Edgar S. Cahn

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Edgar S. Cahn
Cahn in 2012
Born
Edgar Stuart Cahn

(1935-03-23)March 23, 1935
New York City, New York, U.S.
DiedJanuary 23, 2022(2022-01-23) (aged 86)
Bethesda, Maryland, U.S.
Occupation(s)Lawyer, author, educator
Spouses
​
​
(m. 1957; died 1991)​
Christine Gray
​
(m. 2000)​
Children2

Edgar Stuart Cahn (March 23, 1935 – January 23, 2022) was an American law professor, a counsel and speech writer to Robert F. Kennedy, and the creator of TimeBanking.[1] He co-founded the Antioch School of Law (now the David A. Clarke School of Law at the University of the District of Columbia) with his late wife, Jean Camper Cahn.[2][3] Cahn has also held positions at the University of Miami School of Law, Florida International University, the London School of Economics, and a visiting fellow at the Center for the Study of Human Rights at Columbia University.[4] In later life, Cahn devoted most of his professional effort to TimeBanks USA, now TimeBanks.Org, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization he established in 1995.

Early life

Cahn was born in New York City on March 23, 1935. His father, Edmond, worked as a jurist and was close friends with several justices of the Supreme Court of the United States; his mother, Lenore (Zola), advocated for those who suffered elder abuse. Cahn studied English literature at Swarthmore College, graduating in 1956. He subsequently undertook postgraduate studies at Yale University, obtaining a master's degree in 1957 and a Doctor of Philosophy three years later. He then entered Yale Law School, graduating in 1963.[5]

Career

Kennedy and Johnson administrations

After receiving his law degree, Cahn started his career in government as special counsel and speechwriter for

Yale Law Journal, "The War on Poverty: a Civilian Perspective".[2][7] This article led to the establishment of the Legal Services Corporation.[2][3][8][7]

Citizens Advocate Center

Cahn left government work in 1968 to focus on defending

federal housing programs."[11]

Antioch School of Law

In 1971, Edgar and Jean Camper Cahn co-founded the

clinical legal education in the United States, incorporating clinical experience into a curriculum alongside the traditional case study method for the first time.[12] When Antioch University began facing financial issues a few years later, the administration attempted to divert the law school's funding. Although the Cahns opposed this move, Antioch won a lawsuit against them in 1980, and fired them the following day.[13]

When further financial distress at the university forced it to close several of its subunits in the late 1980s,[14][15] the Council of the District of Columbia bought the school, renaming it the District of Columbia Law School, preserving the law school's faculty and curriculum.[15][16] The new law school was awarded provisional American Bar Association accreditation in 1991[17] and incorporated into the University of the District of Columbia in 1996. Two years later, the institution was renamed in honor of David A. Clarke, a former city council chairman who had been particularly supportive of the school and its mission. The David A. Clarke School of Law at the University of the District of Columbia was awarded full ABA accreditation in 2005.[18] Cahn joined the school as a Distinguished Professor of Law, remaining active until his death.[19]

Later career

Cahn became a faculty member at the University of Miami School of Law in 1985.[13] He also held academic positions at Florida International University, the London School of Economics, and Columbia University.[4] Cahn later established TimeBanks USA in 1995, a nonprofit organization that helped US time banks. He had earlier made popular the notion of time dollars, in which individuals exchanged services with others in that particular community. An example of this would be bringing someone to an appointment in return for assistance with tax preparation.[5]

Personal life

Cahn married Jean Camper Cahn in 1957. She was the daughter of a respected physician in Baltimore. The couple were nicknamed "the double legal eagles" by Lewis F. Powell Jr. They remained married until her death in 1991. Together, they had two children: Jonathan and Reuben.[5]

Cahn later married Christine Gray in 2000. They remained married until his death, and did not have children together. He died at a hospital in

congestive heart failure.[5][13]

Partial bibliography

References

  1. ISBN 978-1-4094-4904-1
    .
  2. ^
    ISBN 978-0-300-11300-6
    .
  3. ^ a b Waldman, Steven (August 18, 1991). "Portrait of a Marriage: The brilliant, angry careers of Jean and Edgar Cahn". Washington Post Sunday Magazine.
  4. ^ a b "Edgar Cahn". Ashoka U.S. Fellows. Ashoka: Innovators for the Public. Archived from the original on October 14, 2012. Retrieved April 7, 2013.
  5. ^ a b c d e Langer, Emily (January 27, 2022). "Edgar Cahn, champion of legal services for the poor, dies at 86". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  6. ISBN 978-0-8071-3416-0
    .
  7. ^ a b "A Tribute to Jean Camper Cahn". Yale Law & Policy Review. 9. 1991. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
  8. ^ "The Founding of LSC". History. The Legal Services Corporation. Retrieved March 26, 2013.
  9. ISBN 978-0-452-00706-2
    .
  10. ISBN 978-0-06-093196-4
    .
  11. ^ Cahn, Edgar; Eichenberg, Timothy; Romberg, Roberta V. (1971). "The legal lawbreakers : a study of the nonadministration of Federal relocation requirements". Clearinghouse Review. 4. Washington, DC: Citizen Advocate Center: 515. Retrieved April 7, 2012.
  12. ^ Associated Press, "School Centers on Law Firm", Reading Eagle, July 19, 1973, p. 30.
  13. ^ a b c Risen, Clay (January 27, 2022). "Edgar S. Cahn, Legal Reformer in Defense of the Poor, Dies at 86". The New York Times. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  14. ^ Coakley, Michael B. (June 25, 1988). "Antioch Branch To Close; Financial Problems Cited". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved April 7, 2013.
  15. ^ a b "DC Committee Approves Plan to Buy Antioch School of Law". Toledo Blade. Washington, DC. Associated Press. July 1, 1986. Retrieved April 7, 2013.
  16. ^ "Three Law Schools in Transition". American Bar Association Journal: 49. October 1, 1986. Retrieved April 7, 2013.
  17. ^ "ABA-Approved Law Schools by Year". Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar. American Bar Association. Retrieved April 7, 2013.
  18. ^ "School of Law History". David A. Clarke School of Law. University of the District of Columbia. Archived from the original on October 5, 2015. Retrieved April 7, 2013.
  19. ^ "Professor Edgar S. Cahn". law.udc.edu. March 4, 2021. Retrieved January 29, 2022.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Edgar_S._Cahn&oldid=1210003789"