Former Tulane law professor ‘Bill’ Lovett dies; memorial to be held here in the fall

WILLIAM “BILL” LOVETT, a former Tulane University professor of Law, passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family on May 17, 2022. He was 87.

WILLIAM LOVETT

A native of Milwaukee, he exhibited a deep love of learning, which blossomed into a long and fulfilling career as a scholar and teacher. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Wabash College in Crawfordsville, IN., a law degree from the New York University Law School, a master’s degree in Economics from Harvard University and a doctorate degree, Ph.D from Michigan State University.

He moved to the Washington, D.C. area, where he was married to his wife of 59 years, Claire (née Moses), in 1963 in Baltimore. During the following six years in the D.C. area, Lovett served as an attorney in the Antitrust Division of the United States Department of Justice and as an economist at the Federal Trade Commission. 

The family moved to New Orleans in 1969, where he began his career at the Tulane University School of  Law. He was quickly promoted to full professor and eventually held the Joseph Merrick Jones Chair at Tulane. During his career at Tulane, he published many articles and books. He taught classes and gave lectures at law schools around the world. He testified on multiple occasions before House and Senate committees in the United States Congress. One of his books, Banking and Financial Institutions Law in a Nutshell, ran through nine editions and was even translated into Chinese.

He was an exemplary teacher who loved to share his knowledge with students. He never stopped learning and sharing what he learned with others. He retired from full time teaching in 2008 but continued to teach at least one course a year until 2016. On May 13, 2022, Bill was inducted into the Tulane Law School Hall of Fame.

Lovett spent many happy summers in Castine, ME., where they made many new friends and acquaintances. He maintained his passion for history in Castine by becoming active in the Castine Historical Society.

He is survived by his wife, Claire Lovett; his children, John Andrew Lovett (Maurya Kilroy) and Leslie Anne Lovett (Scott Kohn) and three grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the William A. Lovett Scholarship Fund at Tulane Law School

Lovett’s life will be celebrated later this summer in Castine and in the fall in New Orleans.