JOHN HOWARD MANSFIELD

MANSFIELD, John Howard Of Brookline, MA, died on April 10, 2014 at the age of 85. He was the John Watson Professor of Law (Emeritus) at Harvard Law School. Beloved husband of Maria Luisa Fernandez y Espinosa and loving brother of Charlotte Mansfield Murphy, Mary Elinor "Polly" Mansfield Post, and Diana Mansfield Russell. Son of the late Lewis Mansfield and Elinor Perkins of Boston. John was spiritual and intellectually active Roman Catholic, for fifty years he attended Saint Paul Church in Cambridge. Since 2012 he attended Saint Mary of the Assumption Parish in Brookline. John H. Mansfield earned his A.B. from Harvard College and his L.L.B. from Harvard Law School. He then served as clerk for Justice Royer Traynor of the Supreme Court of California and Justice Felix Frankfurter. He joined the faculty of Harvard Law School in 1958, retiring in 2008. He was completely dedicated to the Harvard Law School, where he worked for a half-century. He left a profound mark on the school, as well as on every student he taught and advised. Many of his much-loved foreign students have kept in touch with him and his wife over many years. He was, indeed, a member of the last great generation, together with his friends and colleagues Mark Howe, Philip Areeda and David Westfall. To be well prepared, on time, and appropriately dressed for class came naturally to John. His work in comparative and interdisciplinary areas put him in the avant-garde of legal thought. Professor Mansfield was known for his brilliant courses in constitutional law, evidence, and issues of church and state. As James A. Sonne wrote in The Harvard Law School Bulletin (Fall 2008): In his scholarship, he has written landmark works on the jury system, scientific evidence, law and religion, and legal history, and has written extensively on the law of India. All his work shows the dexterity of mind and clarity of thought of a true teacher-scholar. Funeral Mass at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, April 16 at St. Mary of the Assumption Church at 3 Linden Place in Brookline, 02445. A Novena at St. Mary will follow: May: Monday 26 at 9 a.m.; Tuesday 27 at 12:10 p.m.; Wednesday 28 at 12:10 p.m.; Thursday 29 at 12:10 p.m.; Friday 30 at 12:10 p.m.; Saturday 31 at 8 a.m. June: Sunday 1 at 10:30 a.m.; Monday 2 at 12:10 p.m.; Tuesday 3 at 12:10 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to: *Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation. www.hcef.org which is dedicated to helping Christians concerned about Christianity's survival in the Holy Land. *Saint Boniface Haiti Foundation. www.haithealth.org which provides healthcare to the poor in the rural area of Fond Des Blancs in Haiti through Saint Boniface Hospital. *Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans frontiers. www.doctorswithoutborders.org which is an international medical humanitarian organization treating people where the need is greatest. Directions and Guestbook www.bellodeafuneralhome.com