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4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
Statues and busts have advantages over the heroes and icons they depict. Any imperfections are superficial, unlike human flaws. Their character is fixed, not subject to further research and analysis. But anyone who insists folk heroes must be paragons of virtue ignores the reality of human nature. Even -- and perhaps especially -- those with shortcomings possess the attributes necessary for significant accomplishments.
Proof of that is seen in John A. Farrell's new biography of attorney Clarence Darrow. With access to documents prior biographers did not have, Farrell's Clarence Darrow: Attorney for the Damned is not a hagiography of one of the nation's most famous attorneys. It provides deeper insight and perspective, showing both the public and private man, where they were alike and where they were at times vastly different.
Darrow rightfully became known as a champion of the underdog and was viewed, quite accurately, as both a radical and a rebel. To a great extent, he was a product of his times and its movements -- progressivism, free love and trade unionism. Farrell examines the role Darrow played in each, whether personally, politically or as a lawyer. The book's descriptions of Darrow's trials and tactics reflect that Darrow's style and effectiveness were bolstered by practicing in an era preceding uniform codes of evidence and in which closing arguments could stretch out over days.
Much of the highly detailed book focuses on the cases that made Darrow the most famous lawyer in America -- Eugene Debs, labor leader William Haywood for the assassination of a former Idaho governor, two other labor leaders for the bombing of the Los Angeles Times building, Leopold and Loeb, and, of course, the famous Scopes "Monkey Trial". As Farrell points out in an endnote, four of these five cases were dubbed crimes or trials of the century by the press. And while Darrow was famous when he arrived for the Scopes trial, "by the time he left, he was an American folk hero."
Yet Darrow left even his most ardent supporters puzzled. Despite being a major supporter of the progressive movement and its ideas and principles, he had no hesitancy challenging the constitutionality of an election law the movement passed in Illinois when doing so helped acquit his client. The man known for representing the poor and downtrodden would be seen taking on the cases of major corporations and the wealthy. Darrow explained it as a means of helping finance the cases for which he received little or no fee, an argument that makes sense in light of Darrow's persistent efforts to become wealthy himself.
Clarence Darrow:Attorney for the Damned takes readers where other biographies or Darrow's own The Story of My Life have not. It delves into relationships and matters Darrow himself left out of his book. Likewise, the preeminent Darrow biography to date, Irving Stone's Clarence Darrow for the Defense, was written with the cooperation of Darrow's widow and, first published in 1941, Stone did not have access to many documents Farrell uses.
The paradox that is Darrow might be resolved by concluding that his view is that defense of a client requires whatever it takes. A couple of the overarching elements of the book seem to support that. One is that much of his attitude toward the law and the world stemmed from the belief that "men's actions are determined not by choice, but by the unshakable influences of heredity and environment." Farrell's review of Darrow's childhood in an unconventional home suggests that background greatly influenced who Darrow became. Darrow's deterministic beliefs also manifested themselves in his closing arguments, which focused as much on a defendant's background and the evils of society as the evidence. Farrell's use of transcripts of Darrow's arguments fully supports his contention that Darrow "had the audacity to treat judges and juries to original sermons on an intellectual plane far higher than the usual courtroom wrangling, and to do so in a captivating way." Often focusing on social ills and emotion, Darrow wanted his argument to not just influence but to shape the opinions of a judge or jury.
Farrell makes clear that despite his accomplishments, Darrow had plenty of flaws. His belief in the free love movement made him a serial philanderer and, in fact, he had a decades-long relationship with a woman not his wife. Darrow's determinism also seemed to impact his value system. According to Farrell, Darrow had a "willingness to dispose of the customary ethical standards -- like accuracy or confidentiality -- when a client was facing unjust punishment, especially in a capital case." And, of course, whether punishment is "unjust" tends to be in the eye of the beholder and, in Darrow's eyes, "the motive and not the act was the controlling measure of morality."
This approach led to Darrow being tried twice for bribing a juror. Clarence Darrow: Attorney for the Damned looks closely at those cases and whether, from a legal standpoint as opposed to Darrow's ethical standpoint, he was guilty. Along the way, Farrell reveals that more than a decade after the first trial, Darrow paid $4,500 (roughly $55,000 today) to the juror who was most active in challenging the prosecution during the trial.
Farrell leaves little doubt that Darrow earned and deserved his reputation as the preeminent defense lawyer of his time and an American legal icon. He also leaves little doubt Darrow has his flaws. But what a person is able to do with their flaws is more important than the fact they exist.
(Originally posted at A Progressive on the Prairie.)
Proof of that is seen in John A. Farrell's new biography of attorney Clarence Darrow. With access to documents prior biographers did not have, Farrell's Clarence Darrow: Attorney for the Damned is not a hagiography of one of the nation's most famous attorneys. It provides deeper insight and perspective, showing both the public and private man, where they were alike and where they were at times vastly different.
Darrow rightfully became known as a champion of the underdog and was viewed, quite accurately, as both a radical and a rebel. To a great extent, he was a product of his times and its movements -- progressivism, free love and trade unionism. Farrell examines the role Darrow played in each, whether personally, politically or as a lawyer. The book's descriptions of Darrow's trials and tactics reflect that Darrow's style and effectiveness were bolstered by practicing in an era preceding uniform codes of evidence and in which closing arguments could stretch out over days.
Much of the highly detailed book focuses on the cases that made Darrow the most famous lawyer in America -- Eugene Debs, labor leader William Haywood for the assassination of a former Idaho governor, two other labor leaders for the bombing of the Los Angeles Times building, Leopold and Loeb, and, of course, the famous Scopes "Monkey Trial". As Farrell points out in an endnote, four of these five cases were dubbed crimes or trials of the century by the press. And while Darrow was famous when he arrived for the Scopes trial, "by the time he left, he was an American folk hero."
Yet Darrow left even his most ardent supporters puzzled. Despite being a major supporter of the progressive movement and its ideas and principles, he had no hesitancy challenging the constitutionality of an election law the movement passed in Illinois when doing so helped acquit his client. The man known for representing the poor and downtrodden would be seen taking on the cases of major corporations and the wealthy. Darrow explained it as a means of helping finance the cases for which he received little or no fee, an argument that makes sense in light of Darrow's persistent efforts to become wealthy himself.
Clarence Darrow:Attorney for the Damned takes readers where other biographies or Darrow's own The Story of My Life have not. It delves into relationships and matters Darrow himself left out of his book. Likewise, the preeminent Darrow biography to date, Irving Stone's Clarence Darrow for the Defense, was written with the cooperation of Darrow's widow and, first published in 1941, Stone did not have access to many documents Farrell uses.
The paradox that is Darrow might be resolved by concluding that his view is that defense of a client requires whatever it takes. A couple of the overarching elements of the book seem to support that. One is that much of his attitude toward the law and the world stemmed from the belief that "men's actions are determined not by choice, but by the unshakable influences of heredity and environment." Farrell's review of Darrow's childhood in an unconventional home suggests that background greatly influenced who Darrow became. Darrow's deterministic beliefs also manifested themselves in his closing arguments, which focused as much on a defendant's background and the evils of society as the evidence. Farrell's use of transcripts of Darrow's arguments fully supports his contention that Darrow "had the audacity to treat judges and juries to original sermons on an intellectual plane far higher than the usual courtroom wrangling, and to do so in a captivating way." Often focusing on social ills and emotion, Darrow wanted his argument to not just influence but to shape the opinions of a judge or jury.
Farrell makes clear that despite his accomplishments, Darrow had plenty of flaws. His belief in the free love movement made him a serial philanderer and, in fact, he had a decades-long relationship with a woman not his wife. Darrow's determinism also seemed to impact his value system. According to Farrell, Darrow had a "willingness to dispose of the customary ethical standards -- like accuracy or confidentiality -- when a client was facing unjust punishment, especially in a capital case." And, of course, whether punishment is "unjust" tends to be in the eye of the beholder and, in Darrow's eyes, "the motive and not the act was the controlling measure of morality."
This approach led to Darrow being tried twice for bribing a juror. Clarence Darrow: Attorney for the Damned looks closely at those cases and whether, from a legal standpoint as opposed to Darrow's ethical standpoint, he was guilty. Along the way, Farrell reveals that more than a decade after the first trial, Darrow paid $4,500 (roughly $55,000 today) to the juror who was most active in challenging the prosecution during the trial.
Farrell leaves little doubt that Darrow earned and deserved his reputation as the preeminent defense lawyer of his time and an American legal icon. He also leaves little doubt Darrow has his flaws. But what a person is able to do with their flaws is more important than the fact they exist.
(Originally posted at A Progressive on the Prairie.)
Incredible! I first got interested in Clarence Darrow by watching the movie "Inherit the Wind" as a child. In spite of his very human flaws, Darrow was a true American hero. Much criticised by contemporaries for seeming to abandon his principles, the one key principle driven home by this book is that every one deserves the best legal defense, regardless of their guilt or innocence. Darrow stuck to that principle through all the trials documented by Farrell. Sure, he took money from business interests (even though he was and advocate for labor) and criminals, but he used tha money so that he could defend others who couldn't afford legal representation.
Farrell's work also points out two key differences in American society between the late 1800s/early 1900s and today. The first is the distinct difference between libertarians of Darrow's time and libertarians of today. The Rand/Ron Paul & Paul Ryan variety of today, influenced by Ayn Rand (though she would never call herself a libertarian), are far different from the libertarians with whom Darrow associated. Those libertarians saw the need for organized labor as a counter to big business and they had social attitudes more closely aligned with the free-love generation of the 1960s.
The second difference pointed out by Farrell's work is the lack of forensic science in the days when Darrow practiced law. There were no CSIs, no ability for ballistics tests, DNA testing, fingerprint analysis, and all the other technology made so familiar by modern TV. It's amazing that our criminal justice system functioned at all back then, though it didn't function well at all with the apparent prevalence of jury tampering and bribery.
Anyone interested in Darrow's life or career should read this book, as should anyone interested in the politics and social mores of that time.
Farrell's work also points out two key differences in American society between the late 1800s/early 1900s and today. The first is the distinct difference between libertarians of Darrow's time and libertarians of today. The Rand/Ron Paul & Paul Ryan variety of today, influenced by Ayn Rand (though she would never call herself a libertarian), are far different from the libertarians with whom Darrow associated. Those libertarians saw the need for organized labor as a counter to big business and they had social attitudes more closely aligned with the free-love generation of the 1960s.
The second difference pointed out by Farrell's work is the lack of forensic science in the days when Darrow practiced law. There were no CSIs, no ability for ballistics tests, DNA testing, fingerprint analysis, and all the other technology made so familiar by modern TV. It's amazing that our criminal justice system functioned at all back then, though it didn't function well at all with the apparent prevalence of jury tampering and bribery.
Anyone interested in Darrow's life or career should read this book, as should anyone interested in the politics and social mores of that time.
emotional
informative
tense
medium-paced
I didn’t have any prior knowledge about Clarence Darrow but still enjoyed this book.
The man had a fair comment of himself: “I know my life, I know what I have done. My life has not been perfect; it has been human, too human.” By no means was he a saint.
He indulged himself in sexual pleasure. And when it came to money, he“made it handily, spent it lavishly, professed its unimportance, and fought like wolverines over every dollar when comfort was at stake.” However, he did stand out to fight for the rights of free speech and the minority. I was convinced somehow, that he was an advocate of humanity.
The man had a fair comment of himself: “I know my life, I know what I have done. My life has not been perfect; it has been human, too human.” By no means was he a saint.
He indulged himself in sexual pleasure. And when it came to money, he“made it handily, spent it lavishly, professed its unimportance, and fought like wolverines over every dollar when comfort was at stake.” However, he did stand out to fight for the rights of free speech and the minority. I was convinced somehow, that he was an advocate of humanity.
Reading this biography of Clarence Darrow is also reading a history of the United States from 1890 to 1930 - and it is mind blowing.
Life was not great for most Americans - it was just varying degrees of brutishness, ugliness and toil.
And Clarence Darrow represented everybody from workers trying to unionize, to mobsters, to high society divorce cases.
Read it and learn so much more about life in the United States then.
Life was not great for most Americans - it was just varying degrees of brutishness, ugliness and toil.
And Clarence Darrow represented everybody from workers trying to unionize, to mobsters, to high society divorce cases.
Read it and learn so much more about life in the United States then.
As far as I can recall, I first learned about Clarence Darrow in my high school philosophy class. My teacher introduced us to the case of 19 year old Nathan Leopold and 18 year old Richard Loeb, who after careful planning murdered a 14 year old boy named Bobby Franks in cold blood. Darrow agreed to be retained on the boys' defense, and he successfully argued that they should be given life in prison and not the death penalty. It was one of Darrow's most famous cases, and one of the most interesting chapters of John A. Farrell's "Clarence Darrow: Attorney for the Damned."
However, that was not the last time I heard of Clarence Darrow. In history class, when learning about the socialist Eugene Debs, Darrow was defending Debs against the US government. When learning about unions and the progressive movement of the early 20th century, Darrow's name was a footnote among giants such as Samuel Gompers, Lincoln Steffens and Jane Addams but he was there nonetheless. Darrow again emerged to oppose Williams Jennings Bryan in the Scopes Monkey Trial. All these cases, and many more, are given their due by Farrell, who methodically plugs through Darrow's impressive and sprawling legal career as well as his oftentimes messy personal life in just over 450 pages.
The biography is well-researched and well-written, especially those chapters which deal with Darrow's most important cases. Whether Darrow is defending union bombers, Chicago gangsters, young murderers, anarchists, or even himself when accused of bribing jurors, Farrell is skilled in taking the reader through these court cases and highlighting Darrow's most impressive moments of cross-examination or his most compelling closing arguments. The book is definitely worth a read for anyone interested in the law. Darrow's legal tricks and strategies, as well as those used by both his allies and his opponents, were often shocking to someone with a passing familiarity to how court proceedings are handled today. Farrell transports us back to a time where lawyers were celebrities, where thousands came to hear Clarence Darrow give a closing argument. Darrow emerges from the biography a formidable figure of the early 20th century, symbolizing the ideals of the progressive movement, as when defending African Americans from discrimination and the death penalty, but also the darkness that lay under the surface during the Gilded Age, as when defending guilty bombers and corrupt politicians. Darrow seems certainly to embody the sixth amendment idea that everyone, no matter what, has the right to a defense. 5/5
Favorite Darrow Quote - "If the underdog got on top he would probably be just as rotten as the upperdog, but in the meantime I am for him. He needs friends a damn sight more than the other fellow"
However, that was not the last time I heard of Clarence Darrow. In history class, when learning about the socialist Eugene Debs, Darrow was defending Debs against the US government. When learning about unions and the progressive movement of the early 20th century, Darrow's name was a footnote among giants such as Samuel Gompers, Lincoln Steffens and Jane Addams but he was there nonetheless. Darrow again emerged to oppose Williams Jennings Bryan in the Scopes Monkey Trial. All these cases, and many more, are given their due by Farrell, who methodically plugs through Darrow's impressive and sprawling legal career as well as his oftentimes messy personal life in just over 450 pages.
The biography is well-researched and well-written, especially those chapters which deal with Darrow's most important cases. Whether Darrow is defending union bombers, Chicago gangsters, young murderers, anarchists, or even himself when accused of bribing jurors, Farrell is skilled in taking the reader through these court cases and highlighting Darrow's most impressive moments of cross-examination or his most compelling closing arguments. The book is definitely worth a read for anyone interested in the law. Darrow's legal tricks and strategies, as well as those used by both his allies and his opponents, were often shocking to someone with a passing familiarity to how court proceedings are handled today. Farrell transports us back to a time where lawyers were celebrities, where thousands came to hear Clarence Darrow give a closing argument. Darrow emerges from the biography a formidable figure of the early 20th century, symbolizing the ideals of the progressive movement, as when defending African Americans from discrimination and the death penalty, but also the darkness that lay under the surface during the Gilded Age, as when defending guilty bombers and corrupt politicians. Darrow seems certainly to embody the sixth amendment idea that everyone, no matter what, has the right to a defense. 5/5
Favorite Darrow Quote - "If the underdog got on top he would probably be just as rotten as the upperdog, but in the meantime I am for him. He needs friends a damn sight more than the other fellow"
A brilliant glimpse into the life of an incredible man. As Farrell points out early on, Darrow was indeed a man of great contradictions. Yet throughout the book you're drawn to feel the many tensions at play in his life that could easily lead to seeming contradictions, all in the name of some greater cause.
Darrow lived a rollercoaster of a life. As a lawyer, he was often in the media, at the helm of noteworthy cases. Yet, he seemed to live in constant fear of debt and with enemies around every corner. His life is one of beauty in retrospect, but must have been profoundly terrifying at the time, and far from glorious.
Darrow's fights for the poor, the downtrodden, the marginalized, and the otherwise-unrepresented sealed his fate as 'attorney for the damned,' and as an almost mythological model for a budding lawyer.
Darrow lived a rollercoaster of a life. As a lawyer, he was often in the media, at the helm of noteworthy cases. Yet, he seemed to live in constant fear of debt and with enemies around every corner. His life is one of beauty in retrospect, but must have been profoundly terrifying at the time, and far from glorious.
Darrow's fights for the poor, the downtrodden, the marginalized, and the otherwise-unrepresented sealed his fate as 'attorney for the damned,' and as an almost mythological model for a budding lawyer.
Like with his Nixon biography, Farrell explores the world around his subject, and it’s fascinating. We have the Gilded Age which I don’t think most people now realize how insurrectionary and violent it was! Darrow’s personal life, beliefs, and tribulations came as a surprise as well. I think most Americans only hear about the Scopes monkey trial so I’m glad to learn how Darrow fit the bigger picture in so many historical movements
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Exhaustively researched and compelling biography of a fascinating and complex man. Farrell does a great job of focusing his story on what the reader would likely care most about: Darrow's work and cases. He is masterful at keeping the early life history brief, only really providing the depth and detail needed to understand the man and put his public and private life in an meaningful context.
To borrow from Whitman, Darrow contained multitudes. Farrell paints a potrait of the man and his often conflicting traits. The Darrow that emerges from the page is rounded and more fully-formed because of those conflicts instead of in spite of them.
The book end rather abruptly (to me), as I could have used a few pages of summary to contextualize Darrow's life and legacy. What did Darrow's life work mean for the social issues he tirelessly championed? What did his mastery of and techniques in the courtroom mean to the leagl profession? How did his understanding of the need for winning and controlling the court of public opinion mean for American society and the media going forward. These are just some of the themes that I wish Farrell would have explored. That said, throughout his telling of Darrow's life, Farrell never stopped to editorialize or explain what certain events, etc. Capital M "mean" so I can understand why he didn't do so at the end--it wasn't the book Farrell aimed to write. Fair enough. Farrell is content to let Darrow's public and private words and actions speak for themselves. A rich, compelling and truly American story those words tell. The battles Darrow fought and the ideals he fought for are incredibly resonant today.
Informative and inspirational, I would recommend Clarence Darrow: Attorney for the Damned.
To borrow from Whitman, Darrow contained multitudes. Farrell paints a potrait of the man and his often conflicting traits. The Darrow that emerges from the page is rounded and more fully-formed because of those conflicts instead of in spite of them.
The book end rather abruptly (to me), as I could have used a few pages of summary to contextualize Darrow's life and legacy. What did Darrow's life work mean for the social issues he tirelessly championed? What did his mastery of and techniques in the courtroom mean to the leagl profession? How did his understanding of the need for winning and controlling the court of public opinion mean for American society and the media going forward. These are just some of the themes that I wish Farrell would have explored. That said, throughout his telling of Darrow's life, Farrell never stopped to editorialize or explain what certain events, etc. Capital M "mean" so I can understand why he didn't do so at the end--it wasn't the book Farrell aimed to write. Fair enough. Farrell is content to let Darrow's public and private words and actions speak for themselves. A rich, compelling and truly American story those words tell. The battles Darrow fought and the ideals he fought for are incredibly resonant today.
Informative and inspirational, I would recommend Clarence Darrow: Attorney for the Damned.
Ideally, this would be a 4.5 star book, but I'll give it the bump. Beyond the famous Scopes trial, good labor liberals know Darrow defended the McNamara brothers in the LA Times bombing case.
He also defended the poor. Mobsters.
And, rich people presumably politically conservative. And, despite his acquittal on charges, he may well have tried to bribe jurors in the McNamara case.
Darrow was sui generis, in other words, and this book shows that well.
He was also a freethinker, a womanizer and more.
He said he defended the rich because he needed money somehow, but ... it seems more than that.
And, some of his closest friends of earlier life, like Edgar Lee Masters,k had become estranged from him years before he died.
This is an informative bio of the what of Darrow's life, but Farrell doesn't quite get all the why, IMO. Hence, the ideal rating of 4.5 stars.
He also defended the poor. Mobsters.
And, rich people presumably politically conservative. And, despite his acquittal on charges, he may well have tried to bribe jurors in the McNamara case.
Darrow was sui generis, in other words, and this book shows that well.
He was also a freethinker, a womanizer and more.
He said he defended the rich because he needed money somehow, but ... it seems more than that.
And, some of his closest friends of earlier life, like Edgar Lee Masters,k had become estranged from him years before he died.
This is an informative bio of the what of Darrow's life, but Farrell doesn't quite get all the why, IMO. Hence, the ideal rating of 4.5 stars.