Thomas E. Brennan (May 27, 1929 – September 29, 2018) was an American attorney, jurist, and academic administrator who was the founder of Thomas M. Cooley Law School and the 81st

Justice Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...

and chief justice of the

Michigan Supreme Court The Michigan Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is Michigan's court of last resort and consists of seven justices. The Court is located in the Michigan Hall of Justice at 925 Ottawa Street in Lansing, the state ...

Early life and education

Brennan was born in Detroit, Michigan, and graduated from the private

Detroit Catholic Central High School Detroit Catholic Central High School, commonly known as Catholic Central (CC), is a private, Catholic, all-male, college preparatory high school in Novi, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1928 in Detroit, Michigan by the Archdiocese of Detroi ...

, where he excelled in forensics. He attended the

University of Detroit The University of Detroit Mercy is a private Roman Catholic university in Detroit, Michigan. It is sponsored by both the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and the Sisters of Mercy. The university was founded in 1877 and is the largest Catholic universi ...

and earned a law degree from the

University of Detroit Law School The University of Detroit Mercy School of Law is the law school of the University of Detroit Mercy and is located in Downtown Detroit, Michigan across from the Renaissance Center. Founded in 1912, Detroit Mercy Law is a private Roman Catholic law ...

in 1952.

Career

Campaigns and legal practice

He was an unsuccessful candidate for the

Michigan House of Representatives The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2010 ...

from the Wayne County 1st District in 1952 and from the 6th District in 1954. In December 1955, he was the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

candidate in the special election for the

U.S. representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

Michigan's 15th congressional district Michigan's 15th congressional district is an obsolete congressional district in the state of Michigan. Historically, the district's politics have been dominated by the Dingell family since its creation after the 1930 United States census. It ...

to fill the seat of

John Dingell Sr. John David Dingell Sr. (February 2, 1894 – September 19, 1955) was an American politician who represented Michigan's 15th congressional district from 1933 to 1955. He was a member of the Democratic Party. He was the father of the longest-serv ...

, who had died in office. Brennan lost to Dingell's son,

John Dingell John David Dingell Jr. (July 8, 1926 – February 7, 2019) was an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1955 until 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he holds the record for longest ...

Jr. In 1953, he joined the law firm of Waldron, Brennan, Brennan, and Maher, with whom he worked until 1961, when he was elected to a seat on the Common Pleas Bench. In 1963, he was appointed by

Michigan Governor The governor of Michigan, is the head of government of Michigan and serves as the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws; the power to either approve or veto appropriation bills passed b ...

George W. Romney George Wilcken Romney (July 8, 1907 – July 26, 1995) was an American businessman and politician. A member of the Republican Party, he served as chairman and president of American Motors Corporation from 1954 to 1962, the 43rd gover ...

to the Wayne County Circuit Bench, and in 1964 he was elected to that same position.

Michigan Supreme Court

In 1966, at the urging of Governor Romney, Brennan, sought the nomination of the

as Associate Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court. Brennan won the nomination, and the election. In 1969 and 1970, Brennan served as Chief Justice, the youngest Justice to serve in that capacity.

Thomas M. Cooley Law School

During his service on the Bench, Brennan received many requests for law school recommendations. This was the basis of his vision for a new, private, law school in

Lansing, Michigan Lansing () is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is mostly in Ingham County, although portions of the city extend west into Eaton County and north into Clinton County. The 2020 census placed the city's population at 112,644, making ...

. In 1972, he incorporated the Thomas M. Cooley Law School. Brennan left the Supreme Court on December 6, 1973, to dedicate his professional career to the newly formed law school. Brennan served as first

Dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean Titles * ...

of Cooley Law School until 1978, when he became its first president.

Later career

Brennan was an unsuccessful candidate for

U.S. Senator 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 powe ...

from Michigan in 1976, losing to

Marvin L. Esch Marvin Leonel Esch (August 4, 1927 – June 19, 2010) was an American politician from the U.S. state of Michigan and a member of the Republican Party. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1967 to 1977 before unsuccessfully seekin ...

in the Republican primary election. In 1982, he was an unsuccessful candidate for

Lieutenant Governor of Michigan The lieutenant governor of Michigan is the second-ranking official in U.S. state of Michigan, behind the governor. The current lieutenant governor by default is Garlin Gilchrist, a Democrat, who has held the office since January 1, 2019. Proce ...

, losing to Democrat Martha W. Griffiths in the general election.

''Judging the Law Schools''

In 1996 Brennan began annually issuing his self-styled law school ranking, ''Judging the Law Schools'' using various

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 acad ...

(ABA) -published statistics, which he circulated among other law school deans and had posted on Cooley's website. The rankings consisted of 50 different lists, including a "quality" list. Subsequently, Brennan began self-publishing the rankings. Brennan's rankings garnered considerable criticism when, in 2009, Brennan ranked Cooley as the 12th best law school in the US, and then ridicule when he ranked it as the second-best law school, after only

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

in the 2011, and final, edition of his rankings.

Personal life

In 1951, he married Pauline M. Weinberger, with whom he had six children. He died in

on September 29, 2018.House Concurrent Resolution No. 28 (2018)
A concurrent resolution of tribute offered as a memorial for the Honorable Thomas Brennan, former Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court
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Notes

External links

Thomas M. Cooley Law SchoolMichigan Supreme CourtMichigan Supreme Court Historical Society
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brennan, Thomas E. 1929 births 2018 deaths Lawyers from Detroit University of Detroit Mercy alumni Michigan state court judges Chief Justices of the Michigan Supreme Court Michigan Republicans 20th-century American judges 20th-century American lawyers Detroit Catholic Central High School alumni Justices of the Michigan Supreme Court