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| William E. Nelson (NYU) |
William E. Nelson, the Judge Edward Weinfeld Professor of Law Emeritus at the
New York University School of Law, has died. His influence within the field of American legal history far exceeds the enormous influence of his publications, including the pathbreaking
Americanization of the Common Law: The Impact of Legal Change on Massachusetts Society, 1760-1830 (Harvard University Press, 1975), through his direction of NYU's Legal History Colloquium and Samuel I. Golieb Fellowship in Legal History. Early tributes have called him "an absolutely remarkable force" and "a giant" in the field, as well as a great father, husband, and citizen. Many recall his invitation to participate in the colloquium or some other act of scholarly generosity as a decisive moment in their careers, especially when it came when they were a novice or otherwise uncertain of their status as a legal historian. He remained an active scholar after going emeritus. An on-line, works-in-progress workshop, over which he presided was on-going at his death.
--Dan Ernst
