The Family Letters of Louis D. Brandeis
by Louis Dembitz Brandeis, David W. Levy
Category: Biography & Autobiography

Widely regarded as a leading progressive reformer as well as a major figure in Constitutional history, Louis D. Brandeis was an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1916 to 1939. Liberals and conservatives alike consistently rate him as one of the few truly great jurists to serve on that court. Until now, only Brandeis's professional correspondence has been available in print. Here, Melvin I. Urofsky and David W. Levy present the private correspondence between Brandeis and his immediate family, particularly his wife and two daughters, Elizabeth and Susan. Not only do the letters reveal much about progressive politics and personalities, they also reveal Brandeis the person. Author of the "right to privacy" doctrine, Brandeis jealously guarded his personal life. He enjoyed the stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. He liked to hike and canoe. As a husband and father, he faced the same problems and frustrations faced by every spouse and parent. He relished a good joke yet carefully restricted this side to his family and a few close friends. While many who came in contact with him thought him cold and remote, those closest to him saw the human side behind the mantle of Supreme Court justice.