Bookworm #69: Author Conversation with Margaret A. Leary

The Clements Bookworm Author Conversation with Margaret A. Leary, librarian emerita at the University of Michigan Law School and author of "Giving It All Away: The Story of William W. Cook and His Michigan Law Quadrangle."
William W. Cook (1858-1930), a graduate of the University of Michigan and of its law school, made his fortune by investing in the burgeoning telegraph and communications industry, as well as in representing the Mackay Company in their frequent tumultuous battles with Western Union and the U.S. government. Though Cook entered New York society and never returned to Michigan after receiving his law degree, he decided not just to give his alma mater the finest physical facility of any existing law school, but to donate permanent resources that would permit the law school to engage in groundbreaking legal research. However, his generosity proved controversial and eventually very litigious. Margaret A. Leary places Cook's story in the rich social and cultural context of his time and paints a fascinating portrait of a complex figure whose legacy continues to shape the University of Michigan.
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Original air date: July 19, 2024