Louis Ainsworth ’77
Mitchell Hamline lost a key figure of its community with the passing of Louis Ainsworth ’77 on March 17. He was 77 years old. Ainsworth wore many hats at Mitchell Hamline, as a leader, alum, professor, mentor, and supporter of innovative programming at the law school.
Originally from Illinois, Ainsworth earned his bachelor’s degree from Seattle University in 1972, married his wife Susan, and ended up in the Twin Cities, a place he would never leave. He attended William Mitchell College of Law part-time for four years, graduating in 1977. Building off his previous work experience, he made a concerted effort to study both law and business during law school, at a time when no formal curriculum existed. His passion for the area later led to his conviction that there were other students who would follow in his footsteps—and follow they did.
“One of the strengths of the law school is it helped to educate people who chose to use their degree not in practicing law, but in business. Louis was instrumental in helping us come to this insight and accepting it as a school,” said Eric Janus, who served as president and dean of William Mitchell during Ainsworth’s tenure on the board of trustees. “Louis was focused on helping the school advance and accomplish its mission in a variety of ways, both programmatically and philanthropically.”
Ainsworth in the classroom
Ainsworth held many leadership roles during his nine years as a trustee, and he was also a generous and loyal donor. His philanthropic investment supported a number of student scholarships, an endowed professorship, and an innovation fund at the law school.
That innovation fund contributed to founding the Center for Law and Business (CLB) at William Mitchell in 2011, and Ainsworth was a founding member of the center’s advisory board. In 2013, he took over as director of the center, during which time he oversaw the addition of new courses and dramatically expanded the number of students enrolled in the certificate program.
The same innovation fund also helped launch the school’s most innovative undertaking to date in 2015: the Hybrid J.D. Program, the first-ever on-campus/online J.D. program at an ABA-approved law school, known today as blended learning.
Those who knew him, said Janus, knew Ainsworth was personable and easy to work with, as well as extremely smart and strategic. “He was a scholar, and he loved books and loved learning.”
Ainsworth reading amongst his book collection
Nowhere was this more evident than through his book collection. After earning his undergraduate degree, Ainsworth started acquiring books, the collection soon becoming an obsession. Eventually he and his wife Susan purchased the house next-door to theirs in St. Louis Park, and they converted it into a library to house the massive collection.
In a 2014 issue of William Mitchell’s alumni magazine, Ainsworth said, “I owe a lot to Mitchell because I went here, and I got a lot out of it. Mitchell allowed me to do a lot with my career.”
Prior to taking on the mantle of director of CLB, Ainsworth’s distinguished career included working in private practice as a partner at Henson & Efron, serving as senior vice president and general counsel for Pentair, where he was responsible for all legal services provided to the company and its worldwide affiliates, and being of counsel for Faegre Baker Daniels. He shared this real-world knowledge and expertise through teaching business and law courses as a professor and distinguished practitioner-in-residence at Mitchell Hamline.
“Louis was passionate about shaping exceptional lawyers who were also prepared to become visionary business leaders,” said Professor Leanne Fuith, who worked closely with Ainsworth to lead CLB when she first joined Mitchell Hamline.
“He had boundless energy and students often marveled at his deep knowledge of business law and lawyering. So many of our Mitchell Hamline students benefited from his commitment to bringing practical experiences into the classroom.”
In 2018, Ainsworth was awarded Mitchell Hamline’s Outstanding Alumni Award for his commitment and extensive service to the law school. In addition to his leadership roles and generous philanthropic support, he was dedicated to serving the school in any way he could. This included being a student mentor, a field-supervising attorney for the apprenticeship program, a group leader for the school’s London program, and a commencement speaker.
“Louis was a wonderful colleague and a cherished mentor and friend,” Fuith added. “He was deeply committed to Mitchell Hamline during every chapter of his own professional career, and we are so fortunate that he was part of this community.”
Ainsworth’s obituary in The Minnesota Star Tribune shares that a memorial gathering will take place on Friday, May 30, 2025, at 1 pm at the Lakewood Chapel, 3600 Hennepin Avenue South, Minneapolis.