William Kraemer Coblentz AHB-lenz(July 28, 1922 – September 13, 2010) was an American attorney and behind-the-scenes power broker who played an important role in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

politics in the years after World War II, serving as a

Regent of the University of California The Regents of the University of California (also referred to as the Board of Regents to distinguish the board from the corporation it governs of the same name) is the governing board of the University of California (UC), a state university sy ...

and legal representative for the rock bands Jefferson Airplane and the Grateful Dead, as well as for socialite, kidnapping victim and convicted bank robber Patty Hearst.

Early life and education

Coblentz was born on July 28, 1922, in

Santa Maria, California Santa Maria (Spanish for "St. Mary") is a city near the Central Coast of California in northern Santa Barbara County. It is approximately northwest of Santa Barbara and northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Its population was 109,707 at the 202 ...

, and attended

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

's Lowell High School.Staff
"COBLENTZ, William K."
''

San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and Michael H. de Young. The ...

'', September 18, 2010. Accessed September 20, 2010. He earned his undergraduate degree from the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

where he majored in economics. He served with the

United States Army Corps of Engineers , colors = , anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day) , battles = , battles_label = Wars , website = , commander1 = ...

in the South during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

and earned his law degree from

Yale Law School Yale Law School (Yale Law or YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a 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.S. News & Worl ...

in 1947 after completing his military service. He returned to California to practice law and became involved in state and local politics as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

.Martin, Douglas
"William Coblentz, California Power Broker, Dies at 88"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', September 19, 2010. Accessed September 20, 2010.

Career in law and politics

Coblentz became an assistant to

Pat Brown Edmund Gerald "Pat" Brown (April 21, 1905 – February 16, 1996) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 32nd governor of California from 1959 to 1967. His first elected office was as district attorney for San Francisco, and he w ...

when he was

California Attorney General The attorney general of California is the state attorney general of the Government of California. The officer's duty is to ensure that "the laws of the state are uniformly and adequately enforced" (Constitution of California, Article V, Section ...

and moved up with him when Brown became Governor of California.Staff
"Former UC regent, lawyer William Coblentz dies"
''

'', September 14, 2010. Accessed September 20, 2010. After an initial offer to serve as a judge, Coblentz accepted an offer from Brown in 1964 for a 16-year term on the University of California Board of Regents as Coblentz had requested, during which he served as the board's chairman from 1978 to 1980. A member of

's Bohemian Club, Coblentz was part of the group that supported

Joseph Alioto Joseph Lawrence Alioto (February 12, 1916 – January 29, 1998) was an American politician who served as the 36th mayor of San Francisco, California, from 1968 to 1976. Biography Alioto was born in San Francisco in 1916. His father, Giuseppe ...

in 1967 in his successful run for

mayor of San Francisco The mayor of the City and County of San Francisco is the head of the executive branch of the San Francisco city and county government. The officeholder has the duty to enforce city laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by ...

. In his bid for Governor of California, Ronald Reagan used the University of California as a campaign issue, citing what he saw as a "spirit of permissiveness" that led to student disturbances. Coblentz defended the university's faculty, including such radicals as

Eldridge Cleaver Leroy Eldridge Cleaver (August 31, 1935 – May 1, 1998) was an American writer and political activist who became an early leader of the Black Panther Party. In 1968, Cleaver wrote '' Soul on Ice'', a collection of essays that, at the time of i ...

and

Angela Davis Angela Yvonne Davis (born January 26, 1944) is an American political activist, philosopher, academic, scholar, and author. She is a professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz. A feminist and a Marxist, Davis was a longtime member of ...

, calling Reagan "a menopausal

Cary Grant Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach; January 18, 1904November 29, 1986) was an English-American actor. He was known for his Mid-Atlantic accent, debonair demeanor, light-hearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing. He was one o ...

". As a regent, Coblentz played a key role in supporting efforts to pursue the case ''

Regents of the University of California v. Bakke ''Regents of the University of California v. Bakke'', 438 U.S. 265 (1978) involved a dispute of whether preferential treatment for minorities can reduce educational opportunities for whites without violating the Constitution. The case was a la ...

'' to the Supreme Court of the United States. The court ruled in 1978 in favor of

Allan Bakke ''Regents of the University of California v. Bakke'', 438 U.S. 265 (1978) involved a dispute of whether preferential treatment for minorities can reduce educational opportunities for whites without violating the Constitution. The case was a la ...

, a Caucasian student who had been bypassed for a spot at the

UC Davis School of Medicine The University of California Davis School of Medicine is the medical school of the University of California, Davis. Although the parent institution is near Davis, California, the medical school is in Sacramento, California. History Founded in 196 ...

, concluding that

racial quota Racial quotas in employment and education are numerical requirements for hiring, promoting, admitting and/or graduating members of a particular racial group. Racial quotas are often established as means of diminishing racial discrimination, add ...

s were illegal but ruling that race could be used as part of the consideration process. Despite the mixed ruling, Coblentz insisted that the support for the case by the regents helped send a message that the University of California cared about providing educational opportunities for minority students. After Coblentz's term as regent ended in 1980, Reagan left a video message that said "let bygones be bygones. If you support me, I may make you the next ambassador to Afghanistan." Through concert promoter Bill Graham, Coblentz became the legal representative for Jefferson Airplane and the Grateful Dead. Coblentz recalled being invited to a dinner hosted by members of Jefferson Airplane where two

joints A joint or articulation (or articular surface) is the connection made between bones, ossicles, or other hard structures in the body which link an animal's skeletal system into a functional whole.Saladin, Ken. Anatomy & Physiology. 7th ed. McGraw- ...

were arranged next to each place setting. Coblentz managed the group's bank account, providing cash for

Grace Slick Grace Slick (born Grace Barnett Wing; October 30, 1939) is an American singer-songwriter, artist, and painter. Slick was a key figure in San Francisco's early psychedelic music scene in the mid-1960s. With a music career spanning four decades, ...

to buy a

Mercedes Benz Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to as Mercedes and sometimes as Benz, is a German luxury and commercial vehicle automotive brand established in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a Mercedes-Benz Group subsidiary established in 2019) is headquartere ...

that she totalled two days later. After efforts were made to block performances by the Grateful Dead at

Fillmore West The Fillmore West was a historic rock and roll music venue in San Francisco, California, US which became famous under the direction of concert promoter Bill Graham from 1968 to 1971. Named after The Fillmore at the intersection of Fillmore Str ...

citing concerns that the auditorium posed a blight on a fine neighborhood, Coblentz arranged for a friend to observe a hotel across the street from the Fillmore used for prostitution and had photographs taken of police officers which were passed on to the Board of Permit Appeals, which decided in the end to approve the project. After Patty Hearst was kidnapped by the

Symbionese Liberation Army The United Federated Forces of the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA) was a small, American far-left organization active between 1973 and 1975; it claimed to be a vanguard movement. The FBI and American law enforcement considered the SLA to be the ...

in 1974, Coblentz was hired by the Hearst family as an attorney, based on his relationship with fellow regent Catherine Hearst, Patty's mother. As part of one of the group's demands, Coblentz arranged for the distribution of $2 million in free food to be distributed to poor residents of San Francisco. Coblentz's legal services were offered to captured SLA members charged with murder, but was rejected when the radicals chose to be represented by public defenders, with Coblentz noting that "They didn't like us, we didn't like them, but they were entitled, as we say, to their day in court." As an adviser to

Dianne Feinstein Dianne Goldman Berman Feinstein ( ; born Dianne Emiel Goldman; June 22, 1933) is an American politician who serves as the senior United States senator from California, a seat she has held since 1992. A member of the Democratic Party, she wa ...

when she was mayor of San Francisco, he was appointed as a member of the San Francisco Airport Commission for 16 years, where he advocated for the availability of free luggage carts and had a boarding area in the airport named in his honor. As an attorney, Coblentz was a land use lawyer who assisted in getting the necessary approvals for a new baseball stadium for the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...

, as well as for Mission Bay and

Yerba Buena Gardens Yerba Buena Gardens is the name for two blocks of public parks located between Third and Fourth, Mission and Folsom Streets in downtown San Francisco, California. The first block bordered by Mission and Howard Streets was opened on October 11, 1 ...

. A longtime supporter of the

NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (NAACP LDF, the Legal Defense Fund, or LDF) is a leading United States civil rights organization and law firm based in New York City. LDF is wholly independent and separate from the NAACP. Altho ...

, Coblentz's partners at the law firm of Coblentz, Patch, Duffy & Bass recognized him by endowing the Coblentz Fellowship for Civil Rights at the

UC Berkeley School of Law The University of California, Berkeley, School of Law (commonly known as Berkeley Law or UC Berkeley School of Law) is the law school of the University of California, Berkeley, a public research university in Berkeley, California. It is one of 1 ...

, which provides fellowships to students pursuing civil rights and racial justice. He was elected in 2002 as a Fellow of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, a ...

. Coblentz died at age 88 on September 13, 2010. He was survived by his wife, the former Jean Berlin, as well as by a daughter, a son and four grandchildren.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coblentz, William 1922 births 2010 deaths Place of death missing United States Army personnel of World War II Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Lawyers from San Francisco United States Army soldiers UC Berkeley College of Letters and Science alumni Yale Law School alumni People from Santa Maria, California 20th-century American lawyers