Robert B. McKay (August 11, 1919 – July 13, 1990) was a dean of

New York University Law School New York University School of Law (NYU Law) is the law school of New York University, a private research university in New York City. Established in 1835, it is the oldest law school in New York City and the oldest surviving law school in New ...

, a former president of the

New York City Bar Association The New York City Bar Association (City Bar), founded in 1870, is a voluntary association of lawyers and law students. Since 1896, the organization, formally known as the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, has been headquartered in a ...

, and the chair of

McKay Commission The Commission on the consequences of devolution for the House of Commons, also known as the McKay Commission, was an independent commission established in the United Kingdom to consider issues arising from devolution in the United Kingdom and ...

, which investigated the 1971

Attica Prison riot The Attica Prison Riot, also known as the Attica Prison Rebellion, the Attica Uprising, or the Attica Prison Massacre, took place at the state prison in Attica, New York; it started on September 9, 1971, and ended on September 13 with the high ...

.Robert McKay, 70, Legal Scholar Who Led 1971 Attica Panel, Dies
. Glenn Fowler, The New York Times, 14 July 1990. Accessed 9 August 2017

Early life and education

McKay was born in Wichita,

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

in 1919, and received his

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree from the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. Tw ...

in 1940, and his

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

from

Yale Law School Yale Law School (Yale Law or YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824 and has been ranked as the best law school in the United States by ''U ...

. McKay joined the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

three months before the

attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, j ...

as a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

, and served in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. He was discharged as a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

Career

From 1947 to 1950, McKay was a lawyer for the

United States Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United State ...

. From 1950 to 1953, he taught law at

Emory University Emory University is a private research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1836 as "Emory College" by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory, Emory is the second-oldest private institution of ...

before joining the faculty of

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

in 1953. There, he became an expert on

United States Constitutional Law The constitutional law of the United States is the body of law governing the interpretation and implementation of the United States Constitution. The subject concerns the scope of power of the United States federal government compared to the indi ...

and legislative reapportionment. He served as dean of the law school from 1967 to 1975. In 1972, McKay led the McKay Commission, a panel charged with investigating the causes of the 1971 riot at

Attica Correctional Facility Attica Correctional Facility is a maximum security campus New York State prison in the Attica (town), New York, Town of Attica, New York (state), New York, operated by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. It w ...

Attica, New York Attica is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Wyoming County, New York, Wyoming County, New York (state), New York, United States. The population was 7,702 as of 2010. The Town of Attica is on the northern boundary of the county ...

. The Commission was critical of Governor

Nelson A. Rockefeller Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller (July 8, 1908 – January 26, 1979), sometimes referred to by his nickname Rocky, was an American businessman and politician who served as the 41st vice president of the United States from 1974 to 1977. A member of t ...

for not visiting the prison before ordering an armed assault on the facility, and was also critical of state prison authorities for not having proper procedures in place to respond to riots. But after a whistle-blower revealed possible collusion involving Rockefeller, State Police, and state prosecutors to obstruct prosecution of the reckless use of deadly force and torture of inmates by law enforcement, McKay in 1976 urged Gov. Hugh Carey "'to stop the never-ending investigations.'" From 1975 onwards, McKay worked primarily for the

Aspen Institute The Aspen Institute is an international nonprofit organization founded in 1949 as the Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies. The institute's stated aim is the realization of "a free, just, and equitable society" through seminars, policy programs ...

, a well-known think tank.

Civic involvement

McKay served in a number of prominent positions in civic life, including chairman of the

New York Civil Liberties Union The New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) is a civil rights organization in the United States. Founded in November 1951 as the New York affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union, it is a not-for-profit, nonpartisan organization with nearl ...

, president of the

Legal Aid Society The Legal Aid Society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit legal aid provider based in New York City. Founded in 1876, it is the oldest and largest provider of legal aid in the United States. Its attorneys provide representation on criminal and civil matt ...

, and chairman of the

Citizens Union Citizens Union is a New York City-based good government group founded in 1897 to combat the influences of the Tammany Hall political machine. J. Pierpont Morgan, Benjamin Altman, Elihu Root, and Carl Schurz numbered among its 165 founders. In 198 ...

.Law Dean Named Citizens Union Head
. Clayton Knowles, The New York Times, 17 May 1971. Accessed 9 August 2017 From 1984 to 1986, McKay served as president of the

. In his work for the Bar, McKay was a strong proponent of requiring mandatory

Continuing Legal Education Continuing legal education (CLE), also known as mandatory or minimum continuing legal education (MCLE) or, in some jurisdictions outside the United States, as continuing professional development, consists of professional education for attorneys t ...

for lawyers and mandatory ''

pro bono ( en, 'for the public good'), usually shortened to , is a Latin phrase for professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment. In the United States, the term typically refers to provision of legal services by legal professionals for pe ...

'' work by practicing attorneys. He was the recipient of numerous awards, including the

William Nelson Cromwell William Nelson Cromwell (January 17, 1854 – July 19, 1948) was an American attorney active in promotion of the Panama Canal and other major ventures especially in cooperation with Philippe Bunau-Varilla. Life and career He was born and rai ...

Medal of the New York County Lawyers Association in 1973, the Justice Award of the American Judicature Society in 1986, the Gold Medal of the Bar Association of the City of New York in 1987, and the Servant of Justice Award of the Legal Aid Society in March.

Death

McKay died of a heart attack in

Reno, Nevada Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the ...

on July 13, 1990. He had been scheduled to address the National Judicial College there the following day.

References

“Robert B. McKay Tributes.” New York University Law Review. April 1975.
{{DEFAULTSORT:McKay, Robert 1990 deaths 1919 births Presidents of the New York City Bar Association Lawyers from Wichita, Kansas University of Kansas alumni Yale Law School alumni United States Army personnel of World War II United States Army officers