Officials at The Robert H. Jackson Center announced the appointment
of John Q. Barrett of New York City as its first Elizabeth S. Lenna Fellow.
“This appointment is wonderful news for the Robert Jackson Center,”
said Greg Peterson, Jackson Center president. “Not only are we fortunate
to name a pre-eminent legal scholar to this position, we are also able to
honor one of the principal founders of the Center. John Q. Barrett is probably
the best Robert Jackson scholar in America today, and Betty Lenna has been
one of the major driving forces in getting the Robert Jackson Center established.
This is a great day for our organization.”
Barrett, a graduate of Georgetown University and Harvard Law School, is a
professor of law at St. John’s University in New York.
During his career, Barrett served in the office of independent counsel in
the Department of Justice during the Iran-Contra investigation. He also served
as law clerk to Judge A. Leon Higginbotham Jr. in the U. S. Court of Appeals
for the 4th District.
Barrett is editing Jackson’s memoirs of President Franklin D. Roosevelt
and is writing a biographical account of Jackson’s year as the chief
American prosecutor before the international military tribunal in Nuremberg
at the end of World War II.
“In his role as a Fellow to the Jackson Center,” Peterson said,
“Mr. Barrett will formalize a relationship with the Jackson Center,
which has already begun. He will be a resource to us, will travel periodically
to Jamestown and will advise us on matters affecting the history and legacy
of Justice Jackson. We are fortunate to have him as a part of our team.”
Barrett said he is looking forward to his association with the Jackson Center.
“I was initially drawn to Justice Jackson when I read many of his legal
opinions on various Supreme Court cases,” the Lenna Fellow said. “He
is probably one of the best writers ever to sit on the Supreme Court. His
work and life have fascinated me ever since, and I look forward to working
with the new Robert Jackson Center in Jamestown as it develops its mission
and program for the future.”
Peterson said, “Mrs. Lenna has been a leader in the establishment of
The Jackson Center.”
“We could think of no better way of naming John Barrett to this position,
than to name it after a person whose commitment was essential to our getting
started,” Peterson said of Mrs. Lenna. “Without the involvement
of Betty Lenna, we would not be in existence. She and Carl Cappa, late in
the year 2000, provided the financial resources for us to get started. It
is only fitting that we name this position ‘The Elizabeth S. Lenna Fellow’
in honor of her commitment to this institution and to the community at large.”