Dwight D. Opperman
Dwight Darwin Opperman (June 26, 1923 – June 13, 2013) was an American businessman and lawyer. He was known as CEO of West Publishing Company, and was known for establishing WestLaw. He was a member of the board of his alma mater, Drake University, and was the university's most generous benefactor.
Early life and education
[edit]Dwight Darwin Opperman was born on June 26, 1923[1] in Perry, Iowa.[2][3]
He served in the U.S. Army in World War II, before enrolling at Drake University.[2] He received his law degree from Drake University Law School in Des Moines, Iowa, graduating in 1951.[4] He also earned a second degree.[5].
Career
[edit]After graduation, Opperman started working at West Publishing Company as an editor. After around ten years as an editor, he rose through the leadership ranks to become president in 1968 and then CEO. He remained in this position until West was acquired[2] by Thomson Corporation in 1996.[6]
During his time as CEO, the company moved into technology products, with the creation of the Westlaw legal database, an online research tool for legal professionals, researchers, and students worldwide.[2]
Opperman was later chairman of Key Investments, a privately held venture capital firm in Minneapolis focusing on high-tech ventures.[5]
He also served on the boards of Drake Law School, New York University School of Law, William & Mary School of Law, and the Supreme Court Historical Society.[7]
Other roles and philanthropy
[edit]Opperman was Drake University's most generous benefactor.[5] He endowed the Opperman Scholars, program which provides scholarships to five incoming students at Drake University each year. These are full-tuition scholarships along with a cash stipend for living expenses ($10,000 as of 2025[update]), renewable provided the student remains in the upper third of his or her class.[4]
Opperman also endowed the Dwight D. Opperman Constitutional Law Lecture at Drake, a lecture given annually by the nation's foremost scholars in the field of constitutional law, most often, U.S. Supreme Court justices.[7] Past lecturers include: Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., Justice Stephen Breyer, Justice Antonin Scalia, Justice Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, Justice Lewis F. Powell, and Justice Harry A. Blackmun.
In the 1980s, Opperman established the Devitt Award, an important award for federal judges. The recipient is selected by a committee, chaired by a Supreme Court justice. At the time of Opperman's death in 2013, Anthony Kennedy was the chair.[8]
In 1994 Opperman funded a campus plaza was dedicated in memory of his wife, Jeanice Opperman, who died in 1993.[5] Drake's main law building and law library, also largely funded by him, were named in Opperman's honor.[5]
He also donated to the Law Library of Congress.[2]
His wife, Julie Chrystyn Opperman, donated two volumes of an extraordinarily rare 1478 edition of the Casus breves of Johannes de Turnhout (c. 1446–1492).[2]
Recognition
[edit]Opperman was the inaugural recipient of the Library of Congress Wickersham Award, which "recognizes an individual who exemplifies exceptional public service and dedication to the legal profession".[2]
Personal life and death
[edit]Opperman's first wife Jeanice died in 1993, and he married Julie Chrystyn in 2008.[9][5]
Opperman died of liver cancer on June 13, 2013,[9] at home in Beverly Hills, California, aged 89.[7]
Opperman Foundation
[edit]Opperman founded the Dwight D. Opperman Foundation, a nonprofit with ties to the Supreme Court. Robert Newlen was head of the Opperman Foundation after retiring from his post as deputy Librarian of Congress in 2017. In 2024 the foundation chair was Julie Opperman.[8]
Newlen implemented the annual Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Woman of Leadership Award (RBG Award) in 2019, in honour of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg,[8] and with input from Ginsburg about the award criteria.[10] The venue for the awards was the Library of Congress.[8] Philanthropist and activist Agnes Gund won the inaugural RBG Award, which was given in early 2020 by Ginsburg herself. Ginsburg died later in 2020. Other recipients of the award were: Queen Elizabeth II (2021); Belgian fashion designer Diane von Fürstenberg (2022); and singer Barbra Streisand (2023).[8]
In 2024, the RBG Award panel, which had more than doubled in size, was chaired by attorney Brendan V. Sullivan, Jr., who in 1987 represented Oliver North in the Iran-Contra hearings. After changing the rules to include five "trailblazing men and women" in the awards that year, the recipients were announced to be Elon Musk, financier Michael Milken, Rupert Murdoch, Martha Stewart, and Sylvester Stallone. Ginsburg's family objected strongly and there was opposition in the press and on social media. This led to the cancellation of the ceremony and the award.[8][10][11][12] On March 18, 2024, foundation chair Julie Opperman announced that the awards would not be given, and that the foundation would "reconsider its mission and make a judgment about how or whether to proceed in the future."[13]
As of January 2025[update], the Dwight D Opperman Foundation website is "under revision".[14]
References
[edit]- ^ Iowa, World War II Bonus Case Files, 1947-1954
- ^ a b c d e f g "A Tribute to Dwight D. Opperman, Legal Publishing Pioneer and Friend of the Law Library of Congress". The Library of Congress. June 20, 2013. Retrieved January 27, 2025.
- ^ "Media pioneer buys $7.7 mil Phoenix estate". John McLean. The Arizona Republic online (azcentral.com), a Gannett Company. January 25, 2013. Retrieved 2014-04-14.
- ^ a b "Opperman Scholar Program". Drake University. January 6, 2025. Retrieved January 27, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f Sievers, Jeremy (June 24, 2013). "Drake Law School benefactor Dwight Opperman dies at age 89". Drake University Newsroom. Retrieved January 27, 2025.
- ^ Peterson, Iver (February 27, 1996). "Thomson to Buy Legal Publisher In a $3.43 Billion Cash Accord". The New York Times. New York. Archived from the original on May 26, 2015. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
- ^ a b c Bjorhus, Jennifer (June 13, 2013). "Former West Publishing CEO Dwight Opperman dies at 89". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on June 17, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f Chappell, Bill (March 23, 2024). "What is the foundation behind the Ruth Bader Ginsburg award controversy?". NPR. Retrieved January 27, 2025.
- ^ a b "Dwight Opperman, former West Publishing chief, dies at 89". John Welbes and John Brewer. Twin Cities Pioneer Press (St Paul, MN). June 13, 2013. Retrieved 2014-04-14.
- ^ a b Bowman, Emma (March 15, 2024). "RBG's family condemns the selection of recipients of an award named in her honor". NPR. Retrieved January 27, 2025.
- ^ Sneed, Tierney (March 15, 2024). "Ruth Bader Ginsburg's family dissents after award in her name is given to Elon Musk and Rupert Murdoch". CNN. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
- ^ "Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Family Denounces RBG Awards Going To Elon Musk, Rupert Murdoch". HuffPost. March 15, 2024. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
Ginburg's family described the foundation's choices as an "affront to the memory of our mother and grandmother… Ginsburg was seen as a champion for gender equality… pushing to preserve abortion rights, address the gender pay gap and protect pregnant women in the workforce… Musk, who has positioned himself as an proponent of free speech, has been criticized for endorsing antisemitic conspiracy theories and content on X (formerly Twitter). He has also faced claims from civil rights groups that his leadership has allowed hate speech to spread on the platform since he purchased it… Murdoch has been accused of spreading lies and "dangerous medical misinformation" about climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic on his various media outlets… the Justice's family has no affiliation with and does not endorse this award… the foundation "has strayed far from the original mission of the award and from what Justice Ginsburg stood for" with its recipients this year.
- ^ Judkis, Maura (March 18, 2024). "RBG Award gala canceled after Ginsburg family criticizes honorees". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
- ^ "Home". Dwight D. Opperman Foundation. March 14, 2024. Retrieved January 27, 2025.