was b ...

, both fellow Harvard Law School graduates. McLean played a major role in locating the Hiss family's Woodstock typewriter that later contributed to Hiss' conviction. McLean continued to represent Hiss until he resigned by letter to Hiss on February 3, 1950.

Federal judicial service

On April 3, 1962, McLean was nominated by President

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...

to a seat on the

vacated by Judge Edward Jordan Dimock. McLean was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

on July 13, 1962, and received his commission on August 24, 1962. McLean served in that capacity until his death on October 12, 1972.

Personal and death

McLean was a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, president of the Harvard Law School Association of New York City, and member of the Century Club. McLean married Louise Delabarre Hunter (May 15, 1906 – October 21, 2004). They had two sons, Edward C. McLean Jr. and Alan H. McLean. McLean died age 68 on October 12, 1972, in New York City as he was entering the United States Court House at Foley Square.

McLean Jr.

McLean's son, Edward Cochrane McLean, Jr. (1935–2010), also known at Ted McLean, was a litigation lawyer and partner at Chadbourne & Parke. He was born on June 23, 1935, and attended

Deerfield Academy Deerfield Academy is an elite coeducational preparatory school in Deerfield, Massachusetts. Founded in 1797, it is one of the oldest secondary schools in the United States. It is a member of the Eight Schools Association, the Ten Schools Admis ...

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

(BA), and Harvard Law School (1960). He passed the bar in 1961. He served six months in the U.S. Army. Then, he became a litigation attorney and partner of Chadbourne & Parke from 1961 (partner, 1968) to 1994. Cases he litigated include: Sprayregen v. Livingston Oil Company (1968), Martin Marietta Corp. v. Feder (1970),

Crane Co. Crane Holdings, Co. is an American industrial products company based in Stamford, Connecticut. Founded by Richard Teller Crane in 1855, it became one of the leading manufacturers of bathroom fixtures in the United States, until 1990, when tha ...

v. Anaconda Co. (1975), Air Transport Ass'n of America v. Federal Energy Office (1975), Armstrong v. McAlpin (1978), and Seibert v.

Sperry Rand Sperry Corporation was a major American equipment and electronics company whose existence spanned more than seven decades of the 20th century. Sperry ceased to exist in 1986 following a prolonged hostile takeover bid engineered by Burroug ...

(1978) McLean served as committee chair on administrative law from 1971 to 1972 for the

American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Founded in 1878, the ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of aca ...

. He served on the

New Castle, New York New Castle is a town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 18,311 in the 2020 United States census, an increase over 17,569 at the 2010 census. It includes the hamlets of Chappaqua and Millwood. History New Castle ...

's Planning Board, Conservation Advisory Council, and Conservation Board. On November 25, 1961, he married Jennifer Prescott (daughter of book critic

Orville Prescott Orville Prescott (September 8, 1906, Cleveland, Ohio – April 28, 1996, New Canaan, Connecticut) was the main book reviewer for ''The New York Times'' for 24 years. Born in Cleveland, Prescott graduated from Williams College in 1930. He began his ...

) and had two daughters and a son.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:McLean, Edward Cochrane 1903 births 1972 deaths Williams College alumni Harvard Law School alumni Judges of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York United States district court judges appointed by John F. Kennedy 20th-century American judges People from Hoosick Falls, New York 20th-century American lawyers People associated with Debevoise & Plimpton