"This law school has adapted itself through stages during the past century from a pioneer setting to its present setting in the midst of a populous nation teeming with industry and commerce…" wrote Dean M.L. Ferson, March 1933, Cincinnati Alumnus Magazine. Over the course of 175 years many landmark events have occurred at the College of Law. In honor of the Anniversary, the law school has installed a timeline, highlighting milestones in our history. If you can’t get to the school to see it, we’ve produced an online version. Take a peek back in time.
1833
Cincinnati Law School was founded by Timothy Walker, Edward King, and Judge John C. Wright.
The school opened with three professors and 17 students above the offices of King < Walker on Third Street near Main.
The first law school west of the Allegheny Mountains, Cincinnati Law is today the fourth oldest, continuously-operating law school in the United States. Harvard (1817), Yale (1824), and Virginia (1825) are older.
The school opened with three professors and 17 students above the offices of King < Walker on Third Street near Main.
The first law school west of the Allegheny Mountains, Cincinnati Law is today the fourth oldest, continuously-operating law school in the United States. Harvard (1817), Yale (1824), and Virginia (1825) are older.
1835
Cincinnati Law School, now located on Walnut Street near Fifth, affiliates with Cincinnati College, becoming a
degree granting institution.
1837
Dean Timothy Walker publishes Introduction to American Law, one of the first major publications by law professors.
The book gained a reputation as the “American Blackstone,” as 11 editions were published over 68 years.
1845
The Cincinnati Law School building burns down, and another was constructed on the same site.
1850
Maskell S. Curwen was named dean, serving for 18 years. During his tenure the law school experienced a steady
increase in size and reputation.
1858
Joseph G. Cannon, future Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, graduates.
1863
Graduation requirement increased to two terms of six months.
1866
Alphonso Taft joins the Cincinnati Law School faculty, later playing an instrumental role in
founding the University.
1869
The Cincinnati Law building was destroyed by fire again and rebuilt on site.
1870
Judson Harmon, future Attorney General of the United States < two-time Governor of Ohio, graduates.
"This union (merger with UC) will enable us to maintain one of the greatest law schools in the Middle West…"
1873
Law school curriculum changed from one year to two years of study.
1874
William Hartwell Parham, the school’s first African-American male, graduates. Parham was principal of
Cincinnati’s black schools from 1866-1890. He later served in the Ohio House of Representatives.
1874
Year-end exams were initiated.
1875
Champ Clark, future Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, graduates.
1878
The Alumni Association organized, with Charles D. Drake, the sole surviving member of the school’s
first class, as its first president.
1880
William Howard Taft graduates. He went on to become Dean of the law school, Governor of the Philippines,
President of the United States, and Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court.
1881
Willis Van DeVanter, future Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, graduates.
1886
Charles G. Dawes, future Vice-President of the United States under Calvin Coolidge and future Nobel
Peace Prize winner (1925), graduates.
"A professional attitude is traditional among the students. They expect to work hard and would not be satisfied
with superficial work in the classroom…"
1891
Florence A. O’Leary graduates from the law school, the first woman to do so.
1894
Nicholas Longworth III, grandson of founder Timothy Walker, graduates. He later becomes Speaker of the
U.S. House of Representatives.
1896
University of Cincinnati establishes a separate Law Department, installing William Howard Taft as its first head.
1897
Cincinnati College and the University of Cincinnati enter into a contract for the joint operation of the Cincinnati
Law School and the University’s Law Department.
1900
The Association of American Law Schools is formed with the law school as a charter member.
1903
The new home of the law school, 21 W. Ninth St., is dedicated.
1908
The law school celebrates its 75th anniversary.
"We are again pioneering. This time the frontier is not a physical one; we are pioneering in a new social,
political, and economic order…It is the task of the lawyer to translate the advancing social and economic
thought into rules of everyday life."
1909
Robert S. Marx graduates.
1911
The contract for the joint operation of Cincinnati Law School and the University of
Cincinnati Law Department is severed.
1917
The law school and the Legal Aid Society initiate a program to provide legal services to indigent people.
1918
Cincinnati College and the university re-merge, becoming the University of Cincinnati College of Law.
Nettie Birk becomes secretary of the faculty, serving 36 years and making an indelible mark on the law school.
1920
The law school moves into the old McMicken house on Clifton Avenue.
1925
Chief Justice William Howard Taft dedicates the law school’s new home, named Alphonso Taft Hall, at the corner
of Clifton and Calhoun. The building cost $325K.
1926
The University of Cincinnati chapter of the Order of the Coif is established.
1927
Cincinnati Law Review begins, the first published by an Ohio law school.
1928
The library is endowed in memory of Rufus B. Smith, class of 1878.
1930
H. Elsie Austin becomes the first African American female to graduate. Later, she became the first
African-American woman to serve as an assistant attorney general in Ohio.
1931
Theodore Berry receives degree. After a distinguished career, he becomes Cincinnati’s first African
American mayor in 1972.
1933
The 100th Anniversary of law school is celebrated with 175 students, including 7 women.
The Cincinnati Law Institutes were set up, bringing nationally known lecturers to the law school.
The Cincinnati Law Institutes were set up, bringing nationally known lecturers to the law school.
1947
Three-year law program compressed to two years to accommodate returning WWII veterans.
1952
Student Bar Association formed.
1953
Judge Robert S. Marx initiates annual seminars for the college.
1957
The Restatement, a student-run newspaper, was founded, originally to criticize faculty members
who were late turning in their grades.
1958
125th Anniversary of law school celebrated as Chief Justice Earl Warren receives an honorary degree.
1963
Juris Doctor degree conferred for the first time instead of the Bachelor of Laws (LLB).
1965
Robert S. Marx Law Library Wing is dedicated by Chief Justice Earl Warren.
1966
The annual Robert S. Marx Lectures, published by the Law Review, were established, raising
standards of legal scholarship.
1968
Student Legal Education Committee (SLEC) is established.
1970
Civil and Criminal Practice Clinic established.
1973
Elwin Griffith is hired, the first person of color on the faculty.
1976
Jorge Carro becomes the first Hispanic faculty member.
1977
The University of Cincinnati becomes a state university.
"What this law school is now doing on the banks of the Ohio is a continuation of that which was
begun more than 600 years ago on the banks of the Thames,"
1979
The Urban Morgan Institute for Human Rights is established—the first institute at an American law
school devoted to the study and development of international human rights law. Urban Morgan was a
former trustee of the University.
1980
Nora J. Lauerman becomes the first tenured woman on the law faculty.
1982
Jacob and Rosa Myer Endowment set up to support the law library.
1983
The 150th Anniversary of the law school is celebrated. Justice Sandra Day O’Connor visits
and dedicates the new building.
1986
The William Howard Taft Lecture on Constitutional Law is established.
1989
The Corporate Law Symposium is inaugurated.
1995
The College of Law and the Center for Women’s Studies establish the JD/MA joint degree
program in law and women’s studies, the first in the nation.
1998
Glenn M. Weaver Institute for Law and Psychiatry and The Center for Practice in Negotiation
and Problem Solving are established.
1999
The John D. Burlingame Lecture is established with Pulitzer Prize winner Anthony Lewis
delivering the first lecture.
2001
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The Lois < Richard Rosenthal Institute for Justice/Ohio Innocence Project is founded after
Cincinnati’s civil unrest following the death of Timothy Thomas.
2005
The Domestic Relations/Domestic Violence Clinic opens, offering students an opportunity to
represent victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking. The law school partners
with Legal Aid Society of Greater Cincinnati to provide these services.
2007
The Law Review celebrates 75 years of publishing.
2008
The law school celebrates its 175th Anniversary.