Brunson MacChesney served as professor at Northwestern University School of Law for nearly forty years. World War II sparked an interest in international law in MacChesney, who served at Foreign Economic Administration posts in Dakar, Algiers, and Paris during the conflict. In the 1950s, MacChesney was an outspoken opponent of the Bricker amendment, which would have limited the treaty-making power of the U.S. president. Under his leadership, ASIL secured a $600,000 grant from the Ford Foundation, expanded its membership, and convened its first West Coast Regional Conference. He served as acting editor-in-chief of the Journal from 1971 to 1972.