- Robert Keeton
Robert Ernest Keeton (
December 16 ,1919 –July 2 ,2007 ) was an American lawyer,jurist , and legalscholar . As alaw professor atHarvard Law School and a federal judge he was known for his work ontort s,insurance law , and practicalcourtroom tactics.Hevesi, Dennis. [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/04/obituaries/04keeton.html?ex=1343880000&en=7d463fcdda136743&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss "Robert E. Keeton, 87, Author of Influential Law Treatises, Is Dead."] "New York Times" 4 August 2007. ] Keeton, withJeffrey O'Connell of theUniversity of Virginia School of Law , played a key role in the advancement of no-faultautomobile insurance .Keeton was born in
Clarksville, Texas , on December 16, 1919. He was the second youngest of five children of William Keeton (who owned ageneral store ) and Ernestine Teuton Keeton. One of his brothers,W. Page Keeton , also became a prominent lawyer. [http://www.utexas.edu/law/news/2007/071607_keeton.html "In Memoriam: Robert E. Keeton, 1919–2007."] 16 July 2007. University of Texas School of Law. ]Keeton earned his
bachelor's degree from theUniversity of Texas and hislaw degree from the University of Texas School of Law. As an undergraduate he became one of three students inducted into the Friar Society, anhonor society at the University of Texas. In law school he was the assistant editor-in-chief of the "Texas Law Review ".Keeton went into private practice with the
law firm of Baker & Botts in Houston before joining the U.S. Navy inWorld War II . As alieutenant serving aboard theescort aircraft carrier USS "Liscome Bay" (CVE-56) he survived the sinking of the ship on November 24, 1943, by atorpedo from the Japanese submarine I-175. Keeton, clinging to debris for hours, was later pulled from the ocean. He was awarded aPurple Heart .Keeton returned to Baker & Botts in 1945 after the war. He later taught at
Southern Methodist University .He joined Harvard Law School in 1953, where he would remain until 1979. In 1954, he wrote "Trial Tactics and Methods", a book of practical advice on courtroom skills. Keeton later developed a program at Harvard (later used at other
law school s) in which experiencedtrial lawyer s taught students. One rule of Keeton's program was to not askhostile witness esopen-ended question s.In 1956, Keeton received his SJD from Harvard. In 1973, he was named the Langdell Professor of Law. Keeton served as associate dean from 1975–1979.
In the early 1970s, Keeton worked with University of Virginia School of Law professor Jeffrey O'Connell on a study that contributed to the development of no-fault automobile insurance, later adopted by many states. Under a no-fault system,
damages below a certain level are paid by insurance companies, thus avoiding a determination of who was at fault.Keeton left Harvard in 1979 when he was appointed to the
United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts by U.S. PresidentJimmy Carter . He remained on the bench until 2006. In 1979 Chief JusticeWilliam Rehnquist appointed him chair of the Standing Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure of theJudicial Conference of the United States , a body responsible for developing theFederal Rules of Civil Procedure andFederal Rules of Criminal Procedure . Keeton presided over the 1988-1989mail fraud ,obstruction of justice and conspiracy trial of Lyndon LaRouche and eleven associates, which ended with Keeton declaring amistrial .Tench, Megan. [http://www.boston.com/news/globe/obituaries/articles/2007/07/03/robert_e_keeton_88_judge_professor_author_war_hero/ "Robert E. Keeton, 88, judge, professor, author, war hero."] "Boston Globe" 3 July 2007.] He also presided over the 1995 "Lotus Dev. Corp. v. Borland Int'l, Inc. " trial involving the extent ofsoftware copyright , a case that later was decided by the Supreme Court.In 1984 Keeton published "Prosser and Keeton on Torts". The book, based on William Prosser's influential "Prosser on Torts" (1941), became a foundational text of tort law and has become frequently used as a law textbook and
reference work for many law students, lawyers, and jurists.Keeton died of complications of a
pulmonary embolism inCambridge, Massachusetts , where he lived. He was 87.References
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