Samuel Williston


Williston, Samuel

(1861–1963) jurist; born in Cambridge, Mass. He was professor (1890–1938) and active professor emeritus (1938–63) at Harvard Law School. He continued in private practice into his nineties and became Harvard's oldest living alumnus. His five-volume Law of Contracts (1920–22) became a standard. He codified commercial law that was adopted by most American states. The American Bar Association awarded him its first gold medal (1929).