F. Trowbridge vom Baur
Encyclopedia
Francis Trowbridge vom Baur (September 17, 1908, Riverton, New Jersey
- June 17, 2000, Charlottesville, Virginia
) was a United States
lawyer
who was General Counsel of the Navy
from 1953 to 1960.
from Amherst College
in 1929 and a law degree from Harvard Law School
in 1932.
After law school, vom Baur joined the New York City
law firm
of Milbank, Tweed & Hope as an associate attorney
. In 1937, Milbank, Tweed sent vom Baur to Washington, D.C.
to lobby against the Judicial Procedures Reform Bill of 1937.
Vom Baur left Milbank, Tweed in 1942, joining the staff of Nelson Rockefeller
, Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs
. There, he was responsible for administering public and sanitation assistance in Central America
and the West Indies.
With the end of World War II
, vom Baur left government service and formed a law firm, vom Baur, Coburn, Simmons & Tuttle, in Washington, D.C.
He would be a senior partner with this firm - and its successor, Gage, Tucker & vom Baur - until he retired in 1983.
In 1953, President of the United States
Dwight D. Eisenhower
nominated vom Baur as General Counsel of the Navy
and vom Baur subsequently held this office from December 15, 1953 until April 30, 1960. In this capacity, vom Baur was instrumental in designing safeguards to protect United States Department of the Navy
employees and military contractors who were accused of participating in subversive activities while the nation was in the grip of McCarthyism
. At vom Baur's behest, the Department of the Navy set up evidentiary hearings for individuals accused of subversive activities; vom Baur also made arrangements with the American Bar Association
to have pro bono
legal representation for individuals accused of subversion. In most cases, accusations of subversion could not be substantiated and individuals were cleared of wrongdoing.
After leaving the Department of the Navy, vom Baur returned to legal practice until his retirement in 1983. From 1980 to 1990, he was General Counsel
of the Naval Undersea Museum
Foundation.
Vom Baur died at a convolescant home in Charlottesville, Virginia
on June 17, 2000. He was 91 years old.
Riverton, New Jersey
Riverton is a Borough located in Burlington County, New Jersey. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough had a total population of 2,759....
- June 17, 2000, Charlottesville, Virginia
Charlottesville, Virginia
Charlottesville is an independent city geographically surrounded by but separate from Albemarle County in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, and named after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the queen consort of King George III of the United Kingdom.The official population estimate for...
) was a United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
who was General Counsel of the Navy
General Counsel of the Navy
The General Counsel of the Department of the Navy is the senior civilian lawyer in the United States Department of the Navy and is the senior legal adviser to the Secretary of the Navy. The Office of the General Counsel of the Navy provides legal advice to the Secretary, the Under Secretary of the...
from 1953 to 1960.
Biography
F. Trowbridge vom Baur was the son of Carl Hans vom Baur and Edith Venelia Trowbridge. He received a bachelor's degreeBachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
from Amherst College
Amherst College
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...
in 1929 and a law degree from Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
in 1932.
After law school, vom Baur joined the New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
law firm
Law firm
A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to represent clients in civil or criminal cases, business transactions, and other...
of Milbank, Tweed & Hope as an associate attorney
Associate attorney
An associate attorney is a lower-level employee of a traditional law firm who does not hold an ownership interest as a partner.-Attorneys:An associate may be a junior or senior associate, but normally does not yet hold an ownership interest in the firm even if they have been associated with the...
. In 1937, Milbank, Tweed sent vom Baur to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
to lobby against the Judicial Procedures Reform Bill of 1937.
Vom Baur left Milbank, Tweed in 1942, joining the staff of Nelson Rockefeller
Nelson Rockefeller
Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller was the 41st Vice President of the United States , serving under President Gerald Ford, and the 49th Governor of New York , as well as serving the Roosevelt, Truman and Eisenhower administrations in a variety of positions...
, Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs
Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs
The Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs was a United States agency promoting inter-American cooperation during the 1940s, especially in commercial and economic areas...
. There, he was responsible for administering public and sanitation assistance in Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
and the West Indies.
With the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, vom Baur left government service and formed a law firm, vom Baur, Coburn, Simmons & Tuttle, in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
He would be a senior partner with this firm - and its successor, Gage, Tucker & vom Baur - until he retired in 1983.
In 1953, President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
nominated vom Baur as General Counsel of the Navy
General Counsel of the Navy
The General Counsel of the Department of the Navy is the senior civilian lawyer in the United States Department of the Navy and is the senior legal adviser to the Secretary of the Navy. The Office of the General Counsel of the Navy provides legal advice to the Secretary, the Under Secretary of the...
and vom Baur subsequently held this office from December 15, 1953 until April 30, 1960. In this capacity, vom Baur was instrumental in designing safeguards to protect United States Department of the Navy
United States Department of the Navy
The Department of the Navy of the United States of America was established by an Act of Congress on 30 April 1798, to provide a government organizational structure to the United States Navy and, from 1834 onwards, for the United States Marine Corps, and when directed by the President, of the...
employees and military contractors who were accused of participating in subversive activities while the nation was in the grip of McCarthyism
McCarthyism
McCarthyism is the practice of making accusations of disloyalty, subversion, or treason without proper regard for evidence. The term has its origins in the period in the United States known as the Second Red Scare, lasting roughly from the late 1940s to the late 1950s and characterized by...
. At vom Baur's behest, the Department of the Navy set up evidentiary hearings for individuals accused of subversive activities; vom Baur also made arrangements with the American Bar Association
American Bar Association
The American Bar Association , founded August 21, 1878, is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. The ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of academic standards for law schools, and the formulation...
to have pro bono
Pro bono
Pro bono publico is a Latin phrase generally used to describe professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment or at a reduced fee as a public service. It is common in the legal profession and is increasingly seen in marketing, technology, and strategy consulting firms...
legal representation for individuals accused of subversion. In most cases, accusations of subversion could not be substantiated and individuals were cleared of wrongdoing.
After leaving the Department of the Navy, vom Baur returned to legal practice until his retirement in 1983. From 1980 to 1990, he was General Counsel
General Counsel
A general counsel is the chief lawyer of a legal department, usually in a corporation or government department. The term is most used in the United States...
of the Naval Undersea Museum
Naval Undersea Museum
The Naval Undersea Museum is an official naval museum located at Keyport, Washington, USA. The museum is one of the 12 Navy museums that are operated by the Naval History & Heritage Command. The museum sits next to a branch of the Naval Undersea Warfare Center...
Foundation.
Vom Baur died at a convolescant home in Charlottesville, Virginia
Charlottesville, Virginia
Charlottesville is an independent city geographically surrounded by but separate from Albemarle County in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, and named after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the queen consort of King George III of the United Kingdom.The official population estimate for...
on June 17, 2000. He was 91 years old.
Select Works by F. Trowbridge vom Baur
- F. Trowbridge vom Baur, Federal Administrative Law: A Treatise on the Legal Principles Governing the Validity of Action of Federal Administrative Agencies, and of State Agencies on Federal Questions (Chicago: Callaghan & Co., 1942)
- Ernest Schein & F. Trowbridge vom Baur, "Publicizing International Affairs," 47 AM. J. INT'L L. 482 (1953)
- F. Trowbridge vom Baur, "Administrative Agencies and Unauthorized Practice of Law", 48 A.B.A. J. 715 (1962)
- F. Trowbridge vom Baur, "How to Look up Law and Write Legal Memoranda Revisited", The Practical Lawyer, May 1965
- F. Trowbridge vom Baur, "Differences between Commercial Contracts and Government Contracts", 53 A.B.A. J. 247 (1967)
- F. Trowbridge vom Baur, "Revitalizing the Trial Bar," 55 A.B.A. J. 138 (1969)
- F. Trowbridge vom Baur, "Fifty Years of Government Contract Law," 29 Fed. B. J. 305 (1970)
- F. Trowbridge vom Baur, "The Art of Brief Writing" (1976) 22 The Practical Lawyer 81
- F. Trowbridge vom Baur, The Practical Lawyer's Manual on Legal Research, Writing and Indexing (Philadelphia: American Law Institute-American Bar Association Committee and Continuing Professional Education, 1979)
- F. Trowbridge vom Baur, "Early Days of Government Contract Practice", Public Contract Law Journal, March 1989, v. 18: 446-459.
- F. Trowbridge vom Baur, "A Personal History of the Model Procurement Code", 25 Pub. Cont. L.J. 149 (1996)