Title: John B. Winslow Papers
Inclusive Dates: 1873-1921

Creator:

• Winslow, John Bradley, 1851-1920

Call Number: Mss 613; PH 4801; PH 4653 (3)

Quantity: 2.2 c.f. (1 record center carton and 3 archives boxes) and 42 photographs (3 folders)

Repository:

Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections

Archival Locations:

Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)

COLLECTION MAY BE STORED OFF-SITE: see catalog entry to request materials and for additional information.

Abstract:

Papers of John B. Winslow, a chief justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court (1891-1920), primarily consisting of draft and printed copies of speeches and writings on various legal topics and draft opinions, notes taken as a student at the University of Wisconsin Law School, and financial ledgers and other documents pertaining to his law practice in Racine. General papers include congratulations and comments on his writings and opinions, comments on art for the Supreme Court chamber, and information on the McElroy controversy instigated by charges of disloyalty made against the state of Wisconsin during World War I. The photographs include portraits and informal images of the Winslow family and of buildings in Madison.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-mss00613

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John Bradley Winslow, chief justice of the State Supreme Court of Wisconsin, was born October 4, 1851 in Nunda, Livingston County, New York. He moved with his family to Racine, Wisconsin in the mid-1850's, where he attended local schools. Winslow graduated from Racine College in 1871 and from the law school of the University of Wisconsin in 1875. He then returned to Racine to practice law. Winslow also participated in local government, holding various public offices including the post of city attorney for five years.

In April 1883 Winslow was named judge of the first judicial circuit court, serving in that position until 1891. That year Winslow was appointed to the state supreme court. Although a Democrat in a largely Republican state, Winslow was reelected to that same position in 1892 and subsequent elections. By virtue of seniority he became chief justice in December 1907. Winslow continued to serve on the court until his death on July 13, 1920.

Because of his progressive legislative ideas John Bradley Winslow is recognized as one of the most outstanding and influential members of the Wisconsin Supreme Court. His legal philosophy espoused a flexible reading of the Constitution capable of meeting changing political, economic, and social conditions. It is credited with helping to lay the legal foundation for the reforms of the Progressive Era in Wisconsin. He is also noted as one of the first in Wisconsin to advocate U.S. involvement in World War I, and he was an active promoter and defender of patriotism in Wisconsin. Winslow also served as president of the Wisconsin Bar Association and of the American Institute of Criminal Law and Criminology, as well as an officer of numerous local organizations. His publications include The Story of a Great Court (1912) and Winslow's Forms of Pleading and Practice (1906, 1915).

Winslow married Agnes Clancy of Racine in 1881, leaving her and six children as survivors upon his death in 1920.

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.

Acquisition Information

Presented by Mary Isabel Winslow, Madison, Wisconsin, 1970-1974. Accession Number: M70-205, M74-489, M77-184, M78-130

Processing Information

Processed by Debra Randorf and Carolyn J. Mattern, 1987.

Mss 613	Series: General Papers
Box   1 Folder   1	Biographical information, bibliographies, tributes to Winslow, 1920-1921, undated
Box   1 Folder   2	Election certificates, 1883-1913
	Correspondence
Box   1 Folder   3	General, 1911-1920
Box   1 Folder   4	U.S. Supreme Court nomination, 1910
Box   1 Folder   5	Portraits for Supreme Court in the Capitol, 1912
Box   1 Folder   6	McElroy controversy, 1918
	Series: Speeches and Writings	⇧
Box   1 Folder   7-18	Dated speeches and writings, 1889-1919
	Undated writings
Box   1 Folder   19	“Why Be a Christian”
Box   1 Folder   20	Tributes, undated
Box   2 Folder   1-2	Untitled works
	Series: Legal Papers and Opinions	⇧
Box   2 Folder   3-5	Supreme Court opinions, 1914-1919, undated
Box   2 Folder   6-7	Miscellaneous court papers, 1909-1914, undated
	Notes
Box   3 Folder   1	Lawyers' Commonplace Book, 1873-1874
Box   3 Folder   2	Contracts - J. H. Carpenter, 1874-75
Box   3 Folder   3	Real Estate -P. L. Spooner, 1874-1975
Box   3 Folder   4	Unidentified course notes, undated
Box   3 Folder   5	Legal briefs, Notes for, Beginning 1879
Box   3 Folder   6	Correspondence, 1877-1879
Box   4 Folder   1	Case register, 1877-1880
	Financial records
Box   4 Folder   2	Invoices, 1878-1880
Box   4 Folder   3-4	Journals, 1877, 1880-1883
Box   4 Folder   5-6	Cash and expenses ledgers, 1879-1882
PH 4801	Series: Photographs	⇧
PH 4653 (3)	Oversize photographs