[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 157 (Sunday, November 9, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S12408]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO BERNARD G. SEGAL

  Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to one of the 
greatest lawyers in recent American history--Bernard G. Segal, who died 
earlier this year. Bernard Segal, who served as the president of the 
American Bar Association in 1969-70, was known as the conscience of the 
bar, and some of his colleagues said that he promoted individual rights 
and the rule of law more than any other lawyer of our time.
  Bernard Segal's legal accomplishments began at an early age, as he 
was named directly out of Penn Law School to serve as deputy attorney 
general of Pennsylvania. At age 24, he was the youngest person to ever 
hold this post, but he still proceeded to write many important pieces 
of legislation, including the State's banking code. He left this 
position to be a founding partner of the Philadelphia law firm of 
Schnader, Harrison, Segal & Lewis. As a member of the firm, he was very 
successful, representing many blue-chip clients such as Bell Telephone, 
NBC, and United Parcel, and during his career he argued nearly 50 cases 
before the U.S. Supreme Court. As a result of his legal prowess, Mr. 
Segal was tapped to serve as the chancellor of the Philadelphia Bar and 
president of the American Bar Association, becoming the first Jewish 
man to serve in either post.
  Mr. Segal continually dedicated himself to legal causes, and one of 
his most successful crusades was his mission to improve the selection 
process for federal judges. As chairman of the ABA's standing committee 
on the Federal Judiciary, Mr. Segal helped to persuade President 
Eisenhower to establish the practice of submitting prospective Federal 
judicial appointments to the ABA for review. In order to convince the 
President of the need for this procedure, Mr. Segal asked the former 
general this simple question: ``Would you appoint a general without 
asking the colonels what they thought of him.''
  Bernard Segal's legal career was truly exemplary, but what made this 
man so extraordinary was his commitment to helping the less fortunate 
members of our society. Mr. Segal described the hallmark of the law 
firm that he helped found as its ``dedication to the higher calling,'' 
that is ``the lawyer's obligation to assume an active role in the 
pursuit of a just and ordered society, in helping to solve the emerging 
problems of social, economic and political importance * * * to serve 
the public as his or her client, as she or he would serve a full-paying 
client.''
  Mr. Segal's commitment to preserving equal justice under the law for 
all Americans particularly shone during the civil rights movement. In 
the 1960's, many people in the country viewed civil rights as a 
Southern problem, one over which they had little influence or control. 
Fortunately, Bernard Segal did not share this view.
  In 1963, when Alabama Governor George Wallace announced that he would 
disregard the Federal court order that prohibited interference with the 
admission of African-American students at the University of Alabama, 
Bernard Segal saw the need for the Nation's legal community to speak 
out publicly against the Governor's actions. He quickly got 46 
prominent lawyers, including three former U.S. Attorneys General, to 
sign a public letter condemning the Governor's defiance of the law.
  Shortly afterward, President Kennedy announced that he was creating a 
group known as the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, and 
the President named Bernard Segal as one of the organization's two co-
chairmen. This committee of 246 private lawyers helped build support 
for the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and its call for peaceful compliance 
with court orders had a persuasive impact on future integration efforts 
in the South.
  In the wake of the civil rights movement, Bernard Segal remained 
socially active. President Johnson chose him to head the National Legal 
Service Program, which established legal services for the poor. And 
much like he did at his own law firm, Mr. Segal worked diligently to 
enlist lawyers to provide legal assistance for the indigent.
  Bernard Segal's efforts did not go unrecognized. Among his many 
honors were the American Bar Association's Gold Medal, the National 
Civil Rights Award by the U.S. Attorney General, the National Human 
Relations Award by the National Conference of Christians and Jews, the 
Judge William H. Hastie Award by the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, and the 
World Peace Through Law Award as the ``World's Greatest Lawyer.''
  Bernard Segal represented the highest standards and ideals of the 
legal profession, and all those who were fortunate enough to know this 
great man will miss him dearly. He is survived by his wife, Geraldine, 
his daughter Loretta, his son Richard, three grandchildren, one great-
grandchild, his brother, and his sister. I offer my heartfelt 
condolences to them all.

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