Fred H. Blume

Friedrich Heinrich Blume (1875-1971), or Fred H. Blume, as he referred to himself, was a Justice of the Wyoming Supreme Court. He was born in Winzlar, Germany, January 9, 1875. He served as a Justice of the Wyoming Supreme Court for 42 years and single-handedly translated into English "Justinian’s Code" and the "Novels", two parts of the "Corpus Juris Civilis". (See Justinian I for a profile of this Emperor.) The following is a time-line of key points in Mr. Blume’s life [ cite journal|title=Journey for the Pole: The Life and Times of Fred H. Blume, Justice of the Wyoming Supreme Court (pts. 1–2)|journal=Land and Water Law Review|year=1993|first=Michael|last=Golden|coauthors=|volume=28|issue=195, 202, 511|pages=|id= |url=http://uwadmnweb.uwyo.edu/law/Student_life/lawreview.asp|format=|accessdate= ] [ cite journal|title=Justice Fred Blume and the Translation of Justinian's Code|journal=Law Library Journal|year=2007|first=Timothy G.|last=Kearley|coauthors=|volume=99|issue=525|pages=|id= |url=http://uwacadweb.uwyo.edu/blume&justinian/BlumeLLJ.pdf|format=|accessdate=2008-01-06 ] .

* 1875 - Born Friedrich Heinrich Blume in Winzlar, Germany on Jan. 9.
* 1887 - Immigrates to the U.S., by himself, to join his elder brother, Wilhelm.
* 1892 - Settles in Audubon, Iowa where he works & completes high school.
* 1895 - Enrolls at the State University of Iowa.
* 1898 - Graduates, Phi Beta Kappa.
* 1899 - Admitted to the practice of law in Iowa.
* 1905 - Moves, with his wife, to practice law in Sheridan, Wyoming.
* 1907 - Begins political career.
* 1912 - Backs Theodore Roosevelt’s Bull Moose party; when it fails, decides to retire from politics; begins reading history of Western civilization & building extensive library on the subject.
* 1919 - Learns there is no English translation of "Justinian’s Code".
* 1920 - Appears to have begun his Code translation.
* 1921 - Appointed to Wyoming Supreme Court.
* 1923/24 - Completes first draft of translation.
* 1929 - Has revised version typed; teaches Roman law at Northwestern University Law School at the invitation of Dean John Henry Wigmore.
* 1933 - Receives letter from Clyde Pharr asking him to join Pharr’s “Project for a Variorum Translation into English of the Entire Body of Roman Law,” with Blume’s translation of the Code to be used as the basis for the Project’s version of that document.
* 1938 - Addresses Riccobono Seminar [The Riccobono Seminar on Roman Law was a law society meeting at the Catholic University of America founded by Salvatore Riccobono Jr.] [ cite journal|title=The Roman Legal Tradition and American Law: The Riccobono Seminar of Roman Law in Washington|journal=Roman legal tradition|year=2002|first=Salvo|last=Randazzo|coauthors=|volume=1|issue=|pages=123–44|id= |url=http://www.unipa.it/dipstdir/portale/riccobono_America.htm|format=|accessdate=2008-01-06 ] on "The Code of Justinian, and its Value".
* 1939 - Ceases work on the Code translation as his hopes for publication fade.
* 1943 - Pharr renews contact with Blume & revives scaled-down version of translation program to be called “The Corpus of Roman Law”; Blume re-reads Code translation & annotations, makes changes, & sends copy to Pharr; works with Pharr & others on Theodosian Code translation (for which Blume’s own translation of Books XIV-XVI and part of Book X prove very helpful).
* 1951 - "Theodosian Code" translation published by Princeton University Press as first volume in “The Corpus of Roman Law” series; Blume specially noted by Pharr in preface. [cite book | last = Pharr | first = Clyde | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = The Theodosian code and novels, and the Sirmondian constitutions | publisher = Princeton University Press | year = 1952 | location = Princeton | pages = | url = | doi = | id = | isbn = 0837124948 9780837124940 ]
* 1952 - Reviews Code translation again in anticipation it being the subject of the project’s next publication.
* 1956 - Accepts that his "Code" translation will not be published in his lifetime.
* 1963 - Retires from the Court.
* 1971 - Fred H. Blume dies on September 26, at age 96.

Justice Blume’s translations of the "Code" and the " [http://uwacadweb.uwyo.edu/blume&justinian/novels.asp Novels] ", as well as his RiccobonoSeminar address, " [https://uwacadweb.uwyo.edu/blume&justinian/code-and-value.asp The Code of Justinian, and its Value] " were published on the web in2007 as the " [https://uwacadweb.uwyo.edu/blume&justinian Annotated Justinian Code] ".

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