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The Green Bag

fessor Williston either has been or now

is a member of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the ‘I’ B K (hon

orary), the Newport Reading Room, the University Club of Boston, the Varsity

sity of California. At the death of Dean Ames in 1909, he was appointed to act as Dean of the Law School; but as he did

not dare risk the permanent addition to his regular work of this exigent duty, he

asked to be relieved of further service in

Club of Cambridge and the Oakley

this position. The Harvard Corporation

Country Club. His amusements are miscellaneous reading, playing the pian

in accepting his decision took sion to confer upon him the LL.D., in recognition of his as a teacher of law. A very important part of Williston's work during the

ola, billiards and golf. In 1899 he began the practice of law

in Boston as managing clerk for Hyde, Dickinson & Howe. Within a year he was made an assistant professor in the Harvard Law School, but he still con

this occa degree of eminence Professor past few

years has been in the ﬁeld of codiﬁca

tion. He was employed in 1902 by the Conference of Commissioners for Uni

tinued to give more than half of his time to the office of Hyde, Dickinson 8: Howe. The strain of double work proved too

should codify the American Law of

severe; and in 1895, soon after his ap

Sales. In 1903 the ﬁrst draft of such

pointment as full professor, his health gave away completely. For three years

widely distributed for criticism, and We

he traveled in search of it, and he found practically all of it ultimately. Since 1898 he has been teaching at the Law

considered by the Conference at its 811 suing annual meeting. The same course was sented adopted to the Conference with a second in 1904,3th1fd draft Pie‘

form State Laws to draw an act which

an act, with some

annotations, W5

School; and he has of late years also resumed practice, chiefly in the way of trusts, consultations and opinions. He has thus always kept in touch with prac tice, and with the work of the bar. He

draft presented to the Conference 11‘ 1905, and a ﬁnal draft presented to the Conference in 1906, which was ﬁﬂalll' adopted and recommended for Passage

has been a prominent member of the

in that year.

American Bar Association, and was at

one time a bar examiner for Suﬁ'olk County.

In drawing the Sales Act, great use was made of the English Act. On "my topics, however, the American law of

But, of course, his work as a professor

Sales differs from the English law. and

of law has been ﬁrst with him. He was taken into the faculty of the Harvard

ity followed. was not Though slavishly the weight adheredofto author‘ up"n

Law School as an assistant professor in 1890, without any probationary service as an instructor. In 1895 he was ap pointed a full professor; and in 1903 he

doubtful questions, nevertheless it was used as a guide unless strong reasons 0 principle or policy required a differ?“t

was transferred to the higher dignity of the Weld Professorship. In 1903 he taught as a visiting professor in the Summer Quarter of the Law School of

the University of Chicago; and in 1909 he gave a course in the summer session

of the Law Department of the Univer

in such matters the American law was

rule. The ﬁnal draft of the act contams a number of sections relating to trans.fer of property by documents of title Whlch

were not contained in the original draft’ and which are not in the English Act' These sections are intended to embodif the modern commercial understandingol