Initial attempts to create a law school at the College of New Jersey (as Princeton University was then known) were unsuccessful. The College trustees appointed a committee to hire a law professor in 1824, but the first two choices (Richard Stockton ‘1779 and John Van Cleve ‘1797) both died before they could begin classes. In 1835 James Kent declined to take the position offered, as did Justice Smith Thompson, Theodore Frelinghuysen, and retired governor Samuel L. Southard ‘1804 in 1839.

After these unsuccessful attempts, the College finally established a law school in 1846. The school boasted three prominent professors, James S. Green, a U.S. attorney; Richard Stockton Field ‘1821, the New Jersey Attorney General; and Joseph C. Hornblower, the retired Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court. Field built the law school building at his own expense on a piece of his family’s land and named it Ivy Hall. The building, now maintained by Trinity Episcopal Church, still stands in Princeton at its original location on Mercer Street facing Alexander Road .

The law school was largely independent from the College. The College could not afford to contribute any funding to the law school, and it did not intervene in curriculum or degree decisions. None of the law faculty ever attended even a single faculty meeting at the College. Law students were allowed, however, to attend chapel and lectures at the College and use its library.

The professors designed the program to be completed in three years, although it could be finished in two. On the recommendation of the law faculty, the College awarded a bachelor of laws degree to students who had completed the program. Seven law students graduated before instruction at the law school was discontinued, due to lack of funds, in 1852. The school officially closed in 1855.

In 1871 the trustees instructed the business committee to look into reviving the law school, but the issue did not receive serious attention. In 1890 President Francis Landey Patton remarked to a gathering of alumni, “We have Princeton philosophy, Princeton theology, but we have to go to Harvard and Columbia for our law. Gentlemen, that is a shame. Just as soon as I find a man with a half a million, I am going to found a law school.” Nothing came of this pronouncement either, probably because a man with half a million never showed up. Patton’s successor, Woodrow Wilson (who was elevated to the presidency from his position as professor of jurisprudence), also wanted to start a law school, but was too busy battling faculty, trustees, and alumni over the graduate school and the residential college plan to concentrate on forming a new school.

World War I clouded hopes of acquiring a law school in New York City in 1918, but a proposal to create a law school was seriously considered from 1923 to 1925. However, in 1926 the idea was abandoned in order to conserve funds. Professor John Dickinson’s proposal for a law school in 1929 received little attention. On the recommendation of President William G. Bowen in 1974, the trustees appointed a committee to determine the resources necessary to establish a law school. The president and the trustees decided, after the committee issued its report, that Princeton ought to focus on maintaining the quality of its current programs instead of adding new ones during that time of fiscal insecurity.

Princeton University is a private institution that was founded in 1746. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 5,422, its setting is suburban, and the campus size is 600 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Princeton University’s ranking in the 2021 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, #1. Its tuition and fees are $53,890.

The Princeton School of Public and International Affairs is known for its tight-knit community, and your place within it lasts a lifetime.

Our alumni are role models who inspire current students, sharing their social networks, ideas, insights, and career advice. Some return to campus as visiting lecturers, guest speakers, practitioners-in-residence, and career panelists. Others are prospective employers, making internships and jobs available to current students.

Some alumni influence change at the School by serving as members of its Advisory Council or as Annual Giving class agents. Others become recommenders for applicants to the School’s graduate degree programs or donate to new initiatives.

Career Development

The Graduate Career Development and Alumni Relations office is available to assist graduate alumni on the job market and those who would like to help current graduate students in their job or internship searches and/or professional development.

Below are helpful resources to begin your search. 

• Schedule appointments (contact Madeline Hehir to schedule a meeting with Barbara A. Hampton, Director of Career Services)
• View current jobs newsletter (requires alumni login)
• Subscribe to our jobs newsletter
• Post a iob or internship on our private website for students and alumni
• Recruiting opportunities (see For Employers section)
• Career websites and organizations

Community Connections

The School makes it easy to stay connected with other alumni. The first step is joining the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs Graduate Alumni Community on LinkedIn, where alumni can connect with more than 3,500 graduates and current students at the School.