Public Notice Detail

Associate Justice Paul H. Anderson
Minneapolis Club
May 24, 2004

When I arrived here tonight, I immediately sought out Dean Haynsworth. I approached Harry and said I needed his help. I told him I have been asked to speak about you for three to five minutes tonight and I have been working on it all afternoon and so far I only have about thirty seconds worth. Of course, I then smiled and said that my problem is just the opposite—how can I summarize my thoughts and feelings about Harry in such a short period of time?

I shall begin on July 4, 1996, at the annual Fourth of July celebration at the United States Embassy in San Salvador, El Salvador. This is a grand occasion where the Ambassador entertains the leadership of the country and the American expatriate community. Harry and I were privileged to have been invited to this celebration. When Harry was introduced to the President and First Lady of El Salvador and the Ambassador and his wife, he was introduced as follows: “Dean Harry Haynsworth of William Mitchell College of Law, St. Paul, Minnesota. Dean Haynsworth is a nationally known legal scholar and is one of the South Carolina Haynsworths.” That introduction tells us much about who Harry is. It is like introducing a lawyer and saying that the lawyer is like Atticus Finch, the character in the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird.” You immediately know there is something special about the person when such a descriptor is used.

Harry is a sixth-generation lawyer. Understanding the law and its majesty is part of his genetic code and runs through his veins. He is a cousin of Judge Clement Haynsworth. In part because of his heritage, he understands what de Tocqueville meant when he said that “[L]awyers consequently form the highest political class and the most cultivated portion of society * * *. If I were asked where I place the American aristocracy, I should reply without hesitation that * * * it occupies the judicial bench and the bar.” Perhaps Harry gains this knowledge from the fact that as a sixth-generation lawyer, one of his ancestors was a contemporary of de Tocqueville when the latter was traveling the United States in the mid-1830's.

Harry knows and honors our profession. He knows what a privilege it is to be a lawyer. He knows what it means to take an oath and to honor that oath as a professional. But, more than that, he knows that as a lawyer it is important to live your life in a manner consistent with what you believe. He is the type of person who says—Not only listen to what I say, but also watch what I do—and, through his behavior, he exemplifies what is the best about being a lawyer.

What are some of these attributes? One is professionalism—he understands what it is to be a professional; how important it is to use the privilege of our education to help others, and to do so in an ethical and principled manner.

Civility—he understands that in order to thrive, our profession must be civil. Lawyers need to treat each other and those they serve with respect. It has been my pleasure to serve with Harry on a number of endeavors where he has worked to instill the idea of civility, not only to the students at our law schools, but also in Minnesota's practicing Bar.

He understands what it is to live in a civil society and how the rule of law enables us to function together and how important it is to instill in all of us an understanding of the rule of law. He does this through his scholarship and through his demand for high quality legal education.

He also understands that for the rule of law to flourish in our country, we must have a diverse Bar. We must have lawyers who represent all segments of our society. He has worked diligently to make sure that everyone has access to our profession.

He also understands another aspect that is so important about being a lawyer—this is the need to give something back. Here I return to El Salvador where Harry was a member of a delegation to El Salvador's legal community with the mission of conveying some of our understanding of the law, how important it is to live in a society where there is the rule of law, and how important it is to have a firmly rooted ethical code of conduct in order for the law to be respected. There was no particular reason for Harry to be a member of our group except for the fact that he has this desire to give something back—not only in his local community, but in the broader arena of the global community. He also understands that when we as lawyers give something back and extend ourselves, more often than not we are the net gainers out of any such situation.

Also, in the context of our mission to El Salvador, I saw his tremendous respect for all individuals. Particularly, I enjoyed how he worked with and mentored the younger members of our group.

Undoubtedly, Harry is a transplant to Minnesota. But he has helped teach us well. In Minnesota, we take pride in Minnesota-nice, but our Minnesota-nice has nothing on Harry as far as the treatment of our fellow human beings. We are so thankful for the example he has provided us in this regard. It is nice to have his example to learn from and temper any smugness we have about ourselves.

I want to end by making one final point. In this day and age, I too often hear the comment or explanation that goes something like this: “Well, we're not as bad as * * *.” Then just fill in the blank. We can fill in the blank in many ways. One example is from the corporate world. When someone says, “Well, my ethical violations were not as bad as those of so-and-so.” Or with the recent abuses of the prisoners in Iraq, a response is “Well, our actions weren't as bad as those of the Iraqi terrorists.” Or another context is that here in Minnesota where we pride ourselves on leadership, increasingly I hear “Well, we're not as bad as Utah, Oklahoma, Mississippi, or Alabama.” This concept never really crosses Harry's mind. “We're not as bad as * * *” is never a standard that Harry uses. Far from it. Harry's standard has always been “Why not be the very best?” His guiding principle is for you to be the very best you can be; I'll be the very best that I can be; and if we both seek this goal, we will live in a much better society.

So, tonight, I salute Dean Harry Haynsworth, one of the best. Thank you, Harry, for all that you have given to us.