Harvey Pitt, a legal wunderkind who lasted just 18 months as chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission under President George W. Bush, died on Tuesday in Washington. He was 78.
His death, in a hospital, came after a sudden illness, according to his family, which did not specify the ailment.
Mr. Pitt’s career had three consecutive legs, any one of which alone might have been the pinnacle on a lesser résumé. He began his career at…