William Hall Painter passed away on October 28 at the age of 91. A member of the Institute since 1982, Mr. Painter was also an active member of the American Bar Association and the Cosmos Club, a social club in Washington, D.C.
Born May 2, 1927 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he graduated from St. Paul’s School in Concord, New Hampshire in 1945, Princeton University in 1949, and Harvard Law School in 1954. He was a law professor for most of his professional life, teaching at the University of Illinois from 1972 to 1987 and at George Washington University from 1987 to 1997. From 1971 to 1972 he was the chief counsel to a U.S. House of Representatives Committee studying the securities industry. He was the author of dozens of books and articles, and his expertise was in corporate law, securities law and tax.