Report of the Case of the Trustees of Dartmouth College

DARTMOUTH COLLEGE CASE   |   Timothy FARRAR

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Report of the Case of the Trustees of Dartmouth College
Report of the Case of the Trustees of Dartmouth College

"IT IS, SIR, AS I HAVE SAID A SMALL COLLEGE, AND YET THERE ARE THOSE THAT LOVE IT": 1819 LANDMARK DARTMOUTH COLLEGE CASE, ESTABLISHING CORPORATE RIGHTS IN AMERICA AND ENCOURAGING AMERICAN BUSINESS

(DARTMOUTH COLLEGE CASE) FARRAR, Timothy. Report of the Case of the Trustees of Dartmouth College Against William H. Woodward. Portsmouth, N.H.: John W. Foster, (1819). Octavo, original blue-gray paper-covered boards, original paper spine label, uncut and partially unopened. Housed in a custom clamshell box and chemise.

First edition of one of the most significant and influential of the early cases appearing before the Supreme Court, very scarce uncut in original paper boards.

Before Chief Justice John Marshall's Supreme Court, Dartmouth College was represented by one of its most famous alumni, the orator and politician Daniel Webster. Marshall's decision in favor of Dartmouth established "an assurance for all investors in American corporate enterprises that the terms upon which they had committed their capital could not be unilaterally altered by a state. At a time when corporations were first being widely used, it thus encouraged the expansion of American business enterprise… The decision vested the Corporation with indestructible contract rights… even against its creator" (Schwartz, 86, 111). This account contains all the material related to the case, including the arguments of Webster, Wirt and others, with the Opinions by Chief Justice Marshall, Justice Story, and Washington. With Appendix. Sabin 23887. Marvin 303. Shaw & Shoemaker 47960. Harvard Law Catalogue 671. Early owner signature of A.W. Haven. Small owner bookplate of William Russell Foster.

Text generally fresh with light scattered foxing, faint soiling to boards, light expert restoration to original paper spine and label. A highly desirable uncut copy in original boards.

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