Francis L. (Francis Lewis) Wellman

Born in Massachusetts in 1854, Francis Lewis Wellman studied at Harvard College and Harvard Law School, where he graduated as valedictorian. He went on to build his career in New York, serving in public legal work before becoming a prominent trial attorney.

Wellman is best remembered for bringing the drama and craft of the courtroom onto the page. His best-known book, The Art of Cross-Examination (1903), drew on his own experience as well as famous trials and lawyers of his era, making it both a practical guide and a lively portrait of legal practice.

He died in 1942, but his reputation lasted well beyond his lifetime. For many readers, his work remains a window into the style, strategy, and personality of American courtroom advocacy at the turn of the twentieth century.