David Ryrie Brink (July 28, 1919 – July 20, 2017) was an American attorney from Minnesota and a former president of the American Bar Association.[1]

Career

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Born in Minneapolis,[2] Brink was a specialist in estate planning. After graduating from the University of Minnesota and beginning law school at the U of M, he left to become a cryptographer in the Navy decoding Japanese messages in Washington, D.C., during World War II. He achieved rank of lieutenant commander. After WWII David Brink returned to the U of M Law School and finished his law degree. He graduated from the University of Minnesota and the University of Minnesota Law School and joined the Minnesota law firm of Dorsey & Whitney.[3]

While leading the ABA in 1981, Brink battled Congress in an attempt to secure the independence of the federal court system.[4]

Personal

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Brink's parents were mathematics professor Raymond W. Brink (1890–1973) and author Carol Ryrie Brink (1895–1981).[3] They met as teenagers in Moscow, Idaho, in 1909 and were married nine years later.[5] Married for 55 years, they had two children, David and Nora (Hunter).[6]

Brink married Mary Helen Wangensteen (1925–2010) in 1950 and they had four children; Mary, Anne, David, and Sarah, and eight grandchildren. They later divorced, but were on good terms at the time of her death.[7] His second wife, Irma Marie Lorentz Bong Brink, died in March 2008 at age 82.[8] David Brink died on July 20, 2017, at the age of 97, 8 days before his 98th birthday.[9]

References

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  1. ^ Taylor, Stuart Jr. (August 13, 1981). "Bar president outlines plans to speak up for profession". The New York Times. p. A20.
  2. ^ Supplement to Who's who in America. Vol. 44. Marquis Who's Who. 1987. ISBN 9780837971001. Retrieved April 10, 2015.
  3. ^ a b Smetanka, Mary Jane (November 3, 2011). "At 92, he's a man of the word". StarTribune.com. Retrieved November 17, 2012.
  4. ^ Taylor, Stuart Jr. (November 12, 1981). "Bar leader fears crisis over curbs on courts". The New York Times. p. A24.
  5. ^ Laboe, Barbara (October 19, 1995). "Brink's son in Moscow for party". Moscow-Pullman Daily News. p. 1A.
  6. ^ Johnson, David (October 21, 1995). "Nature park dedicated at Moscow". Lewiston (ID) Morning Tribune. p. 7A.
  7. ^ "Obituary: Mary Wangensteen Brink". StarTribune.com. November 2010. Retrieved November 17, 2012.
  8. ^ "Obituary: Irma Marie Lorentz Brink". StarTribune.com. March 2008. Retrieved November 17, 2012.
  9. ^ "Past ABA president, Dorsey partner David Brink dies – Minnesota Lawyer". 25 July 2017.