Respondent, Mrs. Osgood's executor and also a Massachusetts citizen, was named as defendant. The Massachusetts rule at the time required personal service of process on the executor of an in-state defendant, while Fed. R. Civ.
The defendant, Mrs. Osgood's executor who resided in Massachusetts, was named in the lawsuit.  Massachusetts law mandated personal service of legal documents on executors of in-state defendants, while federal rules of civil procedure...