National Reconstruction and the Duty of the Profession, Boston, 1864

1864. The Role of Lawyers in "National Reconstruction" Washburn, Emory [1800-1877]. National Reconstruction and the Duty of the Profession: Reprinted from the "Law Reporter." Boston: Published by William Guild and Company, [1864]. 10 pp. Octavo (9-1/4" x 5-3/4"). Unsewn self-wrappers, moderate toning, faint vertical crease through center, minor wear to spine ends, light foxing to a few leaves, fragment of envelope addressed to Edwin Hale Abbot with a note reading "From EW" pasted to head of first page. $150. * Only edition as a separate work. Washburn taught at Harvard Law School from 1856 to 1876. Also a politician, he served in both houses of the Massachusetts state legislature and was that state's 22nd governor. This "extract from the closing lecture to Harvard Law School, July, 1864" (1) discusses the role lawyers will play in the "national reconstruction" that will follow the end of the Civil War. Abbot [1834-1927], to whom Washburn likely sent this pamphlet, was one of those lawyers. He served as an attorney for the United States in the Alabama Claims, a landmark in international relations concerning British assistance to the Confederacy.