State and National Law School was an early practical training law school founded by John W. Fowler in Ballston Spa, New York in 1849. It was also known as New York State and National Law School, Ballston Law School, and Fowler's State and National Law School. The institution struggled both financially and with its facilities in Ballston Spa, and Fowler relocated it to Poughkeepsie in 1853. In 1849, the law school briefly hosted the Beta Proteron Charge of Theta Delta Chi Fraternity.

The law school was one of the first in the country to provide practical training for law students.

The National Law School used very advanced teaching methods for its time. There, students were assembled into mock courtroom scenarios, playing all of the roles witnesses, bailiffs, jurors, and attorneys. The professors were the judges, and the teams of attorneys were given a set of facts to work with to build their case.

The law school closed its doors during the 1860s.

Notable alumni

For its short tenure, the law school produced many prominent alumni:

• Chester Arthur, 1854, President of the United States
• Angus Cameron, 1853, United States Senator from Wisconsin
• Ralph Hill, 1851, United States Representative from Indiana
• Tim N. Machin, 1849, Lieutenant Governor of California
• Samuel D. McEnery, 1859, United States Senator/Governor of Louisiana
• John Franklin Miller , 1852, United States Senator from California
• Henry Wilbur Palmer, 1860, United States Representative from Pennsylvania
• Niles Searls, 1849, Chief Justice of California Supreme Court
• Lionel Allen Sheldon, 1853, United States Representative from Louisiana
• Julius L. Strong, 1853, United States Representative from Connecticut
• Ormsby B. Thomas, 1856, United States Representative from Wisconsin
• Henry D. Washburn, 1853, United States Representative from Indiana
• William Brewster Williams, 1851, United States Representative from Michigan

References

1. Article 23 - No Title - Article Preview - The New York Times
2. Growth
3. For love & liberty: the untold Civil ... - Google Books