Philip Werner Amram

Who is Philip Werner Amram?

Philip Werner Amram was a prominent lawyer and legal scholar. He received a B.A. in liberal arts from the University of Pennsylvania in 1920, a B.S. in agriculture from Pennsylvania State College in 1922. In 1927, he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where he served as editor-in-chief of the University of Pennsylvania Law Review, and later as a faculty member from 1929 to 1942. During World War II, he served as special assistant to the Attorney General. He was an expert on international private law and served as the chairman of the United States delegation to the 1972 Hague Conference on International Private Law. He also served as president of La Fondation de l'Ecole Francaise Internationale and was a legal adviser to the French Embassy. He was awarded numerous honors, including commander of the French Légion d'honneur and L'Ordre des Palmes Academiques.

While serving as editor-in-chief of the University of Pennsylvania Law Review, Amram threatened to resign his post when the law school dean attempted to bar Sadie Alexander from becoming the first African-American woman elected to the board of editors. The dean relented, and Alexander was permitted to join the law review.