Amdursky, Robert S.

Robert S. Amdursky (1937- ) graduated from Cornell University in 1959. He wrote an honors thesis concerning the Fiske-McGraw will case, which was waged from 1883-1890 over the estate of Jennie McGraw-Fiske, only daughter of Cornell benefactor and lumberman John McGraw. (Daniel) Willard Fiske, professor of North European languages, librarian, and director of the University Press at Cornell, married the wealthy Miss Fiske in Europe in July 1880. They returned to Cornell in June of 1881, because of Jennie's serious illness, and she died that September. In her will, Jennie left the bulk of her estate to Cornell; however, state law and provisions in the University Charter made the legality of the bequest questionable. These legal points, as well as personal animosities between Fiske and several University officers and benefactors, including Judge Douglass Boardman and Henry Sage, led Fiske to initiate a suit to break his wife's will. The McGraw cousins made a separate plea to break the will. In 1866, the Ithaca Surrogate decided the case in favor of Cornell. After several appeals by both sides, the United States Supreme Court closed the case, ruling in favor of Fiske on May 19, 1890.