Rex E. Lee

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A member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), Lee was an alumnus of Brigham Young University (BYU) and the University of Chicago Law School. Lee was the president of BYU from 1989 to 1995, and from 1971 to 1975 he was the inaugural dean of BYU's J. Reuben Clark Law School (JRCLS).

Background and educationEdit

Lee was born in Los Angeles, California, on February 27, 1935. His parents were Mabel (née Whiting) and Rex E. Lee.<ref name="death">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="ensign">Template:Cite news</ref> According to an obituary in American Rifleman, Lee's father was shot and killed during a hunting trip in November 1934.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> His mother later married Wilford Shumway.<ref name="nyt">Template:Cite news</ref> Lee served a mission for the LDS Church in the Mexican Mission, serving as second counselor to the mission president.<ref name="ensign" /> He first met his future wife, Janet Griffin (whose father was the Treasury Attaché of the US Embassy in Mexico City), while he was in Mexico. When Lee returned from his mission and enrolled at BYU, he became reacquainted with Janet, and they married on July 7, 1958, in Arizona.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Rp<ref name="ensign" /> Lee and Griffin had seven children.<ref name="death" />

At BYU, Lee was elected student body president.<ref>Hill, Greg. Funeral Speakers Laud Life of Rex Lee, Church News, March 23, 1996, retrieved 2012-05-08</ref> After graduating in 1960, he attended the University of Chicago Law School, where he was an editor of the University of Chicago Law Review. He graduated from Chicago in 1963 ranked first in his class.<ref name="NYTIMES">Binder, David. Rex Lee, Former Solicitor General, Dies at 61, The New York Times, Mar. 13, 1996 retrieved 2012-05-11</ref>

Early legal career and academiaEdit

After law school, Lee served as a law clerk for U.S. Supreme Court justice Byron White from 1963 to 1964.<ref name="post">Template:Cite news</ref> He then entered private practice at the law firm of Jennings, Strouss & Salmon in Phoenix, Arizona.<ref name="lex">Template:Cite journal</ref> Only four years after graduating from law school, Lee argued his first case before the U.S. Supreme Court, despite the fact that he had not yet led any depositions in a lower civil court.<ref name="wilkins">Template:Cite news</ref>

In 1972, Lee left private practice to become the founding dean of BYU's JRCLS,<ref name=thrvfy>Template:Cite news</ref> and is considered personally responsible for recruiting many members of its charter class.<ref name="Memoriam">Wilkins, Richard. In Memoriam: Rex E. Lee, Clark Memorandum, (Spring 1996) p. 4 Template:Webarchive retrieved 2012-05-11</ref><ref>Warning Claxons from Utah: Bob Bennett Voted Out, Millard Fillmore's Bathtub, May 9, 2010 Update; retrieved 2012-09-13</ref>

Supreme Court advocate and scholarEdit

Lee entered public service, first at the invitation of Attorney General Edward H. Levi, as an Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Civil Division in the United States Department of Justice from 1975 to 1976.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name="levi">Template:Cite journal</ref> In 1980, Lee wrote A Lawyer Looks at the Equal Rights Amendment in which he analyzed arguments against the Equal Rights Amendment.<ref name="lord">Template:Cite book</ref>

He served as Solicitor General of the United States from 1981 to 1985 under President of the United States Ronald Reagan.<ref name="nyt" /> As Solicitor General, Lee argued cases before the Supreme Court.<ref name="doj">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> During his time as Solicitor General, Lee won 23 of the 30 cases he argued during Reagan's first presidential term.<ref name="Justices"/> Before he died, he was preparing to argue his 60th case before the Supreme Court despite being confined to a hospital bed.<ref name="Memoriam"/><ref name="Justices">Davidson, Lee. Supreme Court Justices Pay Tribute to the Late Rex Lee, BYU Magazine (November 1996); retrieved April 23, 2012.</ref> Associate Justice White said that Lee "was the epitome of integrity".<ref name="Justices"/> At one point, while being criticized for taking unpopular stances that might have been at odds with the administration under which he served, Lee responded: "I'm the solicitor general, not the pamphleteer general."<ref name="NYTIMES"/><ref name="Justices"/>

Lee relished the opportunity to argue before the Supreme Court. His son, Mike Lee, noted that Lee was very energetic and enthusiastic about arguing cases.<ref name="bros"/> In June 1985, Lee resigned as Solicitor General among criticism that he was not conservative enough.<ref name="salokar">Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> In 1986, Lee was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Lee managed to recover after about a year of cancer treatment and therapy and was named BYU's tenth president.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="past" /> According to some accounts, when Lee was asked to assume the position as university president, he accepted on the condition that he would still be able to argue cases before the Supreme Court in his spare time. He argued nine before his death.<ref name="Justices"/>

BYU presidencyEdit

As president of BYU, Lee oversaw the creation of clear standards on employment requirements and academic freedom, especially in terms of religious education. Lee believed that religious perspectives in the classroom promote academic freedom rather than hinder it.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Rp He also oversaw the streamlining of graduation requirements to aid students in graduating more quickly. Specifically, he limited major requirements to 60 credit hours, encouraging graduation within four years or eight semesters.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Furthermore, he reinstated weekly university devotionals.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> His administration was responsible for growing the size of the campus and prestige of the university.<ref name="past">Template:Cite news</ref> In 1993, Lee decided BYU would offer lower tuition for summer semester to increase enrollment.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> While president, Lee instituted a rule that added regular church attendance as a requirement for attending BYU (though regular church attendance was not defined), stating that the rule would not be used to force church attendance but that those best fitted to BYU's environment would, "cheerfully participate in church activity".<ref name=":0" />Template:Rp

In 1993 and 1994, controversy arose when two professors were terminated at BYU. Arguments arose with some claiming that they were fired due to their outspoken beliefs (one of which was supportive of the Pro-choice movement) that were not in line with the LDS Church, while administrators claimed it was strictly due to academic performance.<ref name=":0" />Template:Rp These allegations sparked accusations of an "anti-feminist" BYU, which Lee denied, affirming that feminists were welcome on BYU campus.<ref name=":0" />Template:Rp Lee also introduced "question and answer" sessions for faculty, students, and staff as well as additions to the physical plant of the university. Furthermore, he emphasized university devotional attendance and encouraged school spirit.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 1994, Lee created a committee to raise $250 million for the "Lighting the Way Capital Campaign" for the benefit of BYU and BYU-Hawaii to reach accreditation. The campaign was completed in December 1999, having earned over $400 million.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Before Lee's tenure as BYU president was over, he struggled with lymphoma and peripheral neuropathy.<ref name="la" /> He served as BYU's president from July 1, 1989, to December 31, 1995. He died at age 61, less than three months after resigning as president of BYU.<ref name="nyt" /> During Lee's funeral, BYU classes were canceled for two hours to allow students to attend the funeral.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

LegacyEdit

During his career, Lee argued 59 cases before the Supreme Court.<ref name="la">Template:Cite news</ref> Future associate Supreme Court justice Samuel Alito served as an assistant to Solicitor General Lee from 1981 to 1985, where Alito argued 12 cases before the Court.<ref name="bros">Gardner, Peter B. Brothers in Law, BYU Magazine, Spring 2011 retrieved 2012-05-08</ref> According to scholar Rebecca Mae Salokar, Rex E. Lee brought the position of Solicitor General into the center of policymaking in the United States.<ref name="salokar" /> In 1998, the JRCLS created the Rex E. Lee Chair to honor him.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Lee won one of the first Distinguished Utahn of the Year awards.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Lee was an avid runner throughout his life (he was nominated to be Solicitor General two days after completing the Boston Marathon),<ref name="NYTIMES"/> and an annual race is held in his honor at BYU to raise proceeds for cancer research.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

FamilyEdit

Lee and his wife had seven children. His son Thomas Rex Lee was a justice of the Utah Supreme Court from 2010 to 2022.<ref name="bros"/> Another son, Mike Lee, has served as a United States Senator from Utah since 2011.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Lee was a first cousin of politicians Mo Udall and Stewart Udall.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>