Law Library Announces Gift of Important Historical Works on Wills and Estates
The Law Library and Riesenfeld Rare Books Center have recently received a donation of important rare law books from the collection of Raymond A. and Ruth A. Reister. The donation comprises nearly 100 titles on inheritance, wills, and estates in Anglo-American law that were collected by Raymond Reister during his lifetime. The books range from a rare 16th-century treatise to valuable 17th- and 18th-century titles—including works by William Blackstone and Francis Bacon—to humorous works on eccentric wills. The collection represents a valuable resource for students and scholars interested in the history of this foundational area of law. The Reister collection will be kept permanently at the Law Library and Riesenfeld Rare Books Research Center and will be made available to patrons.
The Law Library and Riesenfeld Center are grateful to the trustees of the Ruth A. Reister Trust Estate, Robert Struyk (’61) and Sonny Miller, for this generous donation.
Raymond A. Reister (1929-2005), a longtime Minneapolis attorney, practiced for 39 years at Dorsey and Whitney. A nationally recognized expert in trust and estate law, Reister was co-editor of Minnesota Estate Administration. He served in many roles in the community, including board member of the Minnesota Humanities Commission, treasurer of the Minnesota Historical Society, and vice president of the Minneapolis Athenaeum. The Athenaeum seeks to acquire rare books and manuscripts for the public benefit.
Reister’s wife, Ruth A. Reister (1936-2015), graduated from Michigan Law School in 1964 as the only woman in her class. She was a leader in government and business who worked for the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, as deputy undersecretary for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and as president of FBS Agricultural Credit Corporation. Ruth Reister was also very active in the local community and served as a member of Gustavus Adolphus College’s board of trustees and the Minnesota Historical Society’s honorary council.
