Felix Frankfurter's influence over his former students -- the so-called "happy hot dogs" who served as the footsoldiers of the New Deal -- has long been debated. Largely overlooked is the question of how Frankfurter impressed upon his proteges his beliefs, when they were actually his students at the Harvard Law School. This article fills that void, examining Professor Frankfurter's social and political philosophies, and exploring the methods he used to transmit these ideas to his students. Especially when it becomes clear that Frankfurter's "control" over his former students during the New Deal years was less extensive, or at least of a different character than is popularly imagined, the importance of understanding the ideas and techniques of Frankfurter the teacher, the molder of minds, is underscored.The full article is available here. The author has a week or so to make changes before the article goes to press and has personally invited LHB readers to send (here) thoughts and comments.
Monday, December 2, 2013
Raman, "Felix Frankfurter and the 'Happy Hot Dogs'"
Sujit Raman has posted "Felix Frankfurter and the 'Happy Hot Dogs': A Case Study in Personality and Influence." It is forthcoming in the Journal of Supreme Court History (Spring 2014). Here's the abstract: