Rex E. Lee

Rex E. Lee
Born	Rex Edwin Lee February 27, 1935
Birthplace	St. Johns, Arizona, U.S.
Died	March 11, 1996 Provo, Utah, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Lawyer, academic, government official
Known for	37th Solicitor General of the United States, 10th President of Brigham Young University
Education	University of Chicago (JD)
Spouse(s)	Janet Griffin
Children	7
Awards	Rex E. Lee Advocacy Award (posthumous, named in his honor)

Rex Edwin Lee (February 27, 1935 – March 11, 1996) was an American lawyer, legal scholar, and university administrator who served as the 37th Solicitor General of the United States from 1981 to 1985 under President Ronald Reagan. During his tenure as solicitor general, Lee argued 59 cases before the United States Supreme Court and was credited with bringing the solicitor general's office to the center of American legal policymaking. Born in the small town of St. Johns, Arizona, Lee rose through a distinguished legal career that included service as the inaugural dean of Brigham Young University's J. Reuben Clark Law School, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division under President Gerald Ford, and ultimately the 10th president of Brigham Young University, a position he held from 1989 until illness forced his retirement in 1995. A member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Lee was a formative figure in legal education and federal appellate advocacy whose legacy continues to be honored through an annual advocacy award bearing his name and a charitable run at BYU dedicated to cancer research.

Early Life

Rex Edwin Lee was born on February 27, 1935, in St. Johns, Arizona, a small community in Apache County in the northeastern part of the state. St. Johns was historically home to a significant population of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and Lee grew up in that faith tradition. The Arizona State Legislature later recognized Lee's contributions to public life through a concurrent resolution honoring his career and legacy.

Details about Lee's childhood and family background in St. Johns remain limited in published sources, though the town's small-town character and the influence of his religious community shaped his formative years. He would go on to attend Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, an institution with which he would be associated for much of his professional life.

Education

Lee earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. He then pursued legal studies at the University of Chicago Law School, one of the nation's most prominent law schools, where he earned his Juris Doctor degree. His legal education at Chicago provided him with rigorous training in constitutional law and appellate advocacy, skills that would define his subsequent career in government service and private practice. The combination of his undergraduate education at a church-sponsored university and his graduate legal training at one of the country's leading secular law schools gave Lee a distinctive intellectual foundation that informed his approach to both legal scholarship and institutional leadership.

Career

Founding Dean of J. Reuben Clark Law School

In 1971, when Brigham Young University established the J. Reuben Clark Law School, a search committee selected the 36-year-old Rex Edwin Lee as its founding dean. Lee served as the inaugural dean of the law school, a position in which he was responsible for building the institution's faculty, curriculum, and academic reputation from the ground up. His tenure as founding dean lasted until 1975, during which time he established the foundational structures and academic standards that would guide the law school's development in subsequent decades.

Lee later returned to serve as dean of the J. Reuben Clark Law School from October 1980 to August 1981, when he departed to accept his appointment as Solicitor General of the United States. His successor as dean was Carl S. Hawkins.

Assistant Attorney General

In 1977, Lee served as the United States Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division under President Gerald Ford. In this role, he oversaw the division responsible for defending the interests of the United States in civil litigation, including cases involving federal programs, commercial disputes, immigration matters, and tort claims against the government. He succeeded Carla Anderson Hills in the position and was followed by Barbara A. Babcock.

This period of federal service gave Lee significant experience in the operations of the Department of Justice and in managing large-scale litigation on behalf of the federal government, experience that would prove invaluable when he later assumed the higher-profile role of solicitor general.

Solicitor General of the United States

Lee's most prominent government position was his service as the 37th Solicitor General of the United States, a post he held from August 6, 1981, to June 1, 1985, under President Ronald Reagan. The solicitor general serves as the federal government's chief advocate before the United States Supreme Court, responsible for determining the legal positions the government will take in cases before the Court and for personally arguing many of those cases.

During his approximately four years in office, Lee argued 59 cases before the Supreme Court, an extraordinary volume of oral advocacy at the highest level of the American judicial system. He was recognized for bringing the solicitor general's office to the center of U.S. legal policymaking during a period of significant ideological debate about the role of the federal government, constitutional interpretation, and the scope of individual rights.

Lee's tenure as solicitor general coincided with the early years of the Reagan administration, a period marked by efforts to reshape federal legal policy on issues including federalism, criminal law, regulatory authority, and civil rights. As solicitor general, Lee was responsible for articulating the administration's legal positions on these and other matters before the Supreme Court, a role that placed him at the intersection of law and politics.

He succeeded Wade H. McCree as solicitor general and was followed in the position by Charles Fried.

Lee's performance as solicitor general earned him respect across the legal profession. After his death, Supreme Court justices paid tribute to his skill as an advocate and his contributions to the development of federal law.

Private Practice and Legal Scholarship

Outside of his government service, Lee maintained an active career in private legal practice and scholarship. He was associated with the Washington, D.C., legal community and engaged in appellate litigation and legal writing throughout his career. Lee authored works on constitutional law and the role of the solicitor general, contributing to scholarly literature on the Supreme Court and federal appellate practice.

His expertise in appellate advocacy and constitutional interpretation made him a sought-after figure in legal circles, and his experience before the Supreme Court gave him a perspective on federal litigation that few practitioners could match.

President of Brigham Young University

On July 1, 1989, Lee became the 10th president of Brigham Young University, succeeding Jeffrey R. Holland. His appointment represented a return to the institution where he had earned his undergraduate degree and where he had served as the founding dean of the law school. As president of BYU, Lee oversaw a large private university with tens of thousands of students, a broad range of academic programs, and a distinctive institutional mission rooted in the principles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Lee's presidency was marked by his efforts to strengthen the university's academic standing and to navigate the challenges of leading a major university during a period of growth and change. He served as president for more than six years, during which time the university continued to expand its academic offerings and physical infrastructure.

During his time as president, Lee oversaw changes to university policies and academic requirements. Adjustments to credit-hour requirements and other academic policies were part of broader efforts to enhance the student experience and improve graduation outcomes.

Lee's presidency also saw changes to longstanding university traditions, including modifications to the format and scheduling of devotional assemblies, which were a central feature of campus life at BYU.

Lee's tenure as BYU president was cut short by his declining health. He had been diagnosed with cancer, and the disease ultimately forced him to step down from the presidency on December 31, 1995. He was succeeded by Merrill J. Bateman.

Personal Life

Rex E. Lee married Janet Griffin, and together they had seven children. Among their children were Mike Lee and Thomas Lee. Mike Lee went on to become a prominent political figure in his own right, serving as a United States Senator from Utah beginning in 2010. Thomas Lee became a legal scholar and federal judge.

Lee was a lifelong member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and his faith was a central part of his personal and professional identity. His service as president of Brigham Young University, the church's flagship educational institution, reflected his deep connection to the LDS community and its educational mission.

Lee was diagnosed with cancer, which affected the final years of his life and ultimately led to his resignation as BYU president at the end of 1995. He died on March 11, 1996, in Provo, Utah, at the age of 61. His death prompted widespread tributes from the legal community, including from justices of the United States Supreme Court, who praised his skill as an advocate and his integrity as a public servant.

The Deseret News published an obituary noting his contributions to American law and to Brigham Young University. The New York Times also published an obituary recognizing his service as solicitor general and his role in shaping federal legal policy during the Reagan administration.

Recognition

Rex E. Lee Advocacy Award

Following Lee's death, the J. Reuben Clark Law Society established the Rex E. Lee Advocacy Award, presented annually to individuals who have demonstrated excellence in legal advocacy. The award honors Lee's legacy as one of the most accomplished appellate advocates in American legal history and recognizes practitioners who embody the standards of excellence and professionalism that Lee exemplified during his career.

Recipients of the award have included prominent legal scholars and practitioners. In 2017, the D.C. Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the J. Reuben Clark Law Society presented the Rex E. Lee Advocacy Award to Michael McConnell, a professor at Stanford Law School and former federal judge. In 2026, the award was presented to Don Verrilli, a partner at Munger, Tolles & Olson and a former solicitor general of the United States.

Rex E. Lee Chair at BYU Law School

Brigham Young University's J. Reuben Clark Law School established the Rex E. Lee Chair, an endowed professorship honoring its founding dean. As of 2025, the chair was held by Brett Scharffs, a professor of law specializing in international religious freedom and comparative law.

Rex Lee Run

Each year, Brigham Young University hosts the Rex Lee Run, a charitable running event held on campus to raise money for cancer research. The event, which includes a 10K race, honors Lee's memory and his battle with cancer during the final years of his life. The run has become a longstanding campus tradition, drawing participants from the university community and beyond.

BYU Homecoming Honor

In 2008, Lee was honored as the founder at BYU Homecoming, recognizing his foundational role in establishing the J. Reuben Clark Law School and his subsequent service as university president.

Arizona State Legislature Recognition

The Arizona State Legislature passed a concurrent resolution honoring Lee's life and career, recognizing the contributions of a native son of St. Johns to American law and higher education.

Legacy

Rex E. Lee's legacy spans multiple areas of American public life. As solicitor general, he represented the United States before the Supreme Court with a frequency and effectiveness that earned him recognition as one of the outstanding appellate advocates of his generation. His 59 oral arguments before the Court during a single tenure placed him among the most active solicitors general in the office's history, and his work helped to shape the development of federal law during the formative years of the Reagan administration.

As the founding dean of the J. Reuben Clark Law School, Lee established an institution that has grown into one of the prominent law schools in the western United States. His vision for the law school's academic mission and its connection to the values of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints set the tone for the institution's development over subsequent decades. The naming of the Rex E. Lee Chair at the law school and the annual Rex E. Lee Advocacy Award reflect the lasting influence of his contributions to legal education and appellate practice.

As president of Brigham Young University, Lee led one of the largest private universities in the United States during a period of institutional growth. His willingness to continue serving as president while battling cancer demonstrated the commitment to duty that characterized his career in public service.

Lee's influence also extended through his family. His son Mike Lee became a United States Senator from Utah, carrying forward a tradition of public service.

The annual Rex Lee Run at BYU serves as both a tribute to Lee's memory and a practical contribution to cancer research, linking his personal experience with the disease to an ongoing effort to advance medical understanding and treatment.

The tributes paid to Lee by Supreme Court justices after his death reflected the high regard in which he was held by the nation's legal elite. A memorial published in the Clark Memo, the journal of the J. Reuben Clark Law School, further documented the breadth of respect Lee commanded across the legal and academic communities.