Washington D.C. – Today the House passed Congressman Chaffetz’ bill dedicating the Provo Post Office to Rex E. Lee. The bill will officially rename the United States Postal Service facility located at 936 South 250 East in Provo the “Rex E. Lee Post Office Building.”
“Rex E. Lee cherished Provo and loved BYU. It is appropriate to honor Mr. Lee by dedicating this postal facility. Post Offices are often times synonymous with community. Rex E. Lee was a staple of our community,” said Rep. Chaffetz.
Justice Sandra Day O’Connor said that Rex E Lee “inspired all of us with his courage in the face of a terminal illness. Knowing him was one of the greatest privileges of my life. Remembering him will be one of the easiest."
Background on Rex E. Lee
· In 1960, Mr. Rex E. Lee graduated with a BA from Brigham Young University; served as the student body president.
· In 1963, Lee graduated first in his class from the University of Chicago Law School.
· From law school, Lee served as Law Clerk for Byron White, associate justice of the United States Supreme Court.
· From Washington, DC, he returned to his home state of Arizona as a partner in the Phoenix law firm of Jennings, Strouss & Salmon. While there Lee argued his first case in the United States Supreme Court, just four years after graduating from law school.
· In 1972, Lee returned to BYU to become the founding dean of the J. Reuben Clark Law School.
· From 1975-1976, he served as assistant attorney general in charge of the Civil Division in the United States Department of Justice.
· From 1981 to 1985, Lee served as Solicitor General of the United States.
· In 1986, Lee retired as Solicitor General and returned to BYU; he was diagnosed with cancer shortly thereafter.
· Lee practiced law with Sidley & Austin Law Firm, and returned to teaching constitutional law as the George Sutherland Chair of Law at the J. Reuben Clark Law School.
· Lee was then named the 10th President of BYU on May 12, 1989, and served in this capacity until December 1995, just two and one-half months before he passed away.
· Lee argued 59 cases before the Supreme Court; won 23 of the 30 cases he argued as the Solicitor General (was preparing for his 60th case just months before he passed away).
· The Rex Lee Run is an annual race in Provo that raises money for cancer research; Rex ran 13 marathons.
· Lee spent a good deal of his time as Solicitor General working to overturn Roe v. Wade.
· Lee raised more than $400 million for BYU as President, surpassing his goal of $250 million he set just before his death.
· The completion or commencement of work on several major BYU Campus structures during Lee’s tenure as President included the Museum of Art, the Ezra Taft Benson Building, the Harold B. Lee Library, and the Wilkinson Student Center.
· Five justices attended a belated memorial service for Lee; Justices Byron White, John P. Stevens, David H. Souter, Sandra Day O'Connor, and Clarence Thomas.
