William C. Jones, J.S.D., the Charles F. Nagel Professor Emeritus of International and Comparative Law, died Friday, Sept. 16, 2005, after a brief illness. He was 79.
Jones was an internationally acclaimed scholar on Chinese law. He translated the last major imperial Chinese legal code — The Great Qing Code — and the first precursor of the civil code of the People’s Republic of China — the General Principles of the Civil Law.
Jones also authored a popular legal reference book Basic Principles of Civil Law in China.
“Bill Jones was a quintessential scholar, a dedicated teacher and a wonderful colleague,” said Dorsey D. Ellis Jr., J.D., the William R. Orthwein Distinguished Professor of Law.
“He was self-effacing, soft-spoken and considerate of others. Everyone who knew him considered him a friend.”
Jones joined the School of Law in 1955 as an assistant professor. During his 40 years teaching at the University, Jones served as a lecturer for the International Association for Teaching Comparative Law, a visiting professor or scholar at universities around the world, and a Fulbright lecturer at Wu Han University in China.
Prior to his appointment at the University, Jones was a research associate at the University of Chicago and an attorney for the U.S. Department of the Interior. He earned an LL.B. from Harvard Law School, and an LL.M. and doctorate of juridicial science from the University of Chicago.
Outside Washington University, Jones was a devout member of the Church of Christ, Scientist. He also enjoyed attending cultural events around St. Louis with his wife, Jean Engstrom Jones.
A memorial service will be held Sept. 24 in the Bryan Cave Moot Courtroom of Anheuser-Busch Hall.
The Whitney R. Harris Institute for Global Legal Studies also will host a public memorial event during its Nov. 11 workshop on Chinese law. This workshop will feature the inaugural William Catron Jones keynote address.