Clearing up a few things about Madison, Princeton and the law

Contrary to popular belief, James Madison, fourth president of the United States, did not obtain a law degree from Princeton University.

There were only a few schools that offered degrees in law at the time, and James Madison’s chosen profession was a farmer and planter.

The law school at the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) began instruction in 1847 as a modest effort consisting of three professors. Only seven students would obtain a law degree before the school closed in 1852. James Madison was born March 16, 1751, and died June 28, 1836, seven years before the school of law began at Princeton.

In accordance with the American Bar Association, there are now more than 896,000 lawyers in the United States. Lawyers hold the majority and key roles in the three branches of government — legislative, judicial and executive.

There are 4,543 words in the Constitution, including names; however, lawyers, attorneys and bar associations were never mentioned.

Princeton University does award honorary law degrees. Sonia Sotomayor, circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, received an honorary doctor of law degree from Princeton. She is now a candidate for the Supreme Court.

Donald M. Leake
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