Tribute: Minnesota Law Mourns the Passing of William J. Lockhart ’61, Son of Former Dean William B. Lockhart

William J. Lockhart ’61, passed away on April 16, at age 90. Lockhart was born in Los Altos, Calif., and later moved to Minneapolis. His father was William B. Lockhart, who was dean of the Law School from 1958 to 1972. He graduated from the University of Minnesota before serving three years in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War, with two of those years as supply officer on a destroyer in Asia. He earned his J.D. in 1961 from Minnesota Law, where he served as president and editor-in-chief of the Minnesota Law Review. Beginning his career in private practice, Lockhart subsequently joined the University of Law S.J. Quinney College of Law faculty in 1964, teaching administrative, constitutional, and environmental law.

Active with the ACLU and NAACP in the ’60s and ’70s, he focused on representing those experiencing racism and inequity. He served as acting U.S. Attorney for Utah in 1974-75 and later focused on protecting national parks and public lands, especially within Utah. He earned two Fulbright grants to study national park and wildlife refuge protection in India, where he and his family lived in the 2000s. He retired from Utah Law in 2011 but remained active, continuing to promote environmental legal reform in India. He is survived by four children and two grandchildren.