‘Fiery’ Civil Rights Lawyer, Professor, Dies at 86

David E. Feller, a pioneer in the fields of labor and civil rights law who was also known for his quirky love of bow ties and his “peppery and fiery” personality, died on Monday, Feb. 10, in Oakland, Calif. He was 86.

Feller graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College in 1938 and later attended the Law School, where he served as editor of the law review. After completing his education, he clerked for then-Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Fred M. Vinson.

Feller was perhaps best known for his impressive record in front of the Supreme Court, where he appeared more than a dozen times. The most famous of these occasions was probably the “Steelworkers’ Trilogy,” a trio of cases decided by that highest court on June 20, 1960, when Feller was General Counsel for the United Steelworkers of America. “He successfully defended the role of labor arbitration,” said colleague Sanford H. Kadish, who is a former dean of Boalt Hall, the law school at the University of California, Berkeley.

Feller will also be remembered for the assistance he provided Thurgood Marshall in preparations for the historic Brown v. Board of Education case in the 1950’s, friends say.

Feller joined the faculty of Boalt Hall in 1967 and remained there, as a professor emeritus, until his death. In 1987, he received the prestigious Berkeley Citation for “extraordinary achievement in his field” and “outstanding service to the Berkeley campus.”

Feller also was the president of the National Academy of Arbitrators, a lecturer at the University of Chicago and a partner at the firm Goldberg, Feller and Bredhoff.

He excelled beyond the professional realm as well, earning a Bronze Star for his service in the U.S. Army.

Colleagues praised Feller’s myriad professional achievements and pleasant personal characteristics.

“His major contribution to the law school was his accommodationist stance,” Kadish said.

Boalt Hall Professor Jesse H. Choper was equally enthusiastic, calling Feller “a very warm and gregarious guy.”

“He was well-liked by everyone who knew him. I don’t think he had any enemies,” said Choper.

Feller is survived by his wife, a brother, four sons and four granddaughters.