John E. Grenier

John Edward Grenier, political leader, strategist, and visionary, as well as distinguished attorney, died on November 6, 2007, after a brief illness. His wife, Stella, and his son, Beau, were with him at his bedside when he passed away. John was born on August 24, 1930, in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he grew up. He was the son of Charles Desire Grenier, Jr., and Beatrice Schaumburg Grenier and had two older siblings, Rosemary and Ray. John attended Jesuit High School in New Orleans, where he lettered in track, baseball, and football. John received his undergraduate and law degree from Tulane University in 1953. He thereafter entered the United States Marine Corps, rising to the rank of Captain. John served his country in Korea as a pilot, flying over 100 patrols in Squadron VMF 312, known as The Checkerboard Squadron. Following an Honorable Discharge from the Marine Corps, John entered New York University, where he received an LLM degree in taxation. He practiced law briefly in New York City on Wall Street before moving to Birmingham to work with Southern Natural Gas Company. He subsequently joined the law firm of Bradley Arant Rose & White, where he became a partner and practiced corporate and tax law under the tutelage and mentorship of Lee C. Bradley, Jr. John later joined the firm formerly known as Lange, Simpson, Robinson & Somerville and was a partner there for over 35 years before his retirement at the end of 2004. John enjoyed an active and significant political career. He began his career as Chairman of the Jefferson County Young Republicans and organized a political rally in Birmingham in 1960 for Richard Nixon during the Nixon Kennedy campaign. He went on to organize the modern day Alabama Republican Party, becoming its State Chairman in 1962. John assisted in the close senatorial election between Republican Jim Martin and Democrat Lister Hill in 1962. Thereafter, he joined the Goldwater for President Campaign and organized the delegates that nominated Goldwater as a candidate at the Republican National Convention in San Francisco. He was the Southern Regional Director for the campaign when Goldwater swept many of the Southern states in his bid for President. Following the campaign, John was named the Executive Director of the Republican National Committee. He ran for the United States Senate in 1966 against John Sparkman, and while unsuccessful, he received the most votes any Alabama Republican candidate had theretofore received in history. In 1986, John was the campaign manager for Guy Hunt in his successful bid to become the first Republican Governor since Reconstruction. He served in the Hunt Administration as the Governor's Chief of Staff and later managed Governor Hunt's successful bid for reelection in 1990. John loved and enjoyed life to the fullest and had many outside interests. He was an avid tennis player, snow skier, and fox hunter. He was also self taught in four languages, French, German, Spanish, and Modern Greek. John is survived by his devoted wife of almost 20 years, Stella Kontos Grenier; his son, John Beaulieu Grenier (born to John's first wife, the former Lynne Youmans) and wife Joy; his sister, Rosemary Grenier Rivet; his four grandchildren, John Beaulieu Grenier, Jr., Dorothy Monnish Grenier, Evans Barlow Grenier, and Carolyn Youmans Grenier; and several nieces and nephews. A service will be held at St. Mary's On-the-Highlands Episcopal Church on Friday, November 9, 2007, beginning at 2 p.m, followed by a graveside service immediately thereafter at Elmwood Cemetery. The family will receive visitors at St Mary's on Friday from noon to 1:30 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that a donation be made to Children's Hospital, The Salvation Army, or St. Mary's On-the-Highlands Episcopal Church.  

(From The Birmingham News, 11/8/2007.)


Thoughts About John
With fond memories we reflect on the life and career of our colleague and friend John E. Grenier.

“John was an expansive man who sometimes seemed larger than life. He was a witty and incisive thinker and a spellbinding storyteller. John was a historical figure in Alabama and beyond. He feared no battle for his clients, but I imagine that he was greatly feared by his adversaries. His legal talent was rarely, if ever, rivaled. I will always remember how smoothly the State of Alabama ran during the time that John served as Gov. Hunt's chief of staff. He definitely has a place on the shortlist of Alabama's greatest lawyers.”
– Richard P. Carmody, partner

“In terms of the breadth and depth of his skill set, John was the most gifted individual I have ever known. He was a jet fighter pilot. He was an athlete. As a transactional lawyer he was the equal of the best New York had to offer.
With all due respect to Henry Simpson and Bobby Smith, John's ability to make an argument was unsurpassed. There has to be something unique about the way his mind worked; his ability to marshal and organize his points on the fly, without the use of notes or prompts of any nature, is extraordinary.
As John was sitting down from his argument to Judge Guin in the Brookwood proxy fight, Bill Somerville whispered to him it was the best argument Bill had ever seen. It was my later privilege to see John make three other arguments equal or better. He could ruin an opponent's day.
John was supremely confident and thoroughly at ease in any situation. In a social situation, he was gracious and charming. He could come up with a story for any occasion. He could laugh loud and long and his laughter was genuine. However, he was not above laughing at his own stories.
John was a teacher of young lawyers. Those he taught benefited greatly. I was once a young lawyer and consider myself very fortunate to have had him as a teacher. He gave me the compliments I have valued most in my career, not because they were effusive (they were not), but because his standards for himself were so high that any compliment from John was a compliment of the highest order. John was my first point of contact with Lange, Simpson. He interviewed me on campus at UVA in the fall of 1973. I did not think the interview went well. Thankfully, I must have been wrong. Little did I realize John would become my mentor and champion for almost 35 years."
– Charles C. Pinckney, partner

“John Grenier was a giant of a lawyer. He had intelligence and wisdom, presence of mind, and a strong sense of self. He was also a mentor and teacher to young lawyers, and I am fortunate enough to have come within John's tutelage. He had a natural gift for making other lawyers feel pride in themselves and their abilities. Working with and for John is a large part of the reason I have such a deep and lasting affiliation with this law firm. One of my favorite stories about the firm has to do with being John Grenier's partner.
Over sixteen years of practice, only once have I had an active role in an honest-to-goodness trial. In 1994, John was hired to defend a client in Tax Court. He asked me to help with the case and we spent hundreds of hours in preparation for the trial. The trial date came, and John and I sat at the defendants' table in the courtroom. John was cool as a cucumber, with a touch of excitement, from the adrenalin I suppose. I had the same adrenalin rush, although I was more nervous than excited. The judge entered, we stood, and the judge asked who would question the witnesses. John replied that he would question the first two, and "his partner, Ms. King" would question the third one. I am certain I stood six inches taller when John called me, a third year associate, his partner. It gave me instant credibility with the court and with myself. I asked him about it later, and, with no posturing or fanfare, he simply said, "You are my partner." I have tried for years to live up to that relationship and his simple expression of faith in my abilities.
John was unfailingly professional and kind to me and other young lawyers like me, and I trusted his counsel. He set a high standard of excellence for himself and for others, and I am still striving to be the kind of lawyer who would earn John's approval.
A more personal story about John involved his appearance at the altar for my wedding.  My wedding was at our small family church in Leighton, Alabama, and John made the two hour drive to Leighton just in time for the wedding.  Everyone had already gone inside when John arrived and it was time for the wedding to begin.  Although the church has beautiful double doors at the front, these doors are generally not used because they open to the side of the altar, and the standard entrance to the sanctuary is at the rear of the church.  Unaware, of course, of the rear entrance, John parked in front of the church, ran through the front double doors into the small foyer, said hello to Keith and his best man, and, breathing a sigh of relief that he hadn't missed the wedding, John opened the door into the church sanctuary. Of course, he stepped right out in front of the congregation, which was waiting for Keith to enter through those doors to start the ceremony.  As John told the story later, he immediately felt the weight of every eye in the church on him, and, with his own eyes wide open and a comical smile, he threw up his hands and said, "Sorry, I'm not the groom!" and slipped into a seat.  It was a light moment that he handled with characteristic good humor and a smile.  John laughed at that memory whenever the subject of my wedding came up.  Keith and I laughed at that memory this morning.”
– Frances King Quick, partner

“As a young lawyer joining the firm, every time I saw John Grenier in the office he would always offer kind words of encouragement.  The fact that he spoke those words in French just added to their importance.  I can still hear him now: “Bonjour, monsieur.  Comment ça va?”  I was fortunate to work closely with John over the years, and he never failed to impress me with his remarkable abilities.  But aside from his superb skills as a lawyer, I will always remember his generous and caring spirit.  Adieu, mon ami.”
– Laurence McDuff, partner

”John Grenier was the best lawyer on his feet I ever saw. I've seen quite a few lawyers over 34 years who were truly great trial lawyers and many more who thought they were, and I've never seen one who could touch John's speaking ability. I saw him argue a case once when he stood up without ever making a note and delivered an argument that was organized into separate paragraphs for each topic, and every paragraph had a topic sentence, and everything after that sentance was a development of that topic, and I could not have written such an argument and organized it that well in a day and a half.
When I had been practicing law maybe a year, John had a case against the U.S. Postal Service, and I went with him to Washington to take depositions of some of the top people there. It seemed exciting to be around so many experienced lawyers and to watch John in action in a deposition of one of the two top people there. When the first deposition was over and John was sure he had everyone's attention before beginning the second deposition, he turned to me and asked me if I'd take the next one, and I wasn't about to pass up a chance like that. To this day, I don't know for sure whether John did this because he had that much confidence in me or if he did it just to irritate the Postal Service by turning one of their witnesses over to such an obviously inexperienced lawyer, but I'll say this: he had enormous confidence in his own ability, and it was not misplaced.”
– John B. Tally, partner

For someone never to be elected to statewide office, he certainly had an impact.
The bomb in his office and the fact that I was part of the double-play team that broke his arm (or was it his collarbone?) are well known to many. The bomb, in particular, displayed John's calm resolve when faced with any sort of crisis. He was unshakable. Along those lines, I was meeting with John in Montgomery when he headed up Gov Hunt's transition team. A young lawyer interrupted our meeting in a panic. "We've made a terrible mistake, we're in bad trouble." John sat silent, with no change of expression. "We've forgotten to make room on the podium for Gov Wallace." No response. "I mean Gov Wallace needs to attend the inauguration, but there is no room for him on the podium." No response. "All I am saying is that this is terrible, but it is not my fault. If I have to take the blame for this, I quit." John then calmly replied, "That's fair enough." The young lawyer left the office, stunned, not knowing whether he was being blamed or whether he had just quit! Somehow they found room for Gov Wallace on the podium. John was my political mentor. I was blessed to have political opportunities I never imagined - Tort Reform, Education Reform, Worker's Compensation Reform, Tax Reform, the franchise tax case, the property tax case, and, of course, the Higher Education case. I would have had not one of those opportunities, but for John Grenier. And he was my champion in my effort to become a federal judge. He said that, as my partner, he did not want me to leave the firm for a judgeship, but as my friend, he knew that I wanted to judgeship and so he was happy to do his part. I would not even have been considered for the position, but for John Grenier. I have been blessed with a career that has exceeded all my expectations. A career would have been satisfying with but one of the opportunities John gave me, yet he gave me dozens. I owe him a great deal. He really epitomized the adage, "There is no limit to how much can be achieved, if you don't mind who gets the credit." He sat in the background and gave others, like me, a chance to succeed.”
One more memory - One year July 14 was on a Saturday and I ran into John at the office. I commented that I was surprised to see him at work on Bastille Day - I thought he would be out celebrating. He gave me that wisp of a smile, and replied "My family was on the losing side that day," and went on with his work.”
- Robert Hunter, Altec

“As an associate at Lange, Simpson, then as a partner, I was privileged to know and work with John. I admired him as a lawyer and a person and believed that he was one of the people who made Lange, Simpson a great firm. I was proud to call him my law partner.”
– William M. Phillips, Jr., Regions Financial Corporation

“Bradley Arant and its lawyers quite naturally had the highest regard for your late partner. He was a credit to your firm, our firm and his community. I wanted to share with you some of the comments that have been circulating among our partners (below). I hope you will express to your partners our deepest condolences and our respect and admiration for Mr. Grenier and your firm.”
– Patrick J. Darby, Bradley Arant Rose & White LLP

“John Grenier was a particular inspiration to me as he was for so many others. Unlike Jim Rotch, I failed to come to my senses when it came to running for public office. John was always a source of wisdom and encouragement throughout my campaign. He also did me the great favor of introducing me to Jack Selden and was pleased to see us become close friends and partners. There are too few truly great men. John was one.”
– Luther Strange, Bradley Arant Rose & White LLP

“I was a witness to many moot court debates in the Comer Building, where the BARW offices were when I came to the Firm, between John Grenier and Bob Reid, and sometimes Frank McFadden, on the one hand, and David Vann and Vernon Patrick, on the other. I was a young associate, without an office of my own at first, and spending most of my time in the library, and the library was the forum not only for legal research but for political sparring as well. When John left BARW to go with Andresen, I inherited his office and no longer spent full time in the library (it was more like 90% of the time before then). John was one of the few persons who could apparently understand what Mr. Bradley had in mind when he would be discussing some matter (he was famous for the encrypted comments he would make that generally needed to be deciphered), and was able to reinforce Mr. Bradley's reputation as the State's preeminent tax lawyer. Those were classic days.”
– Thad Long, Bradley Arant Rose & White LLP

“My earliest recollection of John Grenier is of him giving a political speech to a large crowd gathered on the Courthouse Square in Scottsboro in the 60's when I was a student and he was running, I think, for Lieutenant Governor. It was a very hot summer day. John had pulled off his suitcoat, loosened his tie and rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt. I was mesmerized by his presence, and by his rhetoric, as was most of the crowd. That day I decided that someday I would be like John Grenier, including running for public office. Fortunately I later came to my senses about the running for office part, but I continued to admire him and to follow his career.
The next time I encountered John in person was when I was a law student interviewing with Lange Simpson for a job as an associate. I was facing a two year military commitment at the time. John asked me to come back to see them when I completed my military service, which is the same thing I was told by this firm. Later, after I had joined Bradley Arant and would encounter John, he would often say that one of his greatest mistakes was not hiring me when he had the opportunity. That was, of course, just his way of making me feel good about myself and our relationship.
Later, after Beau joined our firm, when John and I would meet our conversation topics would always include Beau's progress with the firm. John was very proud of Beau, and of course rightfully so. John was a great man for many reasons, and a friend and hero to me. He will be sorely missed.”
– Jim Rotch, Bradley Arant Rose & White LLP

“John Grenier, Beau's father, who died yesterday afternoon, came to this firm in the late '50's to work on corporate and tax and business matters. He did a superb job. He was very attractive, forceful, bright and quick. He worked closely with Mr. Bradley. At the Newcomen dinner last week, Billy Rushton in his remarks remembered when he and his father met with Mr. Bradley on an estate planning matter, and Mr. Bradley brought with him John, a fairly new arrival here. That meeting, still very memorable to Billy, occurred about 50 years ago. John always made a strong impression and was very good with clients, getting new ones and keeping old ones.
John became a partner here with the '63 group. He had become deeply involved in politics, and was one of Senator Goldwater's smartest and most trusted advisors in his '64 presidential race-as Donald Sweeney pointed out, John was responsible for the development of the Republican party in this state, and in the South. John left our firm to go into business - investment banking - and later came back to law, at Lange Simpson, from which he had retired at the time of his death. He was extraordinarily able, and always very good company”
– Tom Carruthers, Bradley Arant Rose & White LLP


“John Grenier had enormous energy, a contagious enthusiams and vitality for what he was about. As a result, and with his disciplined intelligence to shape and implement his vision for a better political dialogue, John--more than anyone else-- was able to raise the Alabama Republican Party from the ashes, to create a vigorous two party State that has benefited us all.
I remember the first time I meet John--at John Williamson's house when he had assembled a very, very small group of Birmingham businessmen to talk about the Barry Goldwater campaign and why a two party system would be good for Alabama. I thought at the time that John and Goldwater had an impossible climb ahead of them, but there was a such a strength, focus and intensity about John's presentation that made you forget about the arduous road ahead and cherish the objective.
I did not see John much in the ensuing years, but it was always a treat to share with him when I did see him about that first meeting and how charismatic I thought he was.
I know many of you knew John much better than I and can share fond memories about him with Beau and all of the rest of us.
I am sad about the loss of a colleague and friend who did so much for our profession, our State and for each of us in the example he set by what he accomplished.
Beau's consolation must be the pride and pleasure with which he can share with his children-- John's grandchildren-- about John's life and example-- a life very well spent.”
– Donald Sweeney, Bradley Arant Rose & White LLP