Professor of Law at Cornell University.
Also the father of Florence Lea Wilson Humphreys, 1914-1978.

Cornell University Faculty Memorial Statement:

Lyman Perl Wilson
January 21, 1883 — April 20, 1951

In his sixty-ninth year, about to become Professor Emeritus as of July 1951, but still committed to continue his instruction in Torts and Choice of Remedies during the academic year 1951-52, Professor Lyman P. Wilson was permitted, while engaged in the early morning preparation for the class-room, to end his work unexpectedly and peacefully.

Lyman Wilson was born in Leslie, Iowa, January 21, 1883. He received the B. S. degree from Knox College in 1904, and J.D. from Chicago University Law School in 1907. Knox awarded him an honorary LL.D. in 1924.

When he came to Cornell in 1921, as Professor of Law, he brought with him a wealth of experience as private practitioner and city attorney in Galesburg, Illinois, and as a teacher of law at Idaho, Oklahoma and George Washington Universities. At those institutions and later at Cornell and in summer sessions at Columbia and Chicago Universities, he taught nearly every subject in a law school curriculum. With that background, he was always found ready and willing to adapt his own program to accommodate situations resulting from changes in faculty personnel or to fill emergency gaps caused by illness. At Cornell, his chief study and instruction was in the law of torts and it was in that field that he wrote law review articles and published his case book, the third edition of which was in preparation at the time of his death. He had unique ability and extraordinary success in the conduct of a Practice Court. His students annually testified with enthusiasm to the benefits derived from practice before that court.

He could always find time, in his office or at his home, to give a hearty welcome and patient counselling to students who sought advice upon their personal or academic problems. They took his friendship with them into their careers and returned it with warmth and reverence.

In the faculty team, he was always a wheel horse, willing to pull more than his share of the load, cheerfully receptive to committee assignments and contributing good judgment and dispatch to the committees' deliberations and conclusions.

His temperament and good fellowship, his reputation for straight-forward expression tinged with humor and for sound reasoning bound by understanding and unselfishness inevitably attracted his impressment into service of the University and the community. He was almost continuously on duty with some important university committee, such as the Committee on Inter-Faculty Relations and the Committee on Student Conduct. Off campus, he was an ardent Rotarian and president of the local Rotary Club in 1930-31; on the budget committee and vice-president of the Community Chest; three times president of the Council of Social Agencies between 1925 and 1935, and director of the Tompkins County Community Fund during the second World War.

Many will miss his community wide interest in people, his willingness to give unstintingly of himself as a speaker and adviser to many diverse groups both off and on the campus. His was a life of action, encouragement to others, and cordiality.

In the law school world, he had a host of friends, was a regular attendant at the annual meetings of the American Law School Association, participated in its round tables, served on its committees and was elected its president for the year 1943-44.

Professor Wilson was concluding his thirtieth year of devoted service to the Cornell Law School. He added to its distinction and contributed to the spirit of good fellowship between faculty and students. The liveliness of his personality will keep the memory of him vivid.

J. W. MacDonald, R. S. Stevens, B. P. Young
Cornell University Faculty Memorial Statement

Professor of Law at Cornell University.
Also the father of Florence Lea Wilson Humphreys, 1914-1978.

Cornell University Faculty Memorial Statement:

Lyman Perl Wilson
January 21, 1883 — April 20, 1951

In his sixty-ninth year, about to become Professor Emeritus as of July 1951, but still committed to continue his instruction in Torts and Choice of Remedies during the academic year 1951-52, Professor Lyman P. Wilson was permitted, while engaged in the early morning preparation for the class-room, to end his work unexpectedly and peacefully.

Lyman Wilson was born in Leslie, Iowa, January 21, 1883. He received the B. S. degree from Knox College in 1904, and J.D. from Chicago University Law School in 1907. Knox awarded him an honorary LL.D. in 1924.

When he came to Cornell in 1921, as Professor of Law, he brought with him a wealth of experience as private practitioner and city attorney in Galesburg, Illinois, and as a teacher of law at Idaho, Oklahoma and George Washington Universities. At those institutions and later at Cornell and in summer sessions at Columbia and Chicago Universities, he taught nearly every subject in a law school curriculum. With that background, he was always found ready and willing to adapt his own program to accommodate situations resulting from changes in faculty personnel or to fill emergency gaps caused by illness. At Cornell, his chief study and instruction was in the law of torts and it was in that field that he wrote law review articles and published his case book, the third edition of which was in preparation at the time of his death. He had unique ability and extraordinary success in the conduct of a Practice Court. His students annually testified with enthusiasm to the benefits derived from practice before that court.

He could always find time, in his office or at his home, to give a hearty welcome and patient counselling to students who sought advice upon their personal or academic problems. They took his friendship with them into their careers and returned it with warmth and reverence.

In the faculty team, he was always a wheel horse, willing to pull more than his share of the load, cheerfully receptive to committee assignments and contributing good judgment and dispatch to the committees' deliberations and conclusions.

His temperament and good fellowship, his reputation for straight-forward expression tinged with humor and for sound reasoning bound by understanding and unselfishness inevitably attracted his impressment into service of the University and the community. He was almost continuously on duty with some important university committee, such as the Committee on Inter-Faculty Relations and the Committee on Student Conduct. Off campus, he was an ardent Rotarian and president of the local Rotary Club in 1930-31; on the budget committee and vice-president of the Community Chest; three times president of the Council of Social Agencies between 1925 and 1935, and director of the Tompkins County Community Fund during the second World War.

Many will miss his community wide interest in people, his willingness to give unstintingly of himself as a speaker and adviser to many diverse groups both off and on the campus. His was a life of action, encouragement to others, and cordiality.

In the law school world, he had a host of friends, was a regular attendant at the annual meetings of the American Law School Association, participated in its round tables, served on its committees and was elected its president for the year 1943-44.

Professor Wilson was concluding his thirtieth year of devoted service to the Cornell Law School. He added to its distinction and contributed to the spirit of good fellowship between faculty and students. The liveliness of his personality will keep the memory of him vivid.

J. W. MacDonald, R. S. Stevens, B. P. Young
Cornell University Faculty Memorial Statement