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Jon R. Waltz, Edna B. and Ednyfed H. Williams Memorial Professor of Law Emeritus, was an internationally known expert in evidence, trial procedure, and medical jurisprudence as well as an exceptionally productive and influential legal scholar. He died Friday, Jan. 9, of an apparent heart attack in Holland, Mich.

Professor Waltz, 74, was a popular teacher at the Law School, distinguished by the bow ties he always wore. An enterprising student once threatened to sue the University to gain admittance to his evidence class.

Professor Waltz joined Northwestern in 1964 after 10 years as a member of the Cleveland law firm of Squire, Sanders & Dempsey. While on leave from that firm from 1955-58, he served in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps of the U.S. Army. He was decorated for his service as a special prosecutor in United States vs. Rhodes, an espionage case arising out of the apprehension of Soviet Secret Police agent Colonel Rudolph Ivanovich Abel.

In the late 70s, Waltz ran for the Illinois Appellate Court as part of a reform slate with Cal Sawyier and Brian Duff. “I'll never forget something he said during the campaign,” said Rob Warden, Executive Director of the Center on Wrongful Convictions. “Something to the effect, ‘We keep students here for three years, filling their heads with grandiose ideas of Holmes and Brandies and the majesty of the law. Then they issue out into the courts and meet the likes of Henry W. Derringer.’”

Professor Waltz was a prolific writer who authored or coauthored 12 books, 27 law review articles and book chapters, and numerous pieces for general periodicals, including “The Nation,” “Saturday Review,” and “The New York Times Magazine.” His first book, “The Trial of Jack Ruby,” coauthored with John Kaplan, became a bestseller and was critically acclaimed as the best study of a trial ever written.

Professor Waltz’s writings helped recast the law in a number of areas, especially in evidence, medical malpractice, and genetic screening and counseling. His text, “Medical Jurisprudence,” won the 1972 Distinguished Service Award of the Society of American Authors, and was used in the training of physician. His “Introduction to Criminal Evidence” was used in the training of lawyers and law enforcement agents, and his “Cases and Materials in Evidence” was the most widely adopted casebook on the subject and the publisher’s bestselling book ever.

He was a consultant to numerous government agencies, including the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and the National Institutes of Health. Illinois Gov. James R. Thompson appointed him to the Illinois Judicial Inquiry Board.

Professor Waltz was a native of Delta, Ohio. He received a bachelor’s degree with honors from the College of Wooster, which awarded him a distinguished alumni award in 1987, and a JD degree from Yale University. After Professor Waltz retired from teaching law at Northwestern in 1996, faculty, students, staff, and alumni honored him as a professor emeritus.

"He will be remembered for many things, but above all for his irrepressible spirit," said Ronald Allen, John Henry Wigmore Professor of Law at Northwestern.

Professor Waltz is survived by Ross Edman, his longtime companion of 42 years.

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