Remembrances of the honorable Harold R. Tyler, Jr.

• Author: Younger, Stephen P.
• Position: Symposium: Interdisciplinary Conference on the Impact of Technological Change on the Creation, Dissemination, and Protection of Intellectual Property - Testimonial

Judge Harold R. Tyler, Jr. was born in Utica, New York in 1921 and grew up in nearby Waterville. It was on the basketball court playing for Phillips Exeter Academy that Judge Tyler earned the nickname "Ace," which stuck with him for life. After graduating from Princeton in 1943, Judge Tyler enlisted in the U.S. Army and served in World War II rising to the rank of Captain. Upon returning from the war, he attended Columbia Law School in New York City.

Following graduation in 1949, Judge Tyler practiced law in New York City. He thrived on courtroom work and handled cases for corporate clients like GE on which he cut his teeth. From 1953 to 1955, Judge Tyler served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York where he continued to build his trial experience.

In 1958, Judge Tyler became the head of the Civil Rights Division in the U.S. Department of Justice. In that role, Judge Tyler spearheaded the fight for desegregation in the South. His legal efforts to foster desegregation had a deep impact on many Americans at this changing time in our country's history. For example, his office drafted what became the 1960 Civil Rights Act.

In 1962, President John F. Kennedy appointed Judge Tyler a United States District Judge for the Southern District of New York. During his tenure on the bench, Judge Tyler presided over many well-known cases, including a leading series of class action decisions known as Eisen v. Carlisle & Jacquelin, which went up to the appellate courts and back on several occasions. (1)

Judge Tyler often remarked that he had been asked to apply for the Second Circuit Court of Appeals but chose not to pursue the opportunity since it would have been a life sentence to law review. Put differently, Judge Tyler so loved the give-and-take of the courtroom that serving as a trial judge was the only judicial role he ever wanted.

In 1975, Judge Tyler was asked by President Gerald Ford to serve as Deputy Attorney General of the United States. It was a time when the country was still reeling from the effects of Watergate. Judge Tyler's efforts to promote the uniform application of the rule of law were quite profound and helped bring back a high sense of integrity within the Justice Department.

In 1977, following the close of the Ford Administration, Judge Tyler decided to return to New York and practice law. He had his choice of any number of prominent law firms in New York City. He chose Patterson Belknap because he felt it was a place where he could build a top-flight litigation department, but could also engage in various public service projects at the same time. For Judge Tyler, the practice of law...