January 29, 2004

Obituary: Jon R. Waltz

Jon R. Waltz of Holland, Mich., 74, Edna B. and Ednyfed H. Williams Memorial Professor of Law Emeritus at the School of Law, died Friday Jan. 9 of an apparent heart attack in Holland, Mich.

Mr. Waltz, an expert in evidence, trial procedure and medical jurisprudence, retired from the faculty in 1996.

He 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.

Mr. Waltz authored or coauthored 12 books, 27 law review articles, book chapters and general publication articles. His first book, “The Trial of Jack Ruby,” was critically acclaimed as the best study of a trial ever written and became a national best seller. His text, “Medical Jurisprudence,” won the 1972 Distinguished Service Award of the Society of American Authors and was used in the training of physicians. 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.

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.

A native of Napoleon, Ohio, Mr. Waltz received a bachelor’s degree with honors from the College of Wooster, which awarded him a distinguished alumni award, and a JD degree from Yale University.

He is survived by his partner of 42 years, Ross Edmans.