Chicago Unbound

Biography

Joseph Henry Beale, Jr. spent much of his academic career at Harvard University, but could not resist President William Rainey Harper’s offer to serve as the first Dean of the University of Chicago Law School and to build a brand-new premier law school. Beale was born in Dorchester, Massachusetts in 1861 and graduated fifth in his class at Harvard College in 1882. Two years later, he entered Harvard Law School, where he soon distinguished himself both in academics and extracurriculars. He was one of the founders of the Harvard Law Review and published an article in the very first issue. Though selected for a clerkship with the Supreme Court, Beale chose to open his own law practice immediately after graduation. In 1890, Beale co-edited an authoritative text on the matter of damages. The work’s acclaim earned him an invitation to lecture on the subject at HLS in 1891. He quickly became a full member of the faculty. But in the spring of 1902 Beale accepted Harper’s enticing offer and served as the Dean of the University of Chicago Law School until 1904. Beale then returned to his appointment at Harvard Law School. Beale was an active member of the Association of American Law Schools and became the organization’s president in 1914. He was also instrumental in forming the American Law Institute in 1922. Beale retired from HLS in 1938 and passed away in 1943.

For more information on Beale, see: Williston, Samuel. "Joseph Henry Beale. A Biographical Sketch." Harvard Law Review 56, no. 5 (1943): 685-89. https://www.jstor.org/stable/1334502