Talbot "Sandy" D'Alemberte (June 1, 1933 – May 20, 2019) was an American
lawyer
A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...
, professor, politician,
education
Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Va ...
al administrator, president of the
American Bar Association
The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Founded in 1878, the ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of acad ...
, and president of
Florida State University
Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the st ...
(FSU), from 1994 to 2003.
Early life
Born in
Tallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County, Florida, Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In ...
, D'Alemberte was educated in public schools in Tallahassee and
Chattahoochee, Florida
Chattahoochee is a city in Gadsden County, Florida, United States. Its history dates to the Spanish era. The population was 3,652 as of the 2010 census, up from 3,287 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Tallahassee, Florida Metropolitan Statist ...
. In 1955, he earned 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
Degree may refer to:
As a unit of measurement
* Degree (angle), a unit of angle measurement
** Degree of geographical latitude
** Degree of geographical longitude
* Degree symbol (°), a notation used in science, engineering, and mathematics
...
in
political science
Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...
with honors from the
University of the South
The University of the South, familiarly known as Sewanee (), is a private Episcopal liberal arts college in Sewanee, Tennessee. It is owned by 28 southern dioceses of the Episcopal Church, and its School of Theology is an official seminary of ...
in
Sewanee, Tennessee
Sewanee () is a census-designated place (CDP) in Franklin County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 2,535 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Tullahoma, Tennessee Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Sewanee is best known as the home of ...
and also attended summer school at Florida State University and the
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...
. After military service as a
lieutenant
A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations.
The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...
in the
United States Navy Reserve
The United States Navy Reserve (USNR), known as the United States Naval Reserve from 1915 to 2005, is the Reserve Component (RC) of the United States Navy. Members of the Navy Reserve, called Reservists, are categorized as being in either the Sele ...
, D'Alemberte studied on a Rotary Foundation fellowship at the
London School of Economics
, mottoeng = To understand the causes of things
, established =
, type = Public research university
, endowment = £240.8 million (2021)
, budget = £391.1 millio ...
. In 1962, he received 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 ...
with honors from the
University of Florida
The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...
where he was named to the
Order of the Coif
The Order of the Coif is an honor society for United States law school graduates. The name is a reference to the ancient English order of advocates, the serjeants-at-law, whose courtroom attire included a coif—a white lawn or silk skullcap, whi ...
, served as president of the Student Bar Association, was captain of the
moot court
Moot court is a co-curricular activity at many law schools. Participants take part in simulated court or arbitration proceedings, usually involving drafting memorials or memoranda and participating in oral argument. In most countries, the phrase " ...
team, served as articles editor of the ''
University of Florida Law Review'', and received the
J. Hillis Miller
Joseph Hillis Miller Jr. (March 5, 1928 – February 7, 2021) was an American literary critic and scholar who advanced theories of literary deconstruction. He was part of the Yale School along with scholars including Paul de Man, Jacques De ...
Award as the outstanding law graduate.
Legal and political achievements
In 1975, while in private practice, he petitioned the Florida Supreme Court to allow video cameras into courts in Florida. It took four years, but the Supreme Court granted the petition on April 12, 1979. Florida thus became the first state to regularly allow television coverage of civil and criminal trials.
D'Alemberte was the President of the
American Bar Association
The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Founded in 1878, the ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of acad ...
from 1991 to 1992. During his tenure, he and colleague Homer Moyer, helped to create the ABA's program that aided the newly Democratic nations of eastern Europe, called CEELI. The Central European and Eurasian Law Initiative (CEELI), oversees the ABA’s democracy building programs in over 21 countries and has programs which promote development of fair and open election laws. It was created to assist former Soviet states build democratic institutions. Former US Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor once stated that she thought that CEELI was the most crucial of D'Alemberte's contributions to the world.
D'Alemberte served as the president of the
American Judicature Society
The American Judicature Society (AJS) is an independent, non-partisan membership organization working nationally to protect the integrity of the American justice system. AJS's membership — including judges, lawyers, and members of the public — ...
from 1982 to 1984, then again from 2005 - 2007. He represented
Dade County in the
Florida House of Representatives
The Florida House of Representatives is the lower house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida Senate being the upper house. Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution of Florida, adopted ...
from 1966 to 1972 as a Democrat and chaired several legislative committees. He received the award for "Outstanding First Term Member". In 1972 he also recognition as "Outstanding member of the Florida House" After leaving the
Florida Legislature
The Florida Legislature is the legislature of the U.S. State of Florida. It is organized as a bicameral body composed of an upper chamber, the Senate, and a lower chamber, the House of Representatives. Article III, Section 1 of the Florida Cons ...
, he chaired the Florida Constitution Revision Commission in 1977-1978 and the Florida Commission on
Ethics
Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that "involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior".''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' The field of ethics, along with aesthetics, concerns m ...
in 1974-1975.
Career at Florida State University
D'Alemberte's grandfather attended the
Seminary West of the Suwannee and his mother attended the
Florida State College for Women
Florida State University (FSU) is a public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher e ...
; two of the earlier names of Florida State University. D'Alemberte served as the fourth dean of the
Florida State University College of Law
Florida State University College of Law is the law school of Florida State University located in Tallahassee, Florida.
The law school borders the southeast quadrant of the University's campus, near the Donald L. Tucker Center, an arena and part o ...
from 1984 to 1989. On November 29, 1993, he was appointed president of
Florida State University
Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the st ...
by then Governor Lawton Chiles, and took office on January 3, 1994, which he held until January 6, 2003 when he was succeeded by Dr.
T. K. Wetherell
Thomas Kent Wetherell (December 22, 1945 – December 16, 2018) was an American politician and educator. He served as member of the Florida House of Representatives from 1980 to 1992, and was president of Florida State University from 2003 thro ...
.
Later years
D'Alemberte joined the law firm of
Hunton & Williams
Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP is an American law firm created by the merger of Hunton & Williams LLP and Andrews Kurth Kenyon LLP on April 2, 2018. The firm has offices in 20 cities, primarily in the United States.
History
Hunton & Williams (formerl ...
in 2004, where he focused on appellate and trial work. He retired from the firm in 2008. He continued teaching as a member of the University faculty at the FSU College of Law as well as having a private appellate practice in Tallahassee, D'Alemberte & Palmer, PA. He handled all kinds of appellate work, including mediation about water rights, university investigations and human trafficking.
D'Alemberte was an active member of many legal and higher educational committees and boards, including numerous
American Bar Association
The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Founded in 1878, the ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of acad ...
committees, state and regional bar associations, the American College of Trial Lawyers, the Lawyers' Committee on Civil Rights Under Law, the
NAACP
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E.&nb ...
Legal Defense and Education Fund, the Florida Council of 100, the Business-Higher Education Forum, the Campus Compact, the Advisory Board of the First Amendment Center at
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...
, the
Mildred and Claude Pepper Foundation Board of Directors, the Academic Task Force on Hurricane Catastrophe Insurance which identifies ways to provide affordable hurricane insurance coverage to all
Floridians, and several FSU committees and boards including the
FSU Foundation, the
FSU Alumni Association, the
Collins Center for Public Policy, the
Caribbean Law Institute
The Caribbean Law Institute (CLI) was established in 1988 under a grant from the United States Agency for International Development to promote such activities that would further clarify the laws affecting trade, commerce and investment in the Regio ...
and the
Seminole Boosters, Inc.
Death
D'Alemberte died suddenly on the afternoon of May 20, 2019.
He was a partner of D'Alemberte & Palmer, a Tallahassee firm specializing in appellate work.
References
External links
FSU Office of the President History*
{{DEFAULTSORT:D'Alemberte, Sandy
1933 births
2019 deaths
People from Tallahassee, Florida
Military personnel from Florida
Alumni of the London School of Economics
Florida lawyers
Florida State University faculty
Democratic Party members of the Florida House of Representatives
Presidents of the American Bar Association
Presidents of Florida State University
Fredric G. Levin College of Law alumni
Constitution Project
Deans of law schools in the United States
20th-century American lawyers
American people of Italian descent