Dusty Treasure

I was dusting off my bookshelves this morning and became reacquainted with an old book my mom gave me immediately preceding my first year in law school.  It’s a first edition Letters to a Young Lawyer by Arthur M. Harris.  I always treasured the book for its contents, but paid little attention to the handwriting on the title page.  In pencil on the inside page it reads To “Ray I. Klingbiel” and the handwritten year “1924.”  Despite being admitted to practice law in Illinois, I confess I had no idea who Ray Klingbiel was and simply Googled his name out of curiosity.  It turns out, Ray Klingbiel was the Chief Justice of Illinois in 1956-57 and again from 1964 to 1967.  It appears this book belonged to Justice Klingbiel – the year 1924 is the year I understand he graduated from law school.  I’m delighted to think that Justice Klingbiel was probably given the book as a graduation gift by his parents or other family member.  Unfortunately, it appears Justice Klingbiel didn’t take the book to heart – he was ultimately forced to resign from the bench after allegedly accepting a bribe.  A book has been written on the subject:  Illinois Justice: The Scandal of 1969 and the Rise of John Paul Stevens.  Kenneth A. Manaster (University of Chicago Press, 2001).  I’ve always loved the book and now find it even more interesting.