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1927 BOSTON UNIVERSITY YEARBOOK — HAROLD STRAUCH, HARTFORD — MALLOY v. HOGAN U.S. SUPREME COURT CONNECTION
Offered here is an original 1927 Boston University yearbook, The Hub, featuring Harold Strauch of Hartford, Connecticut.
This copy has been extensively researched because later court and archival records document a Harold Strauch of Hartford who became a Connecticut attorney and ultimately argued the landmark constitutional case Malloy v. Hogan, 378 U.S. 1 (1964), before the Supreme Court of the United States.
FROM BOSTON UNIVERSITY TO HARTFORD LAW
The yearbook provides the starting point:
Harold Strauch — Boston University — Hartford, Connecticut — 1927
Subsequent historical records establish a Hartford attorney named Harold Strauch practicing law for decades.
Research has located Hartford municipal records documenting Attorney Harold Strauch representing clients in local proceedings, as well as later Connecticut court decisions identifying him as counsel.
By the 1950s, Harold Strauch was appearing in cases before the Connecticut Supreme Court.
MALLOY v. HOGAN
The most significant chapter of Strauch's documented legal career came through his representation of William Malloy.
In the 1963 Connecticut Supreme Court decision Malloy v. Hogan, 150 Conn. 220, the published record identifies:
“Harold Strauch, Hartford, for appellant (plaintiff).”
The case then reached the Supreme Court of the United States.
On March 5, 1964, Harold Strauch argued Malloy's case before the Court.
The published U.S. Supreme Court record identifies:
“Harold Strauch, Hartford, Conn., for petitioner.”
The record further establishes that Strauch argued the cause and filed a brief for the petitioner.
The case was decided on June 15, 1964 as:
Malloy v. Hogan, 378 U.S. 1 (1964)
A LANDMARK CONSTITUTIONAL CASE
Malloy v. Hogan became an important decision in American constitutional law.
The Supreme Court held that the Fifth Amendment privilege against compulsory self-incrimination applies to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment.
The case remains part of the history surrounding the constitutional right against self-incrimination.
AN ADDITIONAL HISTORICAL CONNECTION
An unusual later reference appears in the 1968 Congressional Record in a dramatic presentation concerning the Bill of Rights and Malloy v. Hogan.
The presentation specifically identifies Harold Strauch as Malloy's lawyer and discusses Strauch's role in the events that led to the case.
This provides another period source recognizing Strauch's connection with the historically significant litigation.
THE HISTORICAL TRAIL
Research currently establishes this compelling progression:
1927
Harold Strauch appears in this Boston University yearbook with a Hartford, Connecticut connection.
↓
↓
1950s
Harold Strauch appears as counsel in Connecticut appellate litigation.
↓
1963
Harold Strauch of Hartford represents William Malloy before the Connecticut Supreme Court.
↓
1964
Harold Strauch argues Malloy v. Hogan before the Supreme Court of the United States.
IMPORTANT RESEARCH DISCLOSURE
The historical connection is compelling, but it is important to distinguish evidence from assumption.
Research has established the same uncommon name, Hartford location, appropriate chronology, legal career and later Supreme Court advocacy.
However, I have not located a single surviving Boston University alumni, obituary, or other biographical record explicitly stating that the Harold Strauch appearing in this 1927 yearbook is the same Harold Strauch who later argued Malloy v. Hogan.
Accordingly, the identification is offered as a strongly supported historical connection rather than an absolutely proven genealogical identification.
Prospective buyers are encouraged to review the research and conduct their own investigation.
COLLECTOR INTEREST
This is an unusual research piece for collectors of:
• U.S. Supreme Court history
• Malloy v. Hogan
• Fifth Amendment and constitutional history
• Connecticut legal history
• Hartford history
• Boston University history
• Boston University School of Law history
• Historic attorneys and advocates
• Legal ephemera
• Vintage university yearbooks
If the identification is ultimately confirmed through additional alumni or biographical documentation, this yearbook would preserve an exceptionally early record of Harold Strauch approximately 37 years before his argument before the United States Supreme Court.
CONDITION
Original 1927 Boston University yearbook.
This is an approximately 100-year-old book and shows age and handling consistent with its period. Please examine all photographs closely for the exact condition of the covers, binding, pages, photographs, inscriptions and contents.
All photographs are considered part of the description.
RESEARCH
The accompanying historical research draws upon published Connecticut court decisions, Hartford archival material, the Congressional Record and records of the United States Supreme Court.
An unusual opportunity to acquire an original 1927 Boston University artifact with a compelling and extensively researched connection to a significant U.S. Supreme Court case.
