An Act to establish a Permanent Committee for the Oliver Wendell Holmes Devise, and for other purposes
PL 84-246 (H.R.7029), enacted 08/05/1955

69 
S T A T . ] 
PUBLIC LAW 246-AUG. 5, 1955 
533 
Public Law 246 
CHAPTER 572 
= AN A C T 
^ 
Augusts, 1955 
To establish a Permanent Committee for the Oliver Wendell Holmes Devise, 
[H. R. 7029] 
and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assemoled^ That there is hereby 
established in the Treasury of the United States a fund to be known Fund. 
as the "Oliver Wendell Holmes Devise Fund" (hereinafter referred 
to as the fund). 
There is hereby appropriated to the fund out of 
any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated: (1) an 
amount equal to the sum credited to the account in the Treasury en-
titled, "Donations to the United States, Bequest of Oliver Wendell 
Holmes"; (2) an amount equal to interest on the amount referred to 
in (1) from the date of deposit in the Treasury to the end of the fiscal 
year prior to the date of the enactment of this Act, compounded semi-
annually, calculated at a rate to be determined by the Secretary of the 
Treasury by estimating the average yield to maturity, on the basis of 
daily closing market bid quotations or prices during the month pre-
ceding the deposit on all outstanding marketable obligations of the 
United States having a maturity date of fifteen or more years from 
the first day of such month; and (3) an amount, at the end of each fis-
cal year after the date of the enactment of this Act, equal to the in-
terest calculated on the average daily balances in the fund during the 
Hscal year at a rate of 31^ per centum per annum. 
SEC. 2. There is hereby established the Permanent Committee for 
the Oliver Wendell Holmes Devise (hereinafter referred to as the 
Committee), to be composed of five members, one of whom shall be 
tlie Librarian of Congress, ex officio, \vho shall act as Chairman. 
The 
other four members shall be appointed by the President from four 
panels of three names each, one such panel to be submitted to him by 
each of the following: The Association of American Law Schools, 
The American Philosophical Society, The American Historical Asso-
ciation, and The Association of American Universities. 
The members 
shall serve eight-year terms, except that the initial appointees shall 
have terms of eight, six, four, and two years, respectively. 
Every ap-
pointment to fill a vacancy occurring whether by death, resignation, or 
expiration of a term shall be made in the same manner as the original 
appointments from such four panels submitted on each such occasion. 
No appointee may serve more than one term. 
SEC. 3. The members of the Committee shall serve without compen-
sation, but may be reimbursed for expenses incurred by them in carry-
ing out the duties of the Committee or in the alternative they may 
receive their transportation and not to exceed $20 per diem in lieu 
of subsistence. 
SEC. 4. The Committee shall devote the income and, to the extent 
the Committee deems it necessary and desirable, the principal of the 
fund to the first, and, in the discretion of the Committee, to the second 
and third, of the following objects: 
(a) To employ one or more scholars of distinction (with any appro-
priate assistants) to prepare a history of the Supreme Court of the 
United States, to defray the appropriate expenses of such scholars 
and assistants, and to finance the publication of such history. 
The 
Committee may select a single scholar to carry the work to completion, 
or a number or succession of scholars to complete it; may make any 
necessary employment contracts with such scholars and assistants of 
such terms and length as it determines; and shall have general super-
vision of the preparation of the history of the Supreme Court, in-
cluding discretion to adopt from time to time such arrangements as 
O l i v e r WendeU 
H o l m e s 
Devise 
Permanent Coiri-
Compen s a t i o n 
and expenses^ 
Use of moneys. 
H i s t o r y of Su-
preme Court. 
534 
PUBLIC LAW 247-AUG. 5, 1955 
[69 STAT. 
Lectures* 
M e m o r i a l 
ume« 
vol-
54 Stat. 1207. 
Gifts, etc. 
Employees. 
63 Stat. 954. 
5 u s e 10 71 note. 
V o l u n t a r y and 
coop erative s e rv-
ices. 
Expe n d i t u re s 
a n d 
d i s b u r s e -
ments. 
lend themselves best to the advancement of the preparation of such 
history and to the employment of distinguished scholars qualified to 
achieve the desired standards and independence in the work which 
they undertake. 
(b) To finance an annual lecture or series of lectures, at times and 
places determined by the Committee, to be given each year at a differ-
ent institution of higher learning in various parts of the country by a 
lecturer of distinction engaged by the Committee on a subject of his 
choice. The lectures shall be known as the Oliver Wendell Holmes 
Lectures. 
(c) To finance the preparation and publication of the memorial 
volume contemplated by section 2 of the Act of October 22, 1940 (54 
Stat. 1206) containing Justice Holmes' writings and other material. 
SEC. 5. The Committee is authorized to accept, receive, hold, and ad-
minister such gifts or bequests of money, securities, or other personal 
property as may be approved by the Committee, and it may sell or 
otherwise dispose of such securities or other personal property. 
All 
moneys received shall be paid into, administered, and expended as a 
part of the fund. 
SEC. 6. The Committee may employ, without regard to the civil-
service laws or the Classification Act of 1949, such employees as may 
be necessary in carrying out its functions. 
SEC. 7. The Committee may accept and utilize services of voluntary 
and uncompensated personnel and pay any such personnel when en-
gaged in the work of the Committee necessary travel and subsistence 
expenses or in the alternative, transportation and not to exceed $20 
per diem in lieu of subsistence; cooperate with legal, philosophical, 
and historical societies and institutions of learning; and call upon 
Federal agencies for their advice and assistance in carrying out its 
functions. 
Any Federal agency furnishing advice or assistance to 
the Committee may expend its own funds for this purpose, with or 
without reimbursement from the Committee as may be agreed upon 
by the Committee and the agency. 
The Committee, to such extent as 
it finds to be necessary, may, without regard to the laws or procedures 
applicable to Federal agencies, procure transportation, supplies, serv-
ices and property, and make contracts, and may exercise those powers 
that are necessary to enable it to carry out efficiently and in the public 
interest the purposes of this Act. 
SEC. 8. The Chairman, w^ith the approval of the Committee, is au-
thorized to determine the character and necessity of expenditures 
from the fund and the manner in which such expenditures are 
incurred, allowed and paid. 
Disbursements from the fund shall be 
made through the disbursing facilities of the Treasury Department. 
SEC. 9. All Acts or parts of Acts inconsistent with the provisions of 
this Act are hereby repealed to the extent of such inconsistency. 
Approved August 5, 1955. 
August 5, 1955 
[H. R. 2972] 
Public Law 247 
CHAPTER 573 
AN ACT 
To require the recordation of scrip, lieu selection, and similar rights. 
Land scrips. 
Recordation. 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled^ That any owner of, 
and any person claiming rights to, Valentine scrip, issued under the 
Act of April 5, 1872 (17 Stat. 649) ; Sioux Half-Breed scrip, issued 
under the Act of July 17, 1854 (10 Stat. 304) ; Supreme Court scrip, 
issued under the Acts of June 22, 1860 (12 Stat. 85), March 2, 1867