Richard Ottinger obit

Richard Ottinger, former NY congressman and Pace law dean, dies at 97

 

He was not on the list.

The Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University mourns the passing of Dean Emeritus Richard L. Ottinger: environmental pioneer, dedicated public servant, leading scholar, and beloved teacher whose influence shaped this Law School and helped define modern environmental law.

Dick Ottinger’s professional life traced the arc of public purpose. He was a co-founder of the Peace Corps. A sixteen-year Member of Congress. A leader in landmark environmental legislation. Founder and Chair Emeritus of the Environmental and Energy Study Institute. Founder of the Pace Energy Project. Dean of Pace Law School. A Scholar, mentor, and advocate.

Dick’s life’s work measures far beyond impressive titles alone. His professional life is measured in part by the institutions he strengthened, the students he inspired, and the legal frameworks he helped construct, frameworks that continue to shape environmental policy in the United States and across the globe.

Foundations of a Life in Service

Born on January 27, 1929, in Westchester County, Dick was rooted in the community he would later represent in Congress and ultimately return to serve through education.

He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Government from Cornell University in 1950 and graduated from Harvard Law School in 1953. That same year, he joined the United States Air Force, serving during the Korean War, rising to the rank of Captain, and twice achieving distinction for his service.

After leaving active military service, he practiced law in New York City, first as an associate at Cleary, Gottlieb, Friendly & Hamilton and later as a partner at Kridel, Malone & Spear.

Notably, he also co-founded one of the most enduring institutions of American public service, the Peace Corps, serving as Director of Latin American Programs from 1961–1964. In those early years, he helped build the operational and philosophical foundation of an organization rooted in global cooperation and service.

Congress: Environmental Leadership Ahead of its Time

In 1964, Dick was elected to Congress, becoming the first Democrat to win his Westchester seat. He would go on to serve sixteen impactful years in the House of Representatives.

He entered Congress at a pivotal time in American history and quickly established himself as a reform-minded legislator. He played a leadership role in efforts to modernize and democratize Congressional rules and procedures, but it was environmental law where he left his most enduring marks.

Throughout his Congressional career, Dick was often cited as one of the earliest environmentalists in Congress and one of the best-known experts in energy conservation. He chaired the Subcommittee on Energy, Conservation and Power and was one of the principal authors of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA), legislation that fundamentally reshaped utility regulation by opening markets to renewable energy and cogeneration. Here Dick played a central role in shaping national energy policy.

Throughout his Congressional career, Dick was often cited as one of the earliest environmentalists in Congress and one of the best-known experts in energy conservation.

Long before renewable energy and climate change became dominant policy conversations, Dick was advocating conservation, government-backed solar initiatives, and energy systems that accounted for environmental cost.

He founded the Environmental and Energy Study Conference, the largest bipartisan, bicameral caucus in Congress, to provide objective information on environmental and energy issues. That body later evolved into the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI), which he would continue to guide as Founder and Chair Emeritus.

During his time in Congress, Dick did not merely participate in the development of environmental law, he helped define it.

Read more about his Congressional career in The New York Times.

Coming “Home” to Pace

In 1984, after sixteen years in Congress, Dick returned to Westchester and joined what was then known as Pace University School of Law.

It was here that Dick embarked on what would become one of the most consequential chapters of his career. As a professor he taught in the environmental law program from 1984-94, espousing his knowledge and passion on countless law students, bringing to the classroom not only scholarly expertise but firsthand experience in shaping national policy.

The Pace Energy Project: Transforming Environmental Law into Action

Shortly after joining Pace, Dick became co-director of the Center for Environmental Legal Studies and founded the Pace Energy Project, now known worldwide as the Pace Energy and Climate Center.

This was groundbreaking work, as in the late 1980s, climate change was not yet a central legal issue. Under his leadership, the Pace Energy Project was already advocating for the integration of renewable energy into state utility systems, promoting energy efficiency mandates, challenging conventional utility investment models, and reframing environmental harm as an economic externality rather than an unavoidable cost of progress.

The Project pushed for the replacement of outdated power plants and greater investment in clean energy—laying critical groundwork for the legal and policy frameworks that would later define modern climate advocacy.

Dick also pioneered Environmental Costs of Electricity (1990), recognized as the first U.S. study of energy environmental externalities. This research reshaped how regulators and courts understood the “true cost” of energy, integrating environmental harm into economic decision-making.

It was through the Pace Energy Project that the Law School became not merely a teaching institution, but a practical policy think tank, engaged in real-world reform, influencing regulatory proceedings, and training students to operate at the intersection of law, science, and governance.

It was Dick’s work here that helped bring national acclaim to the Law School’s environmental law program.

Leadership and Impact at Pace

In 1994, Dick became Acting Dean and later Dean of Pace Law School.

As Dean, his leadership was transformative. Some of his most notable accomplishments included:

Establishing the Law School’s Board of Visitors

Securing the development of a new classroom building

Strengthening international programs

Establishing and expanding the LLM program

Establishing the Law School’s Annual Fundraising Dinner

Instrumentally bringing the New York State Judicial Institute, the training center for all New York State judges, to the Law School campus

Most important to Dick was his relationship with his students. A 1999 graduating student, Alicia Menechino, published “A Tribute to Dean Richard L. Ottinger” law review article as Dick’s time as Dean came to a close. In the article, she described him as:

“a memorable Dean… acclaimed for his outreach to, and inclusion of students in all matters affecting the school.” He was further described as a “voice of reason,” someone who led with “compassion” and “integrity.” She noted that he was “an approachable Dean,” and someone who “wanted to ease our transition into law school”

Dick never lost sight of his students. He personally greeted entering students. He listened. He invited questions. He modeled accessibility in leadership. For Dick, it always came back to the students.

In Dick’s own words, “Students are what a university is all about. The greatest joy of teaching is to see our students grow and succeed. We so often learn more from them than they from us.” For thousands of students, he was not simply a former Congressman. He was Professor and Dean Ottinger.

In Dick’s own words, “Students are what a university is all about. The greatest joy of teaching is to see our students grow and succeed. We so often learn more from them than they from us.”

Ottinger Hall: More Than a Name

In 2013, the Law School’s classroom building, which he helped construct during his time as Dean, was officially dedicated as Richard L. Ottinger Hall.

Dick responded to the honor with humility and wit, noting:

“Such an honor usually is reserved for those who are deceased.”

During the dedication, he thanked faculty, staff, donors, students, and especially his family. He made clear the building was not about personal recognition — it was about a broader mission, stating that, “No one builds a building by oneself, or a law school either for that matter.”

During his remarks, he also invoked Opportunitas, Pace University’s founding motto, as central to the Law School’s mission, noting that when the Law School was created it was meant to be student-oriented, and providing an opportunity for a legal education to students and faculty of all backgrounds, income classes, and beyond. And, importantly, a school where justice and access to the law for all was imparted among students. For Dick, ensuring that the Law School remained true to this mission was paramount.

It was during these remarks that Dick noted how he appreciated serving with what he described as “like-minded faculty.” In his own words, he often described his time at Pace as a “privilege.” He felt inspired by his colleagues in furthering environmental protection and justice and most importantly, inspired to “help educate the next generation of lawyers to be the leaders in advancing the cause of justice in our community, our country and the world.” For Dick, that was what it meant to have his name on Ottinger Hall.

Today, Ottinger Hall stands as a visible reminder of a life devoted to justice, public service, and education.

Dick was widely considered one of the most influential people in the field of environmental law. Environmental law today, in its integration of sustainability principles, renewable energy frameworks, environmental cost accounting, international cooperation, and more, bears the imprint of his vision.

Scholar, International Leader, and Architect of Modern Environmental Law

Dick’s scholarship throughout his life further expanded his impact. He authored or co-authored more than 100 articles and numerous books on environmental law, renewable energy, sustainability, and climate governance. His work influenced domestic regulatory policy and international legal frameworks alike. He was also the recipient of many prestigious honors and awards, and a dedicated member of countless organizations where he imparted his wisdom and made an impact.

Dick’s influence extended deeply into the international arena. He was invited to lecture at the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the only U.S. professor ever so invited. He also attended several IRENA Assemblies in Abu Dhabi. He led the renewable energy studies of the Commission on Environmental Law of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and represented Pace at numerous IUCN World Conservation Congresses around the world.

His IUCN book on renewable energy law, edited with Professor Adrian Bradbrook of Australia, was launched at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Bonn, a fitting testament to the global relevance of his work. He was also a founder of the Consortium for Ecological Law, which supports students at Pace Haub Law in their participation in IUCN activities, further extending his commitment to ensuring that our students engaged meaningfully in global environmental governance.

Dick was widely considered one of the most influential people in the field of environmental law. Environmental law today, in its integration of sustainability principles, renewable energy frameworks, environmental cost accounting, international cooperation, and more, bears the imprint of his vision.

You can find more information on Dick’s tremendous body of scholarship, achievements, honors, memberships, and more below.

A Legacy That Will Endure

Richard L. Ottinger’s professional life’s work reshaped environmental policy in Congress. It strengthened international legal frameworks. It institutionalized renewable energy law. It created the Pace Energy and Climate Center. It built one of the nation’s top environmental law programs. It influenced generations of lawyers.

He leaves behind his beloved wife June, four children, and ten grandchildren, and a community profoundly shaped by his presence.

Dick’s legacy will endure – through the students he taught, the policies he shaped, and the values he embodied. And through the law itself.