Some Memories of a Long Life, 1854-1911

by Malvina Shanklin Harlan

Book Overview

The wife of Supreme Court justice John Marshall Harlan describes such seminal events as the Civil War, the end of slavery, and various Supreme Court decisions influenced by her own everyday life and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0679642625
• ISBN13: 9780679642626
• Release Date: May 2002
• Publisher: Modern Library
• Length: 270 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 4.9" x 7.7"

Customer Reviews

Reflections on Some Memories of a Long Life

Harlan, Malvina Shanklin. Some Memories of a Long Life, 1854-1911. New York: Mondern Day Library, 2001. This volume was unearthed by Ruth Bader Ginsberg in the Library of Congress amoung the papers concerning the life of Chief Justice Harlan. In this book Mrs. Harlan discusses the time that she lived with her husband. They married and took up house, initially with his family, in 1854 and she and her husband lived together until his death in 1911. She wrote this account of their life after the fact- looking back on their time together. There are some exceptions where she referenced early diary entries, letters and various reports made on events that affected them. To me this was a lovely book that gave an interesting account of the day to day life of the wife of a Supreme Court Justice. She addresses many things that you would simply have no way of knowing about the time period. She does not get very personal in her account, but I think that is true to form for the time period. You hear nothing of her children when they are young except to point out when they were present for certain events. Some of the details of daily life I assume were too intimate to discuss. She offers an interesting perspective of courtship for a woman of her time and also an interesting perspective of the expansion of women's rights. She views herself as an old fashined woman with little ability of her own when honors are bestowed upon her. For instance in 1908 she was invited to represent Kentucky, her husband's home state, for the International Child's Welfare Convention. She accepts the appointment and replys this way: Ye'd scarce accept on of my age to speak in public on the stage; But while I think ye'd better wait And make a "New Woman" your diligate, I'll try to be there, my Governor dear,-- Though for Kentucky t'will not seem quite clear She'll be ripresented at all to her mind, The choice of your old friend is considered kind; And she'll do her best (of that ye'll be sure) And signs herself, "Yours till death." Mrs. Harlan lead an interesting life. In her time she witnessed the Civil War and the beginnings of World War I. She was an intimate witness to many historic cases heard by the Supreme Court. Mrs. Harlan had an extremly interesting perspective because of her husband's public life. This was a very interesting book to read; it offers a window through which to peer at this long life of Mrs. Malvina Shanklin Harlan, a very interesting woman indeed.