A Tribute to Lowenfeld
Professional accomplishment, however, “doesn’t begin to tell you about Andy the man—the people he’s influenced, the hristopher borgen ’95, a former focused on key areas of his scholarly im- scholars he’s mentored, the people he has student of Herbert and Rose Rubin pact: public international law, trade and enriched,” said Silberman as she introProfessor of International Law economic law, private international law, duced Lowenfeld. Thomas Franck and Harold Koh, among many others, added their Emeritus Andreas Lowenfeld, shall and international arbitration. Lowenfeld’s academic service as a own praises. always remember the Alamo. Franck, Murry and Ida Becker Professor In 1999, mentor and student were re- world-renowned scholar and a muchunited at a judicial conference in San Anto- beloved teacher followed a lively career of Law Emeritus, who passed away in May, nio. They set off together to visit the former that began in the 1960s as a lawyer at the said Lowenfeld’s work has rendered “sense Spanish mission where Davy Crockett and U.S. Department of State under presidents and order to the world of conceptual confuhis comrades were killed in 1836 during the John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson. Lo- sion that has always marked great convulmost famous battle of the Texas War of Inde- wenfeld provided strategic counsel to those sions in the ordering of civilizations: the sort pendence from Mexico. “Andy had us poring presidents during the Cuban Missile Crisis; of thing that follows the dying of the light, over historical documents, such as treaties the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty; the so-called the dusk of rationality. He was able to bring that clarity of his thinking to a real trifecta: to the Law School, to the U.S. courts, and even to the world of private commercial transactions—a whole new field aborning.” Koh, dean of Yale Law School, took time out from preparing for confirmation hearings in Washington, D.C., on his nomination to become 2 legal adviser to the State Department, to stop by and say of his mentor, “He taught me how to be a teacher, and a champion of reasonableness. And finally, how to be a problem solver—how to speak 3 4 1 across ideological lines in this very troubled world.” Michael Mattler ’95, minority chief counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, sent a letter to be read aloud: “What I remember and love most is Professor Lowenfeld’s infectious enthusiasm for his subject, and his 5 6 7 8 students.… The international the ties that bind 1 Lowenfeld, who has been a distinguished member of the faculty since 1967; 2 with Lee Marks, senior counsel litigation seminar [Silberof Greenberg Traurig; 3 Lowenfeld’s son, Julian ’90; 4 Harold Koh; 5 with tribute organizer Linda Silberman; 6 NYU President man and Lowenfeld] taught John Sexton; 7 the late Thomas Franck with Dean Richard Revesz; 8 longtime colleague Norman Dorsen. was among the best courses and land deeds,” rather than the popular “Chicken War,” in which the U.S. and the I took while in law school, and helped me exhibits reenacting the battle, said Bor- European Common Market sparred over on a professional course that has included gen. Now a professor at St. John’s University poultry tariffs; and the U.S. invasion of the work on litigation before U.S. courts unSchool of Law, Borgen said his visit to a tour- Dominican Republic. As a prolific scholar— der the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act ist trap was enriched by the historical inves- Lowenfeld’s “selected” writings, accord- and before international tribunals includtigations and became a valuable lesson: A ing to a program distributed at the tribute ing the International Court of Justice, the event, number 14 books and 43 law review Iran-U.S. Claims Tribunal, and the United good educator sees what others do not. Borgen is hardly alone in testifying to the articles—he has lectured practically every- Nations Compensation Commission.” In a benefits of knowing Lowenfeld, who attains where, notably at the Hague Academy in later interview, he added, “One can never emeritus status this fall after 42 years on 1979 with a series of talks he called the “Pub- fully repay what one gets from mentors such the faculty. Lowenfeld was given a special lic Law Tabu,” in which he proposed criteria as Andy Lowenfeld. All we can do, those of tribute in April at a three-day symposium for a global community largely free of strict us who were his students, is go out into the organized by his colleague Linda Silber- legal rules and based instead upon what he world and put the lessons we’ve learned to good use.” Thomas Adcock man, Martin Lipton Professor of Law, that termed “reasonableness, not certainty.”
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