Edward Cochrane McLean (October 16,1903 –October 12,1972) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Born on October 16,1903,in Hoosick Falls,New York,McLean received an Artium Baccalaureus degree from Williams College in 1924 and a Bachelor of Laws from Harvard Law School in 1929. While at Harvard,he served on the Harvard Law Review with Lee Pressman and knew Alger Hiss. (In the mid-1930s,both Pressman and Hiss became members of the Ware Group,a Soviet underground apparatus founded by Harold Ware,succeeded by Whittaker Chambers). [1] [2] [3]
McLean served as a deputy assistant district attorney for New York County from 1935 to 1936,working for future Governor of New York Thomas E. Dewey,then the special rackets prosecutor. [1] [2] [3] He entered private practice in New York City from 1943 to 1962. He was a Judge of the Darien,Connecticut Probate Court from 1957 to 1962.
While in private practice with Debevoise,Plimpton and McLean (now Debevoise &Plimpton [4] ),McLean served on defense teams for Alger Hiss. He served as attorney of record for the Hiss libel suit as well as the first Hiss criminal trial and posted bail for Hiss after his indictment. His firm also coordinated finances for the trials (recorded in papers of common Harvard friend Richard H. Field [5] ). The trial team included Robert von Mehren,also new to Debevoise,Plimpton and McLean,as well as Harold Rosenwald,both fellow Harvard Law School graduates. McLean played a major role in locating the Hiss family's Woodstock typewriter that later contributed to Hiss' conviction. McLean continued to represent Hiss until he resigned by letter to Hiss on February 3,1950. [1] [2] [3] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13]
On April 3,1962,McLean was nominated by President John F. Kennedy to a seat on the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York vacated by Judge Edward Jordan Dimock. McLean was confirmed by the United States Senate on July 13,1962,and received his commission on August 24,1962. McLean served in that capacity until his death on October 12,1972. [1] [2] [3] [14]
McLean was a Republican,president of the Harvard Law School Association of New York City,and member of the Century Club. [1] McLean married Louise Delabarre Hunter (May 15,1906 –October 21,2004). They had two sons,Edward C. McLean Jr. and Alan H. McLean. [1] [15] [16] McLean died age 68 on October 12,1972,in New York City as he was entering the United States Court House at Foley Square. [1] [2] [3]
McLean's son,Edward Cochrane McLean,Jr. (1935–2010),also known at Ted McLean,was a litigation lawyer and partner at Chadbourne &Parke. [17] [18] He was born on June 23,1935,and attended Deerfield Academy,Princeton University (BA),and Harvard Law School (1960). He passed the bar in 1961. [17] [18] He served six months in the U.S. Army. [18] Then,he became a litigation attorney and partner of Chadbourne &Parke from 1961 (partner,1968) to 1994. [17] [18] Cases he litigated include:Sprayregen v. Livingston Oil Company (1968), [19] Martin Marietta Corp. v. Feder (1970), [20] Crane Co. v. Anaconda Co. (1975), [21] Air Transport Ass'n of America v. Federal Energy Office (1975), [22] Armstrong v. McAlpin (1978), [23] and Seibert v. Sperry Rand (1978) [24] [25] McLean served as committee chair on administrative law from 1971 to 1972 for the American Bar Association.[ citation needed ] He served on the New Castle,New York's Planning Board,Conservation Advisory Council,and Conservation Board. [17] [18] On November 25,1961,he married Jennifer Prescott (daughter of book critic Orville Prescott) and had two daughters and a son. [17] [18] [26]
Alger Hiss was an American government official accused in 1948 of having spied for the Soviet Union in the 1930s. Statutes of limitations had expired for espionage,but he was convicted of perjury in connection with this charge in 1950. Before the trial Hiss was involved in the establishment of the United Nations,both as a US State Department official and as a UN official. In later life,he worked as a lecturer and author.
Donald Hiss,also known as "Donie" and "Donnie",was the younger brother of Alger Hiss. Donald Hiss's name was mentioned during the 1948 hearings wherein his more famous and older brother,Alger,was accused of spying for the Soviet Union,and two years later convicted of perjury before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC).
Davis Polk &Wardwell LLP,better known as Davis Polk is a white-shoe,international law firm headquartered in New York City with 980 attorneys worldwide and offices in Washington,D.C.,Northern California,London,Madrid,Brussels,Hong Kong,Beijing,Tokyo,and São Paulo. Regarded as among the most prestigious law firms in the world,it has been dubbed the “Tiffany of law firms”for its genteel,white shoe culture. The firm is consistently recognized as a global leader in banking &financial services,capital markets,and mergers and acquisitions,regularly handling large and complex transactions. By profits per equity partner,it is the third most profitable law firm in the world.
Debevoise &Plimpton LLP is an international law firm headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1931 by Eli Whitney Debevoise and William Stevenson,the firm was originally named “Debevoise,Plimpton &McLean”. Debevoise specializes in private equity,financial services transactions,private funds,and international arbitration. In 2021,the firm assisted the Democratic Party in the second impeachment trial of Donald Trump. Debevoise consistently ranks among the most profitable law firms in the world on a per partner basis.
Thomas Francis Murphy was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Helen Lehman Buttenwieser was a 20th-century American lawyer,philanthropist,and later-life legal counselor of Alger Hiss.
Henry Warren Goddard was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Mary Jo White is an American attorney who served as the 31st chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) from 2013 to 2017. She was the first woman to be the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York,serving from 1993 to 2002. On January 24,2013,President Barack Obama nominated White to replace Elisse B. Walter as Chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. She was confirmed by the Senate on April 8,2013,and was sworn into office on April 10,2013. In 2014,she was listed as the 73rd most powerful woman in the world by Forbes.
John F. Davis was an American lawyer,law clerk,and law professor whose career included work on the defense team of Alger Hiss from 1948 to 1950" and ten years of service as the 14th Clerk of the Supreme Court of the United States from September 1,1961 to August 31,1970.
Laura Taylor Swain is the Chief United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Charles Edward Wyzanski Jr. was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts.
Eli Whitney Debevoise was a prominent New York lawyer who co-founded the law firm Debevoise &Plimpton and periodically served in a variety of high-profile government positions.
Paul Michael Bator was an American legal academic,Supreme Court advocate and expert on United States federal courts. In addition to teaching for almost 30 years at Harvard Law School and the University of Chicago Law School,Bator served as Deputy Solicitor General of the United States during the Reagan Administration.
Francis Taylor Pearsons Plimpton was an American diplomat,New York City lawyer,partner at the law firm Debevoise &Plimpton and a president of the New York City Bar Association.
William Edwards Stevenson was an American track and field athlete,lawyer and diplomat,who won the gold medal in the 4 ×400 metres relay at the 1924 Summer Olympics,and later served as the president of Oberlin College.
Robert Brandt von Mehren was an American lawyer. As a young lawyer in 1949,he participated in the Hiss-Chambers Case,and later became a leading expert in international arbitration in a career spent at the law firm of Debevoise &Plimpton.
William Luke Marbury Jr. was a prominent 20th-century American lawyer who practiced with his family's law firm of Marbury,Miller &Evans. He was known to be a childhood friend of alleged Soviet spy Alger Hiss.
John Lowenthal (1925-2003) was a 20th-century American lawyer,civil servant,law professor,and documentary filmmaker,who defended the name and reputation of family friend Alger Hiss almost all his life.
Harold Rosenwald was a 20th-century American lawyer,best known for working on the defense team of Alger Hiss during 1949 and in the prosecution of Louisiana governor Huey Long.
Andrew J. Ceresney is an American lawyer at Debevoise &Plimpton and a former government official who served as director of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's Division of Enforcement.