Williston, Samuel (1861-1963)

US jurist. He codified commercial law that was adopted by most US states. Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, 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. The American Bar Association awarded him its first gold medal (1929).