A Deep Dive into the Special Collections at Northwestern Pritzker Law

What do ancient cuneiform tablets, 16^th-century French legal manuscripts, and case files from the first U.S. crime lab have in common? They all live in the archives and special collections of the Pritzker Legal Research Center at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law. The unique collections maintained in the archives support the study of legal history as well as the history of the Law School, since its establishment in 1859 to the present day. With numerous rare books, manuscripts, and materials, including several first editions of legal classics, the Special Collections house more than 9,000 titles. Each title tells its own story, a rich history that advances greater understanding of the law’s past, present, and future. Learn more about these special finds in the below videos. 

Martin Guerre and the Impostor

Among the large collection of early modern French coutumiers—collections of local laws and customs—lies the curious story of Martin Guerre. According to the original volume from 1588, Guerre lived in southwest France and married his wife, Bertrande de Rols, at age 14. Shortly after Bertrande gave birth to their first son, Guerre disappeared for eight years after his father accused him of theft. When he finally returned home, Guerre’s family felt that something was not quite right. Watch to learn more about a 16^th-century case of identity theft:

The Murder of Bessie Tallmadge

In the wake of the infamous St. Valentine’s Day massacre in 1929, the Scientific Crime Detection Laboratory was formed at Northwestern Pritzker Law to advance developments in criminal law investigation—one of the country’s first crime laboratories. The Pritzker Legal Research Center Special Collections and Northwestern University Archives contain myriad records of the crime lab as well as the papers of the lab’s director and future Law School professor, Fred Inbau. The records tell stories of cases such as the Bessie Tallmadge murder in 1936, which saw one of the earliest uses of the polygraph in a criminal investigation. Inbau and his colleague William O’Neill questioned Bessie’s husband, Guy Tallmadge, with the polygraph machine. After hours of questioning, Guy confessed to the murder. Watch to find out more about the Bessie Tallmadge case and the Law School’s place in criminal justice history:

The Dean Hansell Collection

Many of the special collections are made possible thanks to generous contributions from Northwestern Pritzker Law alumni. The Dean Hansell Collection features hundreds of legal documents donated by the Honorable Dean Hansell (JD ‘77). One of the few openly gay judges in California, Judge Hansell has dedicated his life to public service and co-founded the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) in 1985. Judge Hansell is also an avid collector of historical legal documents, ranging from the premodern era to the 17^th century and beyond. Watch to find out what sorts of legal materials Dean Hansell has generously donated to the Law School:

All holdings at the Pritzker Legal Research Center are available to view by appointment only.

For more information, please take a look at the PLRC’s Special Collections and Archives web page.