At Princeton he majored in history, graduated summa cum laude, was a member of Dial Lodge, and was the senior business editor of The Daily Princetonian. After graduating from Harvard Law School in 1958, he joined the law firm of Sidley and Austin in Chicago. After five years he left to teach at Northwestern University Law School. In 1971, Bill transferred to the UCLA School of Law, where he remained until 1994, and spent some time as a visiting professor at the universities of Illinois, Minnesota, and Virginia.
Bill was known for his work in legal history, contracts, wills, and trusts, and he co-authored two widely used textbooks in the latter two fields. After retirement Bill eagerly pursued his interests in foreign languages, classical music, Latin, and ancient history. He volunteered at Reading for the Blind and enjoyed his years as a member of the Plato Society of Los Angeles, exploring new subjects and making new friends.
Bill died March 27, 2018, at the UCLA Medical Center. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Katie; son William “Monty” McGovern; daughters Elizabeth and Cammie; and grandchildren Matilda, Grace, Richard, Brendan, Ethan, Charlie, and Henry.