December 2013
The Environmental Law Institute mourns the death of Judge Howard M. Holtzmann, who passed away on December 9, 2013, just one day before his 92nd birthday.
ELI honored Judge Holtzmann, who served on our board (1999-2005), with a Special Merit Award in 2012 for his accomplishments and special relationship with the Institute. ELI President John C. Cruden, who presented the award to him in his home, said “One of the great pleasures for many of us at ELI was the opportunity to meet with and talk to Howard over the years. He was always gracious with his time, full of excellent advice, and anxious to promote the values that ELI espoused. He served as an example to all in his commitment to integrity, professionalism, and the rule of law.”
A graduate of Yale College and Yale Law School, Judge Holtzmann was one of the greatest arbitration experts of our time, and for almost half a century greatly contributed to the development of international commercial arbitration. Among the many positions he held during his career was President of the American Arbitration Association, member of the Iran-U.S. Claims Tribunal, Vice Chairman of the International Council for Commercial Arbitration, and a member of the Claims Resolution Tribunal for Dormant Accounts in Switzerland. He was also a prolific author, most noted for his seminal work, International Mass Claims Processes: Legal and Practical Perspectives, which he edited with Edda Kristjánsdóttir.
Judge Holtzmann also played a very important role for the development of international arbitration in Sweden. He was instrumental in the creation of the USA-USSR Optional Clause Agreement in 1977, which provided for Sweden as the place of arbitration in Soviet, later Russian, and U.S. commercial disputes. In recognition of his important contribution, Judge Holtzmann was appointed Commander of The Royal Order of the Polar Star by the Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf. The order was presented at a ceremony at the Royal Palace on 21 October 2003.