Type: News
Date: 04/18/2011

J. Mack Swigert Passes Away at 103

It is with great sadness that I write to inform you that our long-time colleague and friend Mack Swigert passed away on Friday, April 15th.

Mack was 103 years old and, as many of you know, he came to our Cincinnati office every week until January this year when he was no longer able to do so. He was the consummate role model for all Taft lawyers. He insisted on the highest standards of excellence, professionalism and personal integrity, and that is the way he lived his life.

Mack was a graduate of Harvard College (1930) and Harvard Law School (1935) and was an essential part of Taft Stettinius & Hollister for almost three-quarters of a century. He was Chair of our Executive Committee and Managing Partner from 1979 through 1985.

His accomplishments spread far beyond our law firm. As most of you know, he was a key participant in the drafting and enactment of the Taft-Hartley Act in 1947. It is not an overstatement to describe him as the father of modern labor law in this country. For decades, Mack was the "go-to" lawyer of choice for corporations large and small, near and far, when they faced serious labor issues.

In addition to his many professional accomplishments, Mack held leadership positions in many clubs and civic organizations in Cincinnati. In recognition of his extraordinary achievements and his contributions to the community, he was the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement in Law Award, given by the Cincinnati Bar Foundation in 2000. In 2005, the Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce named him a Great Living Cincinnatian.

We will miss him, but we are proud and grateful for the time we had with him.


Thomas Terp
Managing Partner

Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP

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