Mulligan's Law
The Wit and Wisdom of William Hughes Mulligan
Selected by his son, these are the speeches of William Hughes Mulligan, litigator, judge, law professor and dean, and unrivaled artisan among after-dinner speakers. Mulligan's natural ability to compose and deliver a speech with impeccable timing and laced with urbane and timely wit combined with a sampling of his gentle wisdom made him a favorite practitioner of this art. Audiences were ever delighted with his recurring cast of characters, including "Hercules Mulligan," Christopher Lynch, the discoverer of America, and that noted Irishman of ancient renown, King Tut.
A graduate of Fordham College and Fordham Law School, where he was editor of the Fordham Law Review, William Hughes Mulligan (1918-1996) joined the Fordham Law School faculty after service in World War II and was named Dean in 1956. In 1971 President Nixon appointed him to the United States Court of Appeals. After a decade on the federal bench, he became a partner in the law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher and Flom.
Here on this powerful platform sits a man whose every word has commanded my astonishment. Long have I heard of his love for the people, his political sagacity, his towering abilities; long have I sympathized with his complaint that the press fails to do him justice. And now, I have come face to face, at long last, with the wit and wisdom of . . . William Hughes Mulligan.---Ronald Regan, Alfted E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner, October 16, 1980
Some time ago I was introduced as a man who had, in a short time, won the respect and attention of his fellow judges. I responded that this reminds me of the story of the crosseyed javelin thrower—although he never won any contests while he was competing, he always won the respect and attention of all other contestants.---William Hughes Mulligan, May 9, 1976