As Cleveland-Marshall College of Law mourns the passing of former U.S. Congressman Steven LaTourette ’79, who passed away August 3, the school also honors his legacy to students.
Congressman LaTourette came to Cleveland-Marshall in 1976 after completing his undergraduate degree at the University of Michigan. Upon completion of law school, he worked as a public defender for ten years before being elected Lake County Prosecutor, serving in that position until he was elected to U.S. Congress in 1994 to represent Northeast Ohio’s 14th Congressional District. He served nine terms in Congress where he was a member of the House Appropriations Committee and subcommittees including Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Interior, Environment and Related Agencies.
After deciding not to seek re-election in 2012, LaTourette established the first endowed post-graduate fellowship at Cleveland-Marshall. The Steven C. LaTourette Graduate Public Interest Fellowship is designed to give recent Cleveland-Marshall graduates hands-on, high-level work experience in public-sector jobs, accelerating their development as civic leaders. Since 2013, four Cleveland-Marshall students have been awarded fellowships in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Cuyahoga County Public Defender’s Office, and the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office.
Interim Dean Lee Fisher noted, "Steve was not only a distinguished alumnus but also a friend and colleague. He will be deeply missed. One of his greatest legacies is his constant search for consensus, common ground, and bipartisanship. He set a standard that should serve as a future model for public service."
Congressman LaTourette was an active supporter of the law school and the university, serving a number of years as a member of the Cleveland-Marshall National Advisory Board, speaking at CSU Alumni Homecoming, and hosting law school reunions in the Washington, D.C. area. In 2005, he received an honorary doctor of laws degree from Cleveland State University