The John B. Winslow Papers is a small collection consisting of general papers from 1873 to 1920, speeches and writings from his professional career, legal papers and opinions, and photographs. Although small amounts of personal correspondence are included, the majority of the collection documents his professional career.
GENERAL PAPERS consist of biographical information, tributes, a bibliography, election certificates, and correspondence. The correspondence, which is primarily incoming, consists of congratulatory letters concerning various published articles and court decisions, documentation concerning a potential nomination to the United States Supreme Court, and papers relating to portraits for the Supreme Court Room for the new Capitol.
Of particular interest in the general category is the file on the McElroy controversy at the University of Wisconsin. Robert McNutt McElroy visited the Madison campus to deliver an address as a representative of the National Security League on April 6, 1918 during which he accused Wisconsin students of disloyalty and German sympathies. Winslow led the outcry which demanded a public apology from McElroy and the National Security League.
SPEECHES AND WRITINGS consist of Winslow's work dating from 1889-1919. Unfortunately the collection contains no documentation for either of his books, The Story of a Great Court or Winslow's Forms of Pleading and Practice. The collection includes copies of many works which were originally given as speeches then later published in pamphlet form or in law journals of the day. Some of the topics covered include the development of the English court, married women and property rights, and observations on justice and the court system. In the files of undated writings are tributes written by Winslow upon the death of leading citizens.
LEGAL PAPERS AND OPINIONS are represented by draft opinions and by notes and ledgers of various kinds from his early college days and law practice. Of particular interest among his notes is the Lawyers' Commonplace Book, a notebook printed with subject headings under which law students transcribed notes from readings by their proper subject category, and notes taken from courses given by professors J. H. Carpenter and P. L. Spooner. Ledgers concerning his Racine law practice document only a brief period, although they provide valuable financial and administrative material.
The PHOTOGRAPHS are related to the family of Winslow and include portraits and informal images. Other photographs document Madison, Wis., and show homes on Langdon Street, the ruins of the Wisconsin State Capitol building after a fire in 1904, the construction of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin, and University of Wisconsin buildings.
