Robert H. Jackson, public servant.

• Author: Meese, Edwin

In the case of Robert H. Jackson, the words "public servant" describes a man devoted to the best interests of his profession, his community, and his Nation. Throughout his career, Jackson demonstrated the highest standards of the legal profession. As a successful lawyer in private practice, as a government official, as a Justice of the Supreme Court, and as an international prosecutor, he distinguished himself by his outstanding legal skills, his powerful advocacy, and his dedication to his work. These aspects of his professionalism were complemented by the highest qualities of character and integrity.

Most writings about Justice Jackson have emphasized his service on the United States Supreme Court or his performance as United States Chief Counsel for the war crimes trials at Nuremberg. Much less is generally known about his twenty years as a general practitioner or his several appointments to important posts in the Executive Branch of the federal government.

Robert Jackson practiced law in Jamestown, New York, where he gained a reputation as a highly effective trial lawyer. In a tribute to him by Judge Michael Keasler of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, Jackson was described as:

[T]he advocate at his best. He possessed the rare combination of a good jury personality and the qualities of a profound lawyer. He knew how to talk persuasively to a jury of Chautauqua County farmers, yet he could argue the points of law involved in the case with great learning and with unanswerable logic, either before the trial judge or an appellate court. He had high standards of craftsmanship as a lawyer; he was thorough and painstaking in preparation. (1) During his early practice, Jackson represented many corporations and businesses, which provided him with the knowledge and experience he would later use as a top regulatory official in the federal government. But he always remembered that our justice system was not merely a dry collection of laws and judicial decisions, but that lawyers and judges had to consider the effect their actions would have on the lives of real people. This understanding was particularly significant in his later role as Attorney General and in his views as a Justice on the Supreme Court.

Jackson was active in bar association affairs, both locally within New York State and nationally in the American Bar Association and the American Law Institute. He was also influential in Democratic Party politics, where he came to the attention...