The Thirtieth Charles L. Decker Lecture in Administrative and Civil Law

• Author: Thomas R. Lamont
• Position: Assistant Secretary of the Army (Manpower & Reserve Affairs)
• Pages: 222-230

222 MILITARY LAW REVIEW [Vol. 212

THE THIRTIETH CHARLES L. DECKER LECTURE IN

ADMINISTRATIVE AND CIVIL LAW

HONORABLE THOMAS. R. LAMONT1

Thank you, General Ayres. General Chipman, other general officers,

distinguished guests, and members of the Office of the General Counsel,

I hope you’re not here to just to keep an eye on what I’m saying, but I’m

fearful. As a matter of fact, Lincoln was in our law firm five years after

 This is an edited transcript of a lecture delivered on October 5, 2011 by The Honorable

Thomas R. Lamont to members of the staff and faculty, distinguished guests, and officers

attending the 60th Graduate Course at The Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and

School, Charlottesville, Virginia. The lecture is named in honor of Major General Charles

L. Decker, the founder and first Commandant of The Judge Advocate General’s School,

U.S. Army, in Charlottesville, Va., and the 25th Judge Advocate of the Army. Every

year, The Judge Advocate General invites a distinguished speaker to present the Charles

L. Decker Lecture in Leadership.

1 Mr. Thomas R. Lamont, Assistant Secretary of the Army (Manpower & Reserve

Affairs), is responsible for the supervision of the manpower, personnel and reserve

component affairs for the Department of Army. In this position, he serves as the Army’s

point person for policy and performance oversight of human resources (military, civilian

and contractor) training, readiness, mobilization, military health affairs, force structure,

manpower management, equal opportunity, equal employment opportunity and other

critical matters as part of the Army leadership.

On April 27, 2009, President Barack H. Obama nominated Thomas R. Lamont as

Assistant Secretary of the Army (Manpower & Reserve Affairs) and he was confirmed by

the U.S. Senate on May 18, 2009. Prior to his appointment, he was the Chair of

University of Illinois Board of Trustees and a longtime Springfield, Illinois attorney and

resident partner for the Chicago firms of Gordon & Glickson and Altheimer & Gray, and

the historic Springfield firm of Brown, Hay & Stephens, whose members previously

included Abraham Lincoln. He concentrated his practice in Government Law and

Legislative Affairs.

In the public arena, Mr. Lamont served as Assistant Illinois Attorney General,

Executive Director of the Illinois Board of Higher Education, and Special Counsel and

Adjunct Professor of Law to the University of Illinois. In the mid 1970’s, he served as a

Counsel to the Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives.

In 1990, Mr. Lamont was elected to the University of Illinois Board of Trustees. In

addition, he served as a trustee of the State University Retirement System, a member of

the Illinois Board of Higher Education, and on U.S. Senator Alan J. Dixon’s Military

Academy Appointments Committee.

He is admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals

for the Armed Forces, U.S. District Courts and Illinois State Courts.

Mr. Lamont served as a Judge Advocate General in the Illinois Army National

Guard for over twenty-five years. He culminated his career serving as the Illinois Staff

Judge Advocate and retired as a Colonel in 2007. His military awards and decorations

include the Legion of Merit and the Meritorious Service Medal.

Mr. Lamont received his bachelor’s degree from Illinois State University in 1969

and earned his law degree from the University of Illinois, College of Law in 1972.