Harry Blackmun

1908- 1999

Supreme Court Justice

Harry Blackmun was born on November 12, 1908 in NashvilleIllinois. He grew ups in St Paul Minnesota. He was a graduate of both Harvard College and Harvard School of Law. Plucked from relative obscurity by Richard Nixon to fill the seat of Abe Fortas, who had resigned, Blackmun ultimately moved from a relatively conservative posture on the Court to the center, and finally to the more liberal wing. He is perhaps best known for authoring the controversial decision which legalized abortion,
Roe v. Wade.