Mentschikoff, Soia, 1915-....

Soia Mentschikoff (1915-1984) was born in Russia to American parents and moved to the United States shortly before the Revolution. She began her undergraduate degree at the age of fifteen, studying political science and English at Hunter College in New York. Upon graduation, she moved on to Columbia University where she completed her law degree in 1937. While working at several Wall Street firms, Mentshikoff developed a expertise in both labor and commercial law, writing extensively on arbitration and mediation. In 1942, she was appointed by the American Law Institute as Assistant Chief Reporter on the Uniform Commercial Code, a project that would establish her as a leading figure in American law. The Chief Reporter, Karl Llewellyn, would, in 1946, become Mentschikoff's husband. In 1951, both Mentschikoff and Llewellyn accepted positions with the University of Chicago Law School. Llewellyn died in 1962 and Mentschikoff remained at the university until 1974, when she accepted the position as dean of Miami University. She retired in 1981.

From the guide to the Mentschikoff, Soia. Papers, 1929-1973, (Special Collections Research Center University of Chicago Library 1100 East 57th Street Chicago, Illinois 60637 U.S.A.)

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