Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. Autograph Letter Signed.

HOLMES JR., Oliver Wendell.

$975.00

Item Number: 145310

Boston:, September 8, 1898.

Autograph letter signed by Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. to his “beloved friend” Lady Clare Castletown, flirtatiously discussing the difficulty of putting her out of his mind, complaining of the work that awaited him after their time together, and expressing bitterness at having to respond to continuous queries concerning his father, the physician, poet, and polymath, four years after his passing. Two pages on Supreme Judicial Court stationary, quarto, original envelope, the letter reads in part, “… I wrote to you a short diary … which I hope you will receive this week and another later … I hate to have you worry about my little discomforts, although I love you for it and for other things too numerous to mention. They merely meant somewhat less sleep, an article which I would gladly exchange for the joy of being with you … Of course, I find all sorts of details to be attended to, including . . . letters to be answered. The number of people that bother me about my father is still considerable: asking for bookplates, autographs, and especially genealogical details to prove that they are cousins. There are disadvantages in a distinguished parent, not to mention the peculiar charm of being introduced by people of a certain age as one’s father’s son.” Near fine in a good, well-preserved envelope.

Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. was an American jurist who served as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1902 to 1932. One of the most influential Supreme Court justices in history, his legacy exists in the numerous cases that have cited his opinions and in his title as the third-most-cited American legal scholar of the 20th century (Journal of Legal Studies).