W. Lee Rawls ’66

Lee Rawls died of acute leukemia Dec. 5, 2010.

Lee grew up in Philadelphia and graduated from Chestnut Hill Academy, where he was class valedictorian and an outstanding athlete. At Princeton he majored in history, lettered in tennis and squash, and belonged to Tiger Inn.

After Princeton, Lee earned a law degree at George Washington University and began a distinguished public-service career that included working as chief of staff for Sen. Pete Domenici, Senate Minority Leader Bill Frist ’74, and our classmate and FBI director Bob Mueller. He was assistant attorney general for legislative affairs in the administration of President George H.W. Bush. Between stints in public service, Lee held prominent positions with the Washington offices of the Vinson & Elkins and Baker Donelson law firms.

Somehow, he also found time to teach at the National Defense University and the College of William & Mary and serve as a public-policy scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. In his 2009 book, In Praise of Deadlock: How Partisans Make Better Law, Lee argued in favor of Washington’s political process and defended the Senate filibuster.

Our class has lost one of its stars, and the country has lost a dedicated and effective public servant. We send sympathy to Lee’s widow, Linda; their three children; and the extended family.