Higginbotham, Revered Justice, Dies of Stroke

Public Service professor of Jurisprudence A. Leon Higginbotham Jr. died last night at Massachusetts General Hospital after suffering a stroke at his Newton home Saturday afternoon and several additional strokes Sunday night. He was 70.

Higginbotham taught courses at both the Kennedy School of Government and in the Afro-American Studies department, where he taught Af-Am 195, "Race and the American Legal Process," this semester.

Higginbotham, who in 1964 became America's third black federal judge and later became the first black trustee of Yale University and chief judge of the U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals, was known nationally as an outspoken champion of civil rights.

In 1995 President Clinton awarded Higginbotham the Presidential Medal of freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor. That year Clinton also named Higginbotham Commissioner of the United States Commission on Civil Rights.

Condolences and tributes poured in from across the country last night for the late judge. From President Clinton to Harvard President Neil L. Rudenstine, to fellow professors and his students, Higginbotham was described as a man respected and loved by all whose lives he touched.

"The President was a great admirer of Judge Higginbotham," said White House spokesperson Barry J. Toiv '77. "He will very much be missed by the country and the President and the First Lady will miss him particularly."

In a statement released last night, Rudenstine said Higginbotham's loss has left a void in the nation and at Harvard.

"In losing Leon Higginbotham we have lost a giant oak, and we are left with an enormous gap in the landscape of the nation," he said. "He was a powerful presence and voice, a voice that has influenced our legal and judicial world for decades."

Rudenstine lauded Higginbotham's strength and conviction in fighting for civil rights.

"Judge Higginbotham always championed the cause of equity and fairness," Rudenstine said. "But he did so without ever diminishing the strength of his conviction that the nation still has a very great distance to travel before African Americans will have gained genuine equity of opportunity."

"The Judge," as his friends and colleaguescalled him, exerted a profound influence on ageneration of lawyers, said Professor of LawCharles J. Ogletree Jr. '54 in a statement lastnight.

"He was not only a mentor but a father figurefor me and for a generation of young lawprofessors and lawyers," he said. "He was theepitome of the people's lawyer."

Ogletree praised his colleague's attention tothe forgotten members of our society.

"Despite his individual merits andaccomplishments, he never hesitated to lend a handto the poor, the voiceless, the powerless and thedowntrodden," he said.

Higginbotham's accomplishments as a lawyerearned him a special place in history, Ogletreesaid. "His great qualities as a judge werereflected in the fact that, along with ThurgoodMarshall, he was at the top of Lyndon Johnson'slist for the first African-American appointment tothe U.S. Supreme Court," he said.

Even as recently as two weeks ago, Higginbothamwas called to testify before the House JudiciaryCommittee. Speaking alongside FrankfurterProfessor of Law Alan M. Dershowitz, he told thecommittee that an impeachment of Clinton would beinappropriate and dangerous.

Washington Post columnist Juan Williams saidHigginbotham's concern for the current impeachmentproceedings affected his entire demeanor. Williamssaid Higginbotham told him that children inpoverty were far more important to our nation thanimpeachment.

"I just saw him Friday night in WashingtonNational [Airport] and he said he was fine butvery glum about the impeachment hearings. He saidthere was so much to be done in this country,"Williams said.

Williams called Higginbotham a landmark figurein 20th-century black America.

"From a historical perspective, Higginbothamreally stands out as a single force in so much ofblack American history," he said. "[He was]someone who was at the cutting edge of theargument over how to use the law to advance civilrights in the country."

Ellen V. Holloman, a third-year law student andcourse assistant in Higginbotham's Af-Am class,called the judge inspiring.

"When I decided I wanted to be a lawyer he wasone of the influential figures that sent me to lawschool," she said.

"He paid me to be his teaching assistant--Iwould've done it for free just to be near him,"she said. "For someone training to be a younglawyer you couldn't ask for a better teacher."

Mark E. McIntosh '99, who worked as a researchassistant for Higginbotham and described himselfas a good friend of the judge, called Higginbotham"the best example of somebody devoting time whenmost other people don't think it's important."

Many of Higginbotham's students expressed theirsadness at the loss and their feeling of honor athaving learned from his experiences.

Nancy Nanka-Bruce '99 called him one ofHarvard's greatest "primary sources."

"Something that I remember most about him wasthat he sat in on the preliminary proceedings thatled to Brown v. Board of Ed.," she said."There's no way to describe sitting in class andthe man says, 'When I talked to Chief Justice[Earl] Warren...' He was his class and there wasno better source of info."

Other students described their awe at knowingone of the nation's foremost legal minds.

"He was just an intellectual powerhouse--he wasone of the most brilliant men that I've ever hadthe pleasure to meet," said Taj J. Clayton '99, astudent in Af-Am 195.

"The magnitude of his presence wasawe-inspiring," said Clayton, who also worked withHigginbotham on his most recent research study.

As news of his illness spread across campusyesterday, many members of the Harvard communitystopped to say a prayer for their friend.Professor of Afro-American Studies Cornel R. West'74 asked his class to observe a moment of silencefor Higginbotham at the beginning of Af-Am 10,"Introduction to Afro-American Studies." Duringthe day, members of the Black StudentsAssociation, Kuumba and the W.E.B. DuBois Societyalso received an e-mail message on Higginbotham'scondition that urged them to pray for hisrecovery.

Higginbotham received acclaim for hismulti-volume series of books titled Race andthe American Legal Process. He held honorarydegrees from over 60 institutions, and earlierthis year received the Roger Baldwin Award of theAmerican Civil Liberties Union.

Higginbotham's wife, professor of Afro-AmericanStudies and of History Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham,took this semester off to recover from recentsurgery.

He is survived by his wife, two daughters andtwo sons.

A funeral for Higginbotham will be held nextMonday at the People's Baptist Church in Boston,located at 134 Camden St. The University plans tohold a memorial service at Harvard early nextyear.Courtesy of the Harvard News OfficeREVERED JUDGE:Professor A. LEONHIGGINBOTHAM Jr. died last night.

"The Judge," as his friends and colleaguescalled him, exerted a profound influence on ageneration of lawyers, said Professor of LawCharles J. Ogletree Jr. '54 in a statement lastnight.

"He was not only a mentor but a father figurefor me and for a generation of young lawprofessors and lawyers," he said. "He was theepitome of the people's lawyer."

Ogletree praised his colleague's attention tothe forgotten members of our society.

"Despite his individual merits andaccomplishments, he never hesitated to lend a handto the poor, the voiceless, the powerless and thedowntrodden," he said.

Higginbotham's accomplishments as a lawyerearned him a special place in history, Ogletreesaid. "His great qualities as a judge werereflected in the fact that, along with ThurgoodMarshall, he was at the top of Lyndon Johnson'slist for the first African-American appointment tothe U.S. Supreme Court," he said.

Even as recently as two weeks ago, Higginbothamwas called to testify before the House JudiciaryCommittee. Speaking alongside FrankfurterProfessor of Law Alan M. Dershowitz, he told thecommittee that an impeachment of Clinton would beinappropriate and dangerous.

Washington Post columnist Juan Williams saidHigginbotham's concern for the current impeachmentproceedings affected his entire demeanor. Williamssaid Higginbotham told him that children inpoverty were far more important to our nation thanimpeachment.

"I just saw him Friday night in WashingtonNational [Airport] and he said he was fine butvery glum about the impeachment hearings. He saidthere was so much to be done in this country,"Williams said.

Williams called Higginbotham a landmark figurein 20th-century black America.

"From a historical perspective, Higginbothamreally stands out as a single force in so much ofblack American history," he said. "[He was]someone who was at the cutting edge of theargument over how to use the law to advance civilrights in the country."

Ellen V. Holloman, a third-year law student andcourse assistant in Higginbotham's Af-Am class,called the judge inspiring.

"When I decided I wanted to be a lawyer he wasone of the influential figures that sent me to lawschool," she said.

"He paid me to be his teaching assistant--Iwould've done it for free just to be near him,"she said. "For someone training to be a younglawyer you couldn't ask for a better teacher."

Mark E. McIntosh '99, who worked as a researchassistant for Higginbotham and described himselfas a good friend of the judge, called Higginbotham"the best example of somebody devoting time whenmost other people don't think it's important."

Many of Higginbotham's students expressed theirsadness at the loss and their feeling of honor athaving learned from his experiences.

Nancy Nanka-Bruce '99 called him one ofHarvard's greatest "primary sources."

"Something that I remember most about him wasthat he sat in on the preliminary proceedings thatled to Brown v. Board of Ed.," she said."There's no way to describe sitting in class andthe man says, 'When I talked to Chief Justice[Earl] Warren...' He was his class and there wasno better source of info."

Other students described their awe at knowingone of the nation's foremost legal minds.

"He was just an intellectual powerhouse--he wasone of the most brilliant men that I've ever hadthe pleasure to meet," said Taj J. Clayton '99, astudent in Af-Am 195.

"The magnitude of his presence wasawe-inspiring," said Clayton, who also worked withHigginbotham on his most recent research study.

As news of his illness spread across campusyesterday, many members of the Harvard communitystopped to say a prayer for their friend.Professor of Afro-American Studies Cornel R. West'74 asked his class to observe a moment of silencefor Higginbotham at the beginning of Af-Am 10,"Introduction to Afro-American Studies." Duringthe day, members of the Black StudentsAssociation, Kuumba and the W.E.B. DuBois Societyalso received an e-mail message on Higginbotham'scondition that urged them to pray for hisrecovery.

Higginbotham received acclaim for hismulti-volume series of books titled Race andthe American Legal Process. He held honorarydegrees from over 60 institutions, and earlierthis year received the Roger Baldwin Award of theAmerican Civil Liberties Union.

Higginbotham's wife, professor of Afro-AmericanStudies and of History Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham,took this semester off to recover from recentsurgery.

He is survived by his wife, two daughters andtwo sons.

A funeral for Higginbotham will be held nextMonday at the People's Baptist Church in Boston,located at 134 Camden St. The University plans tohold a memorial service at Harvard early nextyear.Courtesy of the Harvard News OfficeREVERED JUDGE:Professor A. LEONHIGGINBOTHAM Jr. died last night.