Robert Gray Dodge
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Robert Gray Dodge (July 29, 1872 – February 15, 1964) was an American lawyer and civic leader who practice law in Boston, Massachusetts, for 67 years.[1][2] As one of the founders of the Massachusetts Bar Association, established in 1909, he was known among his peers as "dean of the Massachusetts Bar".[1][2] He was an active member of the Massachusetts Judicial Council since it was founded, served on the council of the American Law Institute, and was a member of the United States Supreme Court Advisory Committee on the Rules of Civil Procedure for 21 years.[2][1]
Dodge was born in Newburyport, Massachusetts.[2] He graduated summa cum laude from Harvard College in 1893, and from Harvard Law School in 1897, and was editor in chief of the Harvard Law Review.[2]
Career
Dodge taught property and contract law at Harvard Law School for two years.[1] In 1898, he taught property law to the first class at what became Northeastern University Law School.[1][2]
Known among peers as "the dean of the Massachusetts bar", Dodge was a founder of the Massachusetts Bar Association in 1909.[1] He later served as president of the Boston Bar Association from 1931 to 1934.[1]
As a senior partner of the law firm Palmer, Dodge, Gardner and Bradford, Dodge participated in many high-profile cases during his career.[2] He served as defense counsel for an anti-trust suit against United Fruit Company, as well as a suit involving directors of Gillette.[2]
In the early 1920s, he was one of the special assistant attorney generals in the high-profile case against Suffolk County district attorney Joseph C. Pelletier, who was removed from office after being charged with corruption.[2] Dodge later represented the Boston Bar Association in petitioning for the disbarmentof Pelletier and his co-conspirator Daniel H. Coakley.[2]
He was chairman of the board of trustees of Wellesley College for 17 years, also chairman of the trustees of Northeastern University for 20 years until 1959.[1]
