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Sol Myron Linowitz

Sol Myron Linowitz '35

Dec. 7, 1913-Mar. 18, 2005

Sol Myron Linowitz ’35, LL.D. (Hon.) ’78, counselor and confidant of Presidents, whose stellar career encompassed the law, business, and public service, was born on December 7, 1913, in Trenton, NJ. The eldest son of Joseph and Rose Oglenskye Linowitz, Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe, he grew up in Trenton, where his father was a fruit merchant. He came to Hamilton in 1931 from Trenton Senior High School with a $250 scholarship and little else but his parents’ legacy of faith in the importance of education.

Sol Linowitz worked his way through college by waiting on tables in Commons, giving violin lessons, and even selling Christmas cards. In his spare time he devoted himself to music and acting with the Charlatans. One of his many odd jobs was reading on a Sunday afternoon to the aged and near-blind Elihu Root. One day, the distinguished statesman and Nobel laureate asked Sol what he planned to do after leaving Hamilton. When Sol confided that he was not sure whether to pursue a career in the law or become a rabbi, Senator Root advised him: “Become a lawyer. I have found that a lawyer needs twice as much religion as a minister or rabbi.” It was advice that Sol Linowitz took to heart and never forgot.

Described by the Hamiltonian as an “extraordinary combination of musician, scholar, and actor,” Sol Linowitz was graduated Phi Beta Kappa and with honors in public speaking, political science, and German. Salutatorian of the Class of 1935, he delivered his address in the then customary Latin, which prompted some puzzlement from his mother in the Commencement audience.

After Hamilton, Sol Linowitz went on to Cornell University Law School, where he served as editor-in-chief of the Law Quarterly and earned his LL.B. degree in 1938. There he met his future wife and life partner, Evelyn “Toni” Zimmerman. They were married in New York City on September 3, 1939. The couple took up residence in Rochester, NY, where Sol had joined a small law firm, Sutherland & Sutherland. Except for the years of World War II when he served as assistant general counsel to the Office of Price Administration in Washington (1942-44) and on active duty as a U.S. Navy lieutenant (1944-46), he continued in private practice in Rochester until 1958.

While engaged in his law practice, Sol Linowitz became involved with a small local company, Haloid, which manufactured photographic papers. While Sol was serving as its general counsel, beginning in 1958, he utilized his professional skills as a negotiator to protect its patents, preserve its independence, and assure its growth into what became the mighty Xerox Corp. He was chairman of Xerox’s board in 1966 when President Lyndon B. Johnson called him to Washington to serve as U.S. Ambassador to the Organization of American States. It marked the beginning of his distinguished contributions in his country’s service.

After President Johnson left office in 1969, Ambassador Linowitz remained in Washington to become a senior partner in the international law firm of Coudert Bros. With the inauguration of Jimmy Carter as President in 1977, he received another call from the White House, to serve as co-negotiator of the Panama Canal treaties. It was an exceedingly challenging assignment, both in conducting the negotiations and in obtaining ratification by the U.S. Senate against fierce political opposition. Ultimately, however, success was achieved. In 1979, President Carter named Sol Linowitz as his special representative in the Middle East, charged with the task of mediating between Egypt and Israel over Palestinian autonomy. His negotiating efforts ended in 1981 with the Reagan presidency.

Throughout his career, Sol Linowitz devoted much time and energy to active involvement in worthy causes such as the National Urban Coalition, which he served as chairman. He was also a member of numerous boards of trustees, including those of Cornell University, the University of Rochester, the Johns Hopkins University, and Hamilton. Elected as a charter trustee of the College in 1964, he generously shared for 20 years his wise counsel, tempered judgment, and clarity of vision to Hamilton’s great benefit. He was a life trustee of the College at the time of his death.

Laden with countless honors, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, conferred upon him by President Clinton in 1998, Sol Linowitz nonetheless remained a man of modest demeanor, gifted with a sense of humor, and always courtly and considerate of others. Also a man of great integrity who publicly deplored the materialism and moral decline within his beloved legal profession, he remained faithful to the tradition of public service combined with ethical probity that was so exemplified by Elihu Root.

Sol M. Linowitz died on March 18, 2005, at his home in Washington, at the age of 91. Besides his wife of 65 years, he is survived by four daughters, June Linowitz, Anne Mozersky, Jan Linowitz, and Roni Jolles; eight grandchildren, and three brothers, including R. Robert Linowes ’44.

Necrology Home

Note: Memorial biographies published prior to 2004 will not appear on this list.



Necrology Writer and Contact:
Christopher Wilkinson '68
Email: Chris.Wilkinson@mail.wvu.edu

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