Richard D. (Richard Dudley) Currier

Born on August 25, 1877, Richard Dudley Currier studied at Yale, attended Boston University Law School, and earned his LL.B. from New York Law School in 1902. He began practicing law in New York City soon afterward, combining legal work with a strong interest in education.

In 1908, he founded the New Jersey Law School, which Rutgers now describes as the first law school in New Jersey. Under his leadership, the school grew quickly and offered a practical, business-oriented legal education, including evening classes that opened the door to many students balancing work and study. A 1935 school history also credits him with helping organize Dana College and the Seth Boyden School of Business, showing how wide his ambitions were for higher education in Newark.

Currier also wrote and edited legal teaching materials, including Cases on Torts, Negotiable Instruments, and Commercial Law. Those books fit his larger career: he seems to have been deeply interested in making the law usable, teachable, and connected to everyday professional life.