Remembering a Law Librarian Who Forgot Nothing

In 1857 the United States Supreme Court hired John F. N. Wilkinson, an African American man, as a custodian to dust the books and perform some maintenance in the court's law library, which was created by a Congressional Act on July 14, 1832. Wilkinson rose to become the assistant law librarian, praised by the Librarian of Congress for his "exact memory" of all the books in the library and the people who came to use them as well as for his "prompt, simple, and respectful service."

When Wilkinson started, the library collection was limited by the small room it was housed in on the west side of the U.S. Capitol. Three years later, however, the law library moved into the much larger room now restored as the Old Supreme Court Chamber. This allowed the collection to continue expanding until the books were literally stacked up into the rafters of the spectacular half dome ceiling designed by Architect of the Capitol Benjamin Latrobe.

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John F. N. Wilkinson, who served as the Assistant Law Librarian, was known for his memory of over 80,000 books that enabled him to retrieve the correct one with "the precision of a Swiss bell-ringer."

The construction of the Old Supreme Court Chamber in 1810 was a significant architectural achievement. The size and structure of its vaulted, semicircular ceiling were virtually unprecedented in the United States. The ceiling divided what had been a three-story space into an upper two-story room that the Senate moved into and a lower one-story room that the Supreme Court moved into. When the court moved from its chamber from the cramped room on the west side of the U.S. Capitol into the lower room, it allowed the law library to move into the court's former chamber.

A masterpiece of architecture and engineering, the unusual ceiling of the old chamber is formed by nine lobed vaults held by stone ribs supported by heavy brick piers and a three-bay arcade. It was daring to attempt such a ceiling over a one-story room and clever for not using the old walls for support. It is one of Latrobe's most admired achievements.

In 1860, when the Senate moved to its current chamber, the court again moved into the Senate's former chamber, the two-story upper room created by Latrobe's ceiling. This enabled the law library to move into the former court chambers downstairs.

It was in this magnificent space that Wilkinson served almost all of his library career and rose to the level of assistant law librarian. For approximately 30 years, as thousands of books were added to the collection, the law library had no catalog. Justices, lawyers and other researchers had to rely on Wilkinson's knowledge of the collection to find the information they needed.

Finally, when the collection reached 80,000 volumes, Law Librarian George F. Curtis requested funds from Congress for a catalog. Curtis explained that Wilkinson's "remarkable memory [...] for the multitudinous titles of the law books has in part made up for the lack of catalogues."

Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper reported that Wilkinson "carries this whole library in his head." Describing Wilkinson's "perfect familiarity" with legal literature and cases, the article described his actions retrieving books as having "the precision of a Swiss bell-ringer."

Fortunately for all those who depended on his expertise, Wilkinson only missed one day due to sickness during his entire 55-year career. He was eulogized at his funeral by the Librarian of Congress, Herbert Putnam, and fondly remembered by the Washington Bee, one of the most influential African-American newspapers:

In the death of John Francis Wilkinson this community loses a highly respected and honorable citizen. . . . Members of the bar in this city, and all parts of the country, who had occasion to consult the law books in the library of the Supreme Court, have testified time and again to the helpful assistance rendered them by Mr. Wilkinson. . . . Many years ago he took an active interest in all matters affecting the welfare of the race, and while not pushing himself prominently to the front, remained a positive force, to be relied upon by the fraternal organizations to which he belonged. . . . [He] belonged to that rare set of colored leaders in this city, who accomplished great things without notice and the blare of trumpets—things affecting the education needs of the race as well as their civil and political rights. . . .

Today we remember Wilkinson as a pioneer whose remarkable career adds to the history of the U.S. Capitol Building where he served.

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(ca. 1895) Law Library of the Library of Congress in the U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C. Washington D.C, ca. 1895. [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2004673015/.

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Cushman, C. (2022, March 11). Scotus scoops: John Francis Nicholas Wilkinson: Remarkable law librarian: SCHS. Supreme Court Historical Society. Retrieved January 26, 2023, from https://supremecourthistory.org/scotus-scoops/john-francis-nicholas-wilkinson-law-librarian/.