John R. (John Randolph) Dos Passos

Born in Philadelphia in 1844, John Randolph Dos Passos served as a drummer boy for the Union during the Civil War, studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1865. He moved to New York City in 1867, where he built a successful legal career and became especially known for criminal defense work before turning more heavily toward corporate and brokerage law.

He wrote extensively as both a lawyer and public commentator. His Treatise on the Law of Stockbrokers and Stock Exchanges from 1882 became a standard legal work, and he was also associated with the early development of the modern trust company. Other books included The American Lawyer and The Anglo-Saxon Century and the Unification of the English-Speaking People, showing how wide his interests ranged beyond courtroom practice.

Dos Passos died in 1917, but he remains notable not only for his own career in American law and letters, but also as the father of novelist John Dos Passos. His story brings together public debate, legal history, and the energy of Gilded Age New York.