Henry Flanders was an American lawyer and author of a great number of books from Plainfield, New Hampshire.
Background
Henry Flanders was born on February 13, 1824, at Plainfield, New Hampshire, the son of Charles Flanders, one of the leaders of the New Hampshire bar of his time, who married Lucretia Kingsbury, and practised law at Plainfield, New Hampshire.
Education
Flanders was educated at Kimball Academy, New Hampshire, and Newbury Seminary, but did not receive a university training, although in 1856 he was given the honorary Master's degree by Dartmouth College. In 1842 he commenced the study of law in his father’s office.
Career
In 1845, Flanders was admitted to the New Hampshire bar, and then spent some time in the South.
After his return to the North he made his home in Philadelphia, and on being admitted to the Philadelphia bar in 1853, commenced practise in that city. From the outset he devoted special attention to maritime law, his studies on that subject being prosecuted to such purpose that early in his career he wrote two works, A Treatise on Maritime Law (1852) and A Treatise on the Law of Shipping (1853), which gave evidence of deep research and unusual ability. Distinguished for lucid exposition and attractive style, these works in a short time became acknowledged authorities upon the subjects with which they dealt.
Flanders soon acquired an extensive practise and in course of time attained high rank among the leaders of the Philadelphia bar, being considered one of the ablest admiralty lawyers in the country. He did not, however, confine himself to his professional work, and in 1855, published the first volume of The Lives and Times of the Chief Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States from Jay to Marshall, the second volume appearing in 1858. Written in an attractive manner, this work was well received and stamped him as an author of much promise.
Then followed (1856) an edition with illustrative notes, of the Memoirs of Richard Cumberland, Written by Himself, and An Exposition of the Constitution of the United States (1860), which latter work passed through several editions. His last text-book was A Treatise on the Law of Fire Insurance (1871), which had all the characteristics of his early works and was for a number of years a standard authority.
He also wrote a romance, The Adventures of a Virginian (1881), which was published under the pseudonym Oliver Thurston.
He was a member of the commission for the collation of the Acts of the Assembly of Pennsylvania, and with James T. Mitchell undertook the arduous and minute research which that task involved, the outcome being the publication of The Statutes at Large of Pennsylvania from 1682 to 1801, Compiled under the Authority of the Act of May 19, 1887.
In 1904, being then eighty years old, Flanders was elected a member of the auxiliary faculty of the Law School of the University of Pennsylvania and as such lectured on legal biography until shortly before his death, a period of seven years. The subject was unique in the annals of law schools and, despite his advanced age, his treatment of it was completely successful. He discussed the great lawyers and judges of England and the United States not only from the legal standpoint but also in relation to their influence upon public affairs - varying his themes from time to time - and drew large audiences.
In addition to the books already mentioned, he wrote a number of addresses on legal and historical subjects delivered before various societies, some of which were subsequently published. He was also the author of two pamphlets, Must the War Go On? (1863) and Observations on Reconstruction (1866), which attracted national attention and provoked wide discussion. Henry Flanders died on April 3, 1911, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Achievements
Personality
Genial yet dignified, noted for his courtesy and consideration, Henry Flanders was a singularly attractive personality.
Connections
In 1847, Henry Flanders married Elizabeth O. Barnwell of South Carolina.