History Moments Roscoe Pound

Nathan Roscoe Pound may be known in Nebraska as Louise Pound's older brother, but nationally, he is the better known sibling. He earned his Bachelor's, Master's and Doctorate degrees in botany from the University of Nebraska. From there, he went to Harvard to study law, but after 1 year he returned to Nebraska and opened his own practice. He was admitted to the Nebraska bar without a law degree. From 1899-1907 Roscoe taught law at the University of Nebraska, serving as dean the last four years. In 1910 he became a professor of law at Harvard, and six years later he became dean of Harvard Law School until his retirement in 1936. From there, he stayed on as a professor and was Harvard's first professor with a license to teach any subject at the university. By the time of his death at age 93 Pound held 200 honorary degrees. He was inducted into the Nebraska Hall of Fame in 1975.