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COLLECTION Identifier: HOLLIS 13277759

James Vorenberg papers

Overview

The James Vorenberg Papers encompass Vorenberg's career as both an educator and a public servant. Most of the collection reflects his time at Harvard as both Law School Dean and Professor. His government work is evidenced by records from the Massachusetts State Ethics Commission and the Watergate files.

Dates

  • Creation: 1961 - 2000

Conditions Governing Access

Due to the nature of Vorenberg's work, many files in the collection are closed for research. Files containing student information, such as grades, are closed for 80 years; those with Harvard Law School or Harvard University administrative records are closed for 50 years. All restrictions are noted in the container list below. Access to these papers is governed by the rules and regulations of the Harvard Law School Library. This collection is open to the public, but is housed off-site at Harvard Depository and requires 2 business-day advance notice for retrieval. Consult the Historical and Special Collections staff for further information.

Conditions Governing Use

The Harvard Law School Library holds copyright on some, but not all, of the material in our collections. Requests for permission to publish material from this collection should be directed to the Historical and Special Collections staff. Researchers who obtain permission to publish from the Harvard Law School Library are also responsible for identifying and contacting the persons or organizations who hold copyright.

Extent

36 boxes (17 linear feet)

The James Vorenberg Papers cover the entirety of Vorenberg's professional career as professor, dean, and public servant. The collection spans the 1960s up to his death in 2000, and contains correspondence, teaching materials, memos, reports, publications, photographs, and audio-visual materials. The majority of the collection is of a professional nature, though there are some personal materials, as well.

Due to the nature of Vorenberg's work at Harvard Law School - both as professor of law and dean - there is a lot of sensitive material in the collection. Restrictions on personal student information and official univeristy administration records are noted in the container list below.

Historical/Biographical Information

  • 1928Born in Cambridge, MA
  • 1948Graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College.
  • 1951Graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School.
  • 1951Served as first lieutenant in the United States Air Force.
  • 1953Clerked for US Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter.
  • 1954Joined the law firm Ropes and Gray. Named a partnet in 1960.
  • 1962Joined the faculty at Harvard Law School.
  • 1964Appointed director of the Office of Criminal Justice in the Department of Justice.
  • 1965President Johnson appointed Vorenberg as executive director of the President's Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice.
  • 1969Selected to chair the Center for the Advancement of Criminal Justice at Harvard Law School.
  • 1973Served as principal assistant to Special Investigator, Archibald Cox, during the Watergate investigation.
  • 1978Appointed as Associate Dean of Harvard Law School.
  • 1978Appointed chair of the Massachusetts State Ethics Commission.
  • 1981Appointed Dean of Harvard Law School.
  • 1989Resigned from position as Dean.
  • 1991Returned to teaching criminal law, legal ethics and criminal justice at Harvard Law School.
  • April 12, 2000Died in Boston, MA.

1928
Born in Cambridge, MA
1948
Graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College.
1951
Graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School.
1951
Served as first lieutenant in the United States Air Force.
1953
Clerked for US Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter.
1954
Joined the law firm Ropes and Gray. Named a partnet in 1960.
1962
Joined the faculty at Harvard Law School.
1964
Appointed director of the Office of Criminal Justice in the Department of Justice.
1965
President Johnson appointed Vorenberg as executive director of the President's Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice.
1969
Selected to chair the Center for the Advancement of Criminal Justice at Harvard Law School.
1973
Served as principal assistant to Special Investigator, Archibald Cox, during the Watergate investigation.
1978
Appointed as Associate Dean of Harvard Law School.
1978
Appointed chair of the Massachusetts State Ethics Commission.
1981
Appointed Dean of Harvard Law School.
1989
Resigned from position as Dean.
1991
Returned to teaching criminal law, legal ethics and criminal justice at Harvard Law School.
April 12,2000
Died in Boston, MA.

Series List/Description

  1. Series I. Harvard, 1971-2000 1971-2000 This series reflects work completed by Vorenberg whileserving as either Dean or Professor at Harvard Law School. Most ofthe teaching files are course packs and lecture notes for Crimal Law,Government Lawyer, and Criminal Justice Administration courses. Theadministrative files span both his teaching years and his deanship,and cover a wide variety of topics. Many of these files containsensitive student and administrative information and have beenrestricted. Some files from Vorenberg's deanship were transferred toHarvard University Archives.
  2. ___ Subseries A. Dean, 1981-20001981-2000
  3. ___Subseries B. Teaching, 1979-20001979-2000
  4. ___ Subseries C. Administrative, 1971-20001971-2000
  5. Series II. Correspondence, 1968-19811968-1981

    This is adiscrete run of correspondence in the papers, ending with Vorenberg'sappointment as Dean. It is mostly professional innature.

  6. Series III. Personal Files, 1961-20001961-2000

    This seriesreflects Vorenberg's original arrangement of materials, many of whichhe had identified as personal. Several records in this series coverVorenberg's professional activities, though, including teaching,administrative work, and committee appointments. Many files in thisseries are closed due to sensitive student and administrativeinformation.

  7. Series IV. Committees/Commissions, 1967-2000 1967-2000 Vorenbergserved on several governmental and professional committees andcommissions, and this series reflects some of that work. ThePresident’s Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration ofJustice subseries consists of reports to the Commission. TheMassachusetts State Ethics Committee subseries includescorrespondence and memos, and documentation from both the DiCarlo andMacKenzie and Cawley investigations. The final subseries containsfiles from the Vera Institute of Justice, the Urban Institute, andthe Department of Justice.
  8. ___ Subseries A. President’s Commission on Law Enforcement andAdministration of Justice, 1967-19971967-1997
  9. ___ Subseries B. State Ethics Committee, 1974-19831974-1983
  10. ___ Subseries C. Other work, 1968-20001968-2000
  11. Series V. Watergate, 1973-19951973-1995

    TheWatergate series contains reports, memos, notes and some publishedmaterials regarding the Watergate investigation.

  12. Series VI. Writings, 1969-20001969-2000

    Writingscontain some of Vorenberg's publications, including an annotated copyof the Criminal Law and Procedure Casebook. The series also containsoffprints written by Vorenberg's colleagues.

  13. Series VII. Audio-Visual Materials, 1986-19901986-1990

    To see theAudio-Visual materials, please contact the Curator of ModernManuscripts and Archives.

Physical Location

Harvard Depository

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Donated to the Harvard Law School Library by Elizabeth Vorenberg, October 2000.

Related Materials

  1. See Records of the President's Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice, 1965-1979 at HLSL for more on the United States President'sCommission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice.
  2. See Papers of Archibald Cox, 1862-1978 at HLSL for more on the Watergateinvestigation.

Processing Information

Processed by Margaret Peachy, April 2012

Title
Vorenberg, James. Papers, 1961-2000
Author
Harvard Law School Library, Cambridge, MA 02138
Language of description
und
EAD ID
law00261

Repository Details

Part of the Harvard Law School Library, Historical & Special Collections Repository

Harvard Law School Library's Historical & Special Collections (HSC) collects, preserves, and makes available research materials for the study of the law and legal history. HSC holds over 8,000 linear feet of manuscripts, over 100,000 rare books, and more than 70,000 visual images.

Contact:
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