Charles W. Hoffman | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 1st Dean of Georgetown University Law Center | |
| In office 1877–1891 | |
| Succeeded by | Martin Morris |
| 2nd Law Librarian of Congress | |
| In office 1873–1886 | |
| Preceded by | Charles Henry Wharton Meehan |
| Succeeded by | George F. Curtis |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1829 |
| Died | 1896 (aged 66–67) Frederick,Maryland |
Charles W. Hoffman (1829 [1] - 1896 [2] ) was a founder of the Georgetown University Law Center and its first dean. Hoffman also served as the second Law Librarian of Congress. [3]
Hoffman is widely viewed as one of the three primary founders of Georgetown's law school alongside Hubley Ashton and Charles James in 1870. [1] A lawyer by trade,Hoffman served as the school's first secretary and treasurer in its early years of operation, [1] and oversaw rapid growth of its initial classes. [4] He also played a role in recruiting sitting Supreme Court Justice Samuel Miller to serve as the school's sole salaried professor in 1873,and he helped found the school's Moot Court in 1875. [4]
In 1877,Georgetown University President Patrick Healy established the Office of the Dean and asked Hoffman to serve in the role. [4] Hoffman accepted and served as the school's first dean until 1891,when he was replaced by long-serving faculty member Martin Morris. [5]
Hoffman also served as a professor of various subjects at Georgetown College both before and after the Civil War. [1]
Hoffman served for thirteen years as the Law Librarian of Congress,much of it while he was Dean of Georgetown Law. [6] He became the second person appointed to the Law Librarian position when he was selected in 1873 by Ainsworth Spofford,the Librarian of Congress. [2]
Hoffman's tenure was marked by the growth and professionalization of the Law Library,which was a small space still located inside the U.S. Capitol Building at the end of the nineteenth century. [3] The role of Law Librarian was granted floor privileges by the U.S. House of Representatives in 1880 and by the U.S. Senate in 1884. [3]
Hoffman served as Law Librarian until 1886,when he resigned from the role. The Washington Post reported that his resignation was due to “mental trouble”suffered after the loss of his mother. [2]
Hoffman never married and lived for many years on Capitol Hill. [2] According to his obituary,he collected antique furniture and was known to host parties attended by prominent legal figures including Supreme Court Justice Stephen Field. [2] Hoffman later lived with his mother at 927 Massachusetts Avenue in Washington,D.C. [2]
Hoffman died of pneumonia in 1896 in Frederick,Maryland,where he had relatives. He left behind an estate of approximately $80,000,worth $2.61 million in 2021 dollars. [2]
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