Collections : [University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library]

Francis Allen was a professor at the University of Michigan Law School, from 1962 to 1986, and dean of the Law School, from 1966 to 1971. He also taught at Northwestern University, Harvard, the University of Chicago, and the University of Florida. He was chairman of the Attorney General's Commission on Poverty and the Administration of Federal Criminal Justice (1963), and took part in the psychosurgery court case Kaimowitz vs. Department of Mental Health for the State of Michigan, 1972-1979. Papers include a biography and bibliography, correspondence, published and unpublished works, court proceedings of the psychosurgery trial, speeches, other court documents, as well as sample examinations from his various law school courses.

The Francis A. Allen Papers are composed of professional and personal documents spanning 1940-2006, with the majority of the documents dating between 1950-2000. The bulk of the papers (roughly 50 percent) are correspondence, including professional, academic, and personal documents. The next biggest sub-set is a sampling of some of his published works as well as unpublished works. There are also documents from court cases he was involved in, speeches he delivered over the course of his career, and samples of student examinations he gave while teaching as a law school professor.

Records of the Law School document the evolution of legal education at the University of Michigan as well as tenures of various deans and faculty. Documentation includes historical and class files; student organizations and activities; planning and construction of Law School buildings; information on William W. Cook and his bequest; topical files; deans' correspondence; reports and minutes. Also included are materials related to the Thomas M Cooley and William W. Cook lecture series and portraits of faculty and students, photographs of activities of the Judge Advocate General's School held at the Law School during World War II, the construction of the Law Quadrangle and Law Library addition, and student activities.

The Law School Records begin in 1852 and span the years through the end of the twentieth century. The records document the history of legal education at the University of Michigan, the administration of the Law School, and the lives of some of the scholars who have studied and taught there.

The physical arrangement of the records reflects the various accessions of material that have been received from the Law School over the years. This finding aid is structured to reflect the intellectual organization of the records - continuing series and like materials have been brought together regardless of when the records were transferred to the library. The Summary Contents List provides and overview of the organization of the records.

There are eight major series in the record group: Historical and Class Files (1865-1974); Deans of the Law School (1852-1999); Faculty Files (1859-1994); Student Files (1894-1996); Law Quadrangle and William W. Cook, (1919-1938); Law School Lecture Series; Committee of Visitors and Audio/Visual Materials.