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Notable Alumni

 

 

 

John Henry Wigmore served as the Law School’s dean from 1901 to 1929 and as a member of its faculty until his death in 1943. Wigmore was a prolific scholar who penned the seminal Treatise on Evidence.

Prior to his time at Northwestern, Wigmore spent three years in Japan helping establish a western-style law school. He learned to speak Japanese, became competent at fencing, and played shortstop on Tokyo’s first baseball team. He returned to the U.S. to join the Northwestern Law faculty in 1893.

As dean emeritus, Wigmore helped establish Chicago’s Scientific Crime Detection Laboratory to help city police fight organized crime in the wake of the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. The lab offered practical forensic training on subjects such as fingerprints and firearms, detecting explosives, unraveling forgeries, polygraph testing and using photography to preserve evidence.

Wigmore also published a collection of songs entitled "Lyrics for a Lawyer’s Leisure."

Wigmore’s old chair from the faculty room of Levy Mayer Hall sits in the office of Ron Allen, Northwestern’s John Henry Wigmore Professor of Law.

John Henry Wigmore Club

The John Henry Wigmore Club was organized in 1962 to foster and stimulate the spirit, scholarship, professional objectives, and ideals of John Henry Wigmore in the profession of law and to advance the welfare of Northwestern Law and its students.

The Wigmore Club's growing membership is comprised of more than 700 alumni and friends who are committed to supporting Northwestern Law with significant annual support. Wigmore Club members gather each year for a special recognition celebration in Chicago, are listed in the Honor Roll of Donors, and receive special event invitations and Law School communications on a preferred basis.

We encourage you to consider joining the John Henry Wigmore Club.

Recent graduates are encouraged to join the Young Wigmore Club.

Make an online gift to the Law School

2006-07 Wigmore Club Donors (pdf)

"The Wigmore Club is special. It's our history and a part of Dean Wigmore's legacy--a shared commitment to Northwestern Law and a gratifying sense of collective impact--knowing that we've joined together to do something extraordinary for our Law School community."

– Ronald J. Ganim (JD ‘72), John Henry Wigmore Club
(Pictured at left at the 2005 Wigmore Club celebration at the University Club in Chicago).

Membership levels

Founder	$25,000+
Patron	$10,000 - $24,999
Fellow	$5,000 - $9,999
Partner	$2,500 - $4,999
Associate	$1,000 - $2,499
Young Wigmore	$100 for every year since graduation (e.g., five years out of school equals a $500 contribution; six years, $600, and so on)

Members by Region