Welcome to the Clarence Darrow Digital Collection

The University of Minnesota Law Library is pleased to provide access to an extensive body of information about the great American jurist Clarence Darrow. The site includes an extraordinary collection of personal letters written by and to Clarence Darrow. These letters include correspondence with Darrow's family members as well as with many other prominent individuals who influenced the development of American law during the first half of the 20th Century. In addition, the site has sections focused on both Darrow's famous and lesser known trials. Incorporated throughout the site is commentary about a wide variety of political and social issues that were of importance to Clarence Darrow professionally and personally. The site contains a rich and unique array of material including trial transcripts, cases, articles, books, photos, and narratives about Clarence Darrow's life and legal career.

This site provides access to a free, publicly accessible Searchable Database of Darrow Cases. Courtesy of Westlaw from Thomson-Reuters, this database contains all published state and federal cases in which Clarence Darrow or his law firm is listed as counsel for one of the parties. The database also contains all published state and federal cases that quote or refer to Clarence Darrow. This database will be periodically updated.

Many University of Minnesota Law Library staff members should be acknowledged for their hard work and many contributions to the development of this site. Michael Hannon, Associate Director for Library & Educational Technology, is responsible for the content of the site, and researched and authored the commentary which accompanies the letters and other primary sources. Mike also coordinated the acquisition of material for the site. Glen Anderson, Multimedia Specialist, designed and built the site. Benita Johnson, Administrative Assistant, transcribed the letters from Darrow prior to their digitization. Katherine Hedin, Curator of Rare Books & Special Collections, assisted Mike in collecting material on Clarence Darrow for both the digital site and the Law Library's print collection. David Zopfi-Jordan and Piper Walters of the Library's interlibrary loan and retrieval services department, were very helpful in acquiring resources and providing document delivery assistance. The following University of Minnesota Law School students served as research and editing assistants: Becca Stark, Amy Chan, Frances Buckley, Jennifer Slowey, Shaun Redford, and Chad Cardon. Additional support: Ryan Greenwood, Ian Moret, and Patrick Graybill.

For questions or comments please contact Michael Hannon at mhannon@umn.edu.

12/05/2022