Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. - Grave of a Famous Person on Waymarking.com

Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., was on March 8, 1841 in Boston, Massachusetts. He was the son of prominent writer and physician Oliver Wendell Homes, Sr. He graduated from Harvard in 1861 where he was elected to the Phi Beta Kappa honor society. During the Civil War, Holmes served with the Massachusetts Infantry and was wounded at Balls Bluff, Antietam and Fredericksburg. After the war, Holmes returned to Harvard and studied law. He graduated and was admitted to the bar in 1866 and entered private practice in Boston where he became quite well respected over the next 15-years. On December 15, 1882, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., was appointed to the Massachusetts Supreme Court by Governor John D. Long. On August 2, 1899, Holmes became Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Court following the death of Walbridge A. Field. On August 11, 1902, Holmes received a recess appointment to the United States Supreme Court from President Theodore Roosevelt. Holmes was formerly nominated to the court on December 2, 1902 and was confirmed by the senate two days later. Holmes served as an Associate Justice on the United States Supreme Court until January 12, 1932 when his fellow justices suggested that he retire due to his advanced age. He retired from the court at the age of 90 and died 3-years later on March 6, 1935. Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. is resting in Section 5 – Lot 7004 in Arlington National Cemetery.

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Description: Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. came from an illustrious family and his contributions throughout his life added distinction to an otherwise distinguished group. Holmes graduated from Harvard and was selected class poet in 1861. He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Massachusetts Twentieth Volunteers. Holmes was wounded three times in the war. He carried one of those bullets in his body until his death at the age of 93. He left military serve as a captain and then return to Harvard, this time to study law. After graduation from the Law School, he entered private practice but soon returned to his alma mater to teach constitutional law, lecture, and write. At 40, he published his treatise, The Common Law. Holmes found academic life incomplete, however, so he accepted appointment to the Massachusetts Supreme Court where he served for 20 years. President Theodore Roosevelt thought Holmes's views compatible with his own, so he nominated him in 1902 for a position on the Supreme Court. The Senate confirmed the appointment without objection two days later. Holmes was a key player on four major courts: Fuller, White, Taft and Hughes. In 25 of his 29 years, Holmes never missed a session of the Court. He walked from his home to the Court daily, a distance of some 2 1/2 miles. By endurance alone, Holmes qualifies as the Cal Ripkin Jr. of the nation's highest bench. By temperament, Holmes asserted a pragmatic view of the law. He balanced his deep skepticism in human nature against the stabilizing rule of law. Yet he treasured liberty in the same spirit as the playwright Robert Bolt envisioned in Sir Thomas More, who was executed in 1535. More, like Holmes, put his trust in the law. His opinions will endure largely because he kept them short and studded many with vivid phrases. This left little work for his law clerks. One of them, Alger Hiss, spoke about his responsibilities when he worked for Holmes in 1929. Date of birth: 03/08/1841 Date of death: 03/06/1935 Area of notoriety: Politics Marker Type: Headstone Setting: Outdoor Visiting Hours/Restrictions: Daily - 8 a.m to 5 p.m. Fee required?: No Web site: [Web Link]

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