Alan Dershowitz
A Harvard legal scholar turned fiery public defender, he has argued controversial cases at the intersection of law, politics, and celebrity.
Born 1938 (age 88)·American lawyer and author·Birthday: September 1·The Silent Generation
Biography
Alan Dershowitz emerged from a working-class Brooklyn background to become one of the most recognizable and polarizing legal minds in America. For nearly 50 years, his classroom at Harvard Law School was a stage for his passionate, contrarian views on civil liberties and criminal procedure. He built a reputation not in corporate boardrooms, but in the trenches of appellate defense, taking on seemingly unwinnable cases and authoring influential books like 'The Best Defense.' His public profile skyrocketed when he joined the 'Dream Team' defending O.J. Simpson, and later, he provided a vigorous, televised defense during the impeachment of President Bill Clinton. In recent years, his role as an advisor to Donald Trump solidified his status as a lightning rod. Dershowitz's career is a long argument for the proposition that every defendant deserves a zealous advocate, a principle he has applied to clients across the political spectrum, often at great cost to his own popularity.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Alan was born in 1938, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Alan Was Born
The biggest hits of 1938
#1 Movie
You Can't Take It with You
Best Picture
You Can't Take It with You
Alan's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1938Born
Kristallnacht and the escalation toward WWII
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $2,850Min wage: $0.25/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Begin the Beguine" — Artie ShawBest Picture: You Can't Take It with You
1943Started school
Allies invade Sicily; Battle of Stalingrad ends
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,290Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I've Heard That Song Before" — Harry JamesBest Picture: Casablanca
1951Became a teenager
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1954Could drive
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1956Could vote
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1959Turned 21
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1968Turned 30
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1978Turned 40
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1988Turned 50
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 60
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 70
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 80
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 88 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as the youngest full professor of law in Harvard Law School's history at age 28.
- Successfully argued before the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the conviction of Claus von Bülow for attempted murder.
- Authored over 40 books on law, politics, and society, including several national bestsellers.
- Acted as an appellate advisor for the defense teams in high-profile cases including O.J. Simpson and Mike Tyson.
Did You Know?
He was a childhood friend of fellow attorney and commentator Ron Kuby.
He played himself in the film 'Reversal of Fortune,' which dramatized the von Bülow case.
He is a skilled clarinetist and has performed with Itzhak Perlman.
He claimed to have never lost a client to the death penalty.
““I'm not pro-defendant. I'm pro-Bill of Rights.””
