Obituaries
Former ABA president, ‘a towering figure in the legal community,’ dies at 85
R. William (Bill) Ide III
Atlanta lawyer R. William (Bill) Ide III, who served as president of the American Bar Association for the 1993 to 1994 term, died on July 8 at the age of 85.
Ide “was a towering figure in the legal community and a fierce advocate for civil rights, a fair and just legal system, and the rule of law,” according to an online obituary.
As ABA president, Ide focused on judicial independence and integrity, legal access, and legal ethics reform, according to an ABA press release.
Ide also promoted alternative dispute resolution, advocated for pro bono work and strengthened the ABA’s commitment to ethics in a way that promoted public service over financial gain, the press release states. New model ethics reforms under his leadership dealt with lawyer advertising and lawyer transparency. He also addressed racial and social bias in the justice system, “laying the groundwork for future ABA diversity initiatives,” the statement says.
Besides serving as ABA president, Ide was a member of the ABA Board of Governors and the ABA House of Delegates. He was vice chair of the ABA Task Force for American Democracy and was chair of the ABA Rule of Law Initiative from 1997 to 2009.
More recently, Ide served as vice chair of the ABA’s Task Force for American Democracy, which mobilized members to protect the right to vote ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
“Bill Ide was dedicated to a fair and just legal system,” ABA President William R. Bay said in the press release. “He was a passionate advocate for judicial independence and access to justice for all. He had a love and respect for democracy and defended it both at home and around the world. We will miss him.”
Ide had “an unwavering love and commitment” to family and friends, the online obituary says. His “ABA friends are too numerous to name, but the ‘Mafia’ and extended ABA circle became part of the Ide family; meetings doubled as family vacations and opportunities to spend time with ABA ‘aunts’ and ‘uncles.’ ”
According to the online obituary, Ide’s great-great grandfather was a former law partner of Abraham Lincoln.
Ide had “a slow start academically” before law school, earning the nickname “C Average Ide” from his mother, according to the online obituary. He excelled after switching majors from engineering to history.
“Bill’s grandmother believed that he also studied at the Sorbonne in Paris—because she had paid his tuition. But in actuality, he cashed out his school fees and bought a Vespa to tour Europe” with a friend, the obituary says.
A graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law, Ide was a former law clerk for Judge Griffin Bell of the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Ide would later tell his grandchildren that witnessing an end to desegregation was a formative experience. He left his 5th Circuit position “with a clear understanding of the law as a sacred tool and protector of constitutional rights,” according to his obituary.
Ide formerly worked at King & Spalding, Kutak Rock, Long Aldridge and a law firm he founded, Huie, Brown & Ide. After leading the ABA, he joined Monsanto as general counsel.
Ide married Gayle Marie Oliver in 1967. They had three children: Logan, Jennifer and Lucie. After Gayle’s death, Ide “was lucky enough to find a soulmate again,” in Lucy Vance, the obituary states.
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