[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 24 (Wednesday, February 13, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S984-S985]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SENATE RESOLUTION 451--HONORING THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF RAWLE AND HENDERSON
LLP, ON ITS 225TH ANNIVERSARY AND ON BEING RECOGNIZED AS THE OLDEST LAW
FIRM IN CONTINUOUS PRACTICE IN THE UNITED STATES
Mr. SPECTER (for himself and Mr. Casey) submitted the following
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
S. Res. 451
Whereas the law firm of Rawle and Henderson LLP has
established and maintained a firm of national distinction
whose reputation is based upon the notable accomplishments of
its founders and its commitment to providing quality legal
services to its clients;
Whereas Rawle and Henderson LLP celebrates 225 years of
legal service in 2008, initiated by 5 generations of a family
and expanded to over 100 attorneys in 8 offices and 5 states;
Whereas Rawle and Henderson attorneys throughout the last
225 years have served both the civic and legal community in
the capacity of elected officials, as well as appointed and
elected judges on the Federal and State benches;
Whereas William Rawle, who founded his practice in
Philadelphia in 1783, was inspired by the innovation of the
Revolutionary era and his notable contemporaries, such as
Benjamin Franklin;
Whereas William Rawle actively participated in the
ideological revolution as well, serving as chancellor of the
Associated Members of the Bar of Philadelphia, and was
elected to the American Philosophical Society and helped
found the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts;
Whereas William Rawle was made a Trustee by the University
of Pennsylvania in 1796, a position he served with ``zeal and
punctuality'';
Whereas William Rawle's son, William Rawle, Jr., joined the
office in 1810, along with his brother William Henry, who
eventually assumed his father's position in the firm;
Whereas William Henry Rawle received his degree from the
University of Pennsylvania, and published articles such as
the ``Practical Treatise on the Law of Covenants for Title'',
which was accepted as a legal authority throughout the Union
and in England;
Whereas William Henry Rawle was also invited to speak to
the law department of his alma mater, the University of
Pennsylvania, and in 1884 he appeared before a joint session
of Congress to deliver a speech honoring Chief Justice John
Marshall;
Whereas William Henry Rawle served as vice president of the
Law Association of Philadelphia, and was noted by George
Washington Biddle for his ``intellectual strength and
brilliancy of expression'';
Whereas William Rawle's grandson Francis Rawle, the next
leader of the Rawle law offices, attended Harvard College,
began his law career in 1873, and was one of the founders of
the American Bar Association and its first secretary and
treasurer, later becoming its president in 1902;
Whereas Francis Rawle was a prolific author who gained
national recognition with his revision of Bouvier's Law
Dictionary, the publication of which coincided with the
centennial of the Rawle firm in 1883, and he served as a
delegate from the American Bar Association to the London
Conference for Reform and Codification of the Law of Nations
in 1887;
Whereas Colonel William Brooke Rawle, nephew of William
Henry, served his country with distinction during the Civil
War, entering the Union Army as Second Lieutenant, Third
Pennsylvania Cavalry, was commended by his cousin Francis
Rawle for his service, and went on to earn a master's degree
from the University of Pennsylvania in 1866 and to join the
family firm a year later, remaining the head of the office
until his death in 1915;
Whereas Joseph W. Henderson joined the Rawle firm upon
graduation from Harvard Law School, expanding the firm's
reputation for legal excellence and eventually becoming a
partner in 1917;
Whereas, in similar fashion to his colleagues, Joseph
Henderson reached a position of considerable power in the
Philadelphia Bar Association and became chairman of the
Association's Board of Governors in 1936;
Whereas Joseph Henderson carried on the firm's tradition of
leadership upon the passing of Francis Rawle, and oversaw 2
other significant additions, George Brodhead and Tom Mount,
who worked in trusts and estates and the admiralty business,
respectively;
Whereas Joseph Henderson continued to lead the firm with
landmark cases in the area of ship owner liability, arguing
many of them before the Supreme Court;
Whereas the Rawle and Henderson firm has evolved into one
of the leading legal firms in the country, employing a
racially and socioeconomically diverse staff, and has a
number of attorneys honored as ``Super Lawyers'' in
Pennsylvania; and
Whereas, supported upon the integrity of its founders and
the numerous accomplishments of the Rawle family and of
Joseph W. Henderson, the firm of Rawle and Henderson is
primed to extend its history and tradition of legal
innovation into a future of continued prominence: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) commemorates the achievement of Rawle and Henderson LLP
on its 225th anniversary and on being recognized as the
oldest law firm in continuous practice in the United States;
and
(2) salutes the profound legacy the attorneys of Rawle and
Henderson LLP have provided to the civic and legal community
of Pennsylvania and the Nation.
Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I seek recognition to congratulate the
firm of Rawle and Henderson LLP on its 225th anniversary, and on being
recognized as the oldest law firm in continuous practice in the U.S.
Five generations of the Rawle family have established and maintained
a firm that has expanded to over a hundred attorneys in eight offices
and five States. Rawle and Henderson attorneys have served as elected
officials in both the civic and legal community throughout the past 225
years, and have served as appointed and elected judges on the Federal
and State benches.
Inspired by Benjamin Franklin's accomplishments, William Rawle
founded his practice in Philadelphia in 1783. His two sons followed
their father's example, joining the practice in 1810. Joseph W.
Henderson, a graduate of Harvard Law School, joined the firm in 1917,
expanding the firm's reputation for legal excellence, and arguing
numerous landmark cases before the Supreme Court. The Rawle and
Henderson firm continues to prosper in 2008, employing a
[[Page S985]]
racially and socioeconomically diverse staff.
The exceptional individuals who have founded and expanded the Rawle
and Henderson firm into the prestigious organization it is today should
be honored for their achievements. Their service has greatly benefited
the civic and legal community of Pennsylvania and the U.S. I am
confident that the Rawle and Henderson firm will continue to match
their predecessors' commendable accomplishments for years to come.
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