In the early days of this great country, folks were displeased with the British (according to our history books). Including those who practiced the law. Being trained to understand each word and the phrases using those words, lawyers had few American resources to help their trade.

Reading and studying legal books on British law must have been dissatisfying to the new American lawyers. A frenchman named John Bouvier undoubtedly was one of those early practitioners.

So, Bouvier embarked upon creating a book that defined the terms pertaining to the law. Something that would be helpful to his profession. His now famous dictionary not only lists a word of law but also gives the reader context to understand using the word.

This first United States legal dictionary was written by John Bouvier in the early nineteenth century. His treatise was called the Law Dictionary Adapted to the Constitution and Laws of the United States of America and of the Several States of the American Union. Today it is known simply as Bouvier’s Law Dictionary. A recommended resource for lawyers and laypersons alike.