George Woodward Wickersham (September 19, 1858 – January 25, 1936) was an American lawyer and
Attorney General of the United States in the administration of
President William H. Taft. He returned to government to serve in appointed positions under both Republican and Democratic administrations, for
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...
and
Herbert Hoover
Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was an American politician who served as the 31st president of the United States from 1929 to 1933 and a member of the Republican Party, holding office during the onset of the Gr ...
. He was President of the
Council on Foreign Relations for the latter.
Background
Born in
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...
,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
, in 1858, Wickersham attended local schools and graduated from the
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...
in Philadelphia. He studied law by "reading," preparing for the bar through an apprenticeship with an established firm. After passing the bar, he set up a practice.
He married Mildred Wendell. They had a son,
Cornelius Wendell Wickersham, who later became a lawyer and a US Army Brigadier General.
Career
After several years of practice, in 1883 Wickersham entered the longtime law firm of
Strong and Cadwalader in New York City. He became a partner four years later, and the firm was eventually named Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft.
He as appointed to the office of
Attorney General of the United States from 1909 to 1913, in the administration of
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) was the 27th president of the United States (1909–1913) and the tenth chief justice of the United States (1921–1930), the only person to have held both offices. Taft was elected pr ...
. In 1912 Wickersham supported the membership of US Assistant Attorney General
William H. Lewis in 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 ...
, after Southerners protested the African American's presence and the executive committee voted to oust him. Wickersham sent a letter to all 4700 members urging their support for Lewis, who refused to resign.
After the election of President
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...
in 1912, the Democrat appointed his own people to federal positions. During Wilson's first term, from 1914 to 1916, Wickersham was out of government and served as president of the
Association of the Bar of the City of New York
The New York City Bar Association (City Bar), founded in 1870, is a voluntary association of lawyers and law students. Since 1896, the organization, formally known as the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, has been headquartered in a ...
. In 1916, Wickersham opposed
Wilson’s nomination of
Louis Brandeis for the Supreme Court, describing the Jewish nominee’s supporters as "a bunch of Hebrew uplifters."
Soon after the United States entered
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
in 1917, Wickersham was named by President Wilson to serve on the War Trade Board to
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
.
In 1929, President
Herbert Hoover
Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was an American politician who served as the 31st president of the United States from 1929 to 1933 and a member of the Republican Party, holding office during the onset of the Gr ...
appointed Wickersham to the
National Commission on Law Observance and Enforcement
The National Commission on Law Observance and Enforcement (also known unofficially as the Wickersham Commission) was a committee established by the U.S. President, Herbert Hoover, on May 20, 1929. Former attorney general George W. Wickersham (185 ...
, better known as the "Wickersham Commission." (It was described as the "Wickersham Committee" by
William L. Marbury, Jr. in a 1935 letter seeking the support of U.S. Senator
George L. P. Radcliffe for appointment of
Alger Hiss to the
U.S. Solicitor General
The solicitor general of the United States is the fourth-highest-ranking official in the United States Department of Justice. Elizabeth Prelogar has been serving in the role since October 28, 2021.
The United States solicitor general represent ...
's office; Hiss had served on the committee 1929-1930.)
Wickersham did not return to government under Democratic President
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
. He was elected president of a private organization the
Council on Foreign Relations, serving from 1933 to 1936.
Personal life and death
Wickersham married; his son was
Cornelius Wendell Wickersham, a lawyer and a US Army Brigadier General.
He lived much of his life in
Cedarhurst, New York
Cedarhurst is a village in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 6,592 at the 2010 census.
The Incorporated Village of Cedarhurst is located in the region of ...
in the
Town of Hempstead
The Town of Hempstead (also known historically as South Hempstead) is the largest of the three towns in Nassau County (alongside North Hempstead and Oyster Bay) in the U.S. state of New York. It occupies the southwestern part of the county, on t ...
, now known as the Village of
Lawrence
Lawrence may refer to:
Education Colleges and universities
* Lawrence Technological University, a university in Southfield, Michigan, United States
* Lawrence University, a liberal arts university in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States
Preparator ...
.
Wickersham died in New York City in 1936 and was buried in
Brookside Cemetery in
Englewood, New Jersey.
Legacy
Since 1996, the Friends of the Law Library of the Library of Congress have presented an annual award named for Wickersham.
[
]
References
Further reading
* German Jr, James Clifford. "Taft's attorney general: George W. Wickersham" (PhD dissertation, New York University, 1969). ProQuest Dissertations Publishing, 1969. 7016064.
* Bringhurst, Bruce Robert. "ANTITRUST AND THE OIL MONOPOLY: THE STANDARD OIL CASES, 1890-1911" (PhD dissertation, The Claremont Graduate University, 1976) ProQuest Dissertations Publishing, 1976. 7623920..
Primary sources
* George W. Wickersham. "Recent Interpretation of the Sherman Act" ''Michigan Law Review'' , Nov., 1911, Vol. 10, No. 1 (Nov., 1911), pp. 1-2
online
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wickersham, George W.
Presidents of the Council on Foreign Relations
1858 births
1936 deaths
United States Attorneys General
University of Pennsylvania alumni
Presidents of the New York City Bar Association
Taft administration cabinet members
20th-century American politicians
New York (state) Republicans
Pennsylvania Republicans
Burials at Brookside Cemetery (Englewood, New Jersey)
People associated with Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft
University of Pennsylvania Law School alumni