Billings Learned Hand (1872-1961), American jurist, was a senior judge of the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals that had jurisdiction over Vermont, Connecticut, and districts of New York.

Learned Hand was born in Albany, N.Y., on Jan. 27, 1872. His father was a leading New York lawyer. At Harvard University, Hand majored in philosophy and graduated with highest honors and a Phi Beta Kappa key. As the editor of the Harvard Advocate, he had developed a strong leaning toward writing which showed later in his stylistically brilliant judicial decisions.

Hand remained in Cambridge to take his master's degree in philosophy in 1894. But pressure to become a lawyer was inevitable because there were so many lawyers in the family. In 2 years, during which he was editor of the Harvard Law Review, Hand earned his degree from the Harvard Law School.

By 1902 the young, vibrant lawyer had had his fill of...