Donald Holbrook, pillar of Utah's legal community, dies at 80

For more than half a century, Donald B. Holbrook devoted himself to the practice of law and the betterment of life in his native Utah.

And his death on Tuesday at age 80 was a loss to the private and public sectors, according to the head of Jones Waldo Holbrook & McDonough, which Holbrook helped take from a five-lawyer operation to a premier Salt Lake City law firm with more than 75 attorneys.

"Don gave his life to public service," law firm president Kevin Rowe said Wednesday. "He was an amazing guy."

In addition to his law practice, Holbrook was active in politics and a champion of higher education, serving terms as chairman of the Utah State Board of Regents and the Institutional Council of the University of Utah, now called the Board of Trustees.

Holbrook, who earned his law degree from the U. in 1953, practiced in the fields of antitrust, corporate and constitutional law.

He had been the last surviving name partner in Jones Waldo and was working at the firm until a few months ago.

"He was instrumental in its growth," Rowe said.

"Everyone looks at Don as one of the people who made the firm what it is."

In 1957, Holbrook joined the then-small firm, which adopted its current name in 1966. In addition to its home base in Utah, the firm now has offices in St. George and Dayton, Ohio.

Holbrook served as president from 1977 until 1989, when he took a leave of absence to become executive vice president and chief legal officer of American Stores Co. He returned to Jones Waldo in 1994.

His career included a term as president of the Salt Lake County Bar Association and two stints as campaign manager for Utah Gov. Calvin Rampton in the 1960s.

He ran, unsuccessfully, for the U.S. Senate in 1974 and served in various positions for the Utah Democratic Party.

He also served as chairman of the board of Ballet West and the Utah Partnership for Educational and Economic Development and was a member of many corporate boards, including the Kearns Tribune LLC, which publishes The Salt Lake Tribune. Legislation he helped get approved allowed the newspaper to enter a joint operating agreement with The Deseret Morning News that allows the papers to share printing, advertising and circulation operations but keeps the editorial and reporting staffs separate.

Throughout his career, he received many honorary degrees and awards for his legal and civic work. They were all well-deserved, said Rowe, who described Holbrook as a pillar of the legal community.

"The legal community will miss him," Rowe said.

Holbrook is survived by his wife and a daughter.