The History of Corporate Law by the Foremost Legal Historian, James Willard Hurst

This study, which is based on a series of lectures delivered at the University of Virginia Law School, explores the development of corporate law from the 1780s, a time when the special charter was the only form of incorporation, to the 1960s, a time when corporations were established exclusively through general incorporation statutes. More than a chronicle, Hurst emphasizes how legal institutions actively shaped the central traits of American capitalism.

CONTENTS
Analytical Table of Contents
Introduction: Time, Place and Subject
I.From Special Privilege to General Utility, 1780-1890
II.Legitimacy: Utility and Responsibility, 1890-1970
III.Institutional Contributions to Policy
Conclusion: The Social Impact of Corporation Law
Bibliography
Index

James Willard Hurst [1910-1997] revitalized the field of American legal history with The Growth of American Law (1950) and helped establish the study of law and American society in Law and Social Process in United States History (1960). He had a particular interest in the ways society and law influenced one another. He was a professor of law at the University of Wisconsin Law School.