Robert J. Hearon Jr.

Robert J. Hearon Jr. passed away from Alzheimer’s related complications on December 26th 2019 at the age of 89, in Austin, Texas, after a happy Christmas Day spent with family. Bob Hearon was a lifelong Texan, graduating from Austin High School before attending the University of Texas at Austin, where he majored in history, graduating with honors from the Plan II program. Bob continued his education at UT Austin, commencing an illustrious career in law by attending UT Law School. While in law school, his obvious talents and incredible intelligence grew increasingly apparent, as he was elected to Chancellors and Order of the Coif, and served as editor in chief of the Law Review. In 1954, he took the Texas bar exam, and earned the highest score in the state. While in law school, he clerked at the Austin based law firm, Graves Dougherty and Greenhill, and accepted a job there after graduation. The firm would ultimately become Graves, Dougherty, Hearon, Moody and Garwood, as his influence and success in his field grew.

In 1955 his tenure at Graves Dougherty was interrupted, when he was drafted and commissioned a 1st lieutenant in the JAG Corps of the Army. He was assigned Defense Appellate Division of the JAG office in the Pentagon, representing court martial defendants appealing convictions. After being honorably discharged in 1957, Bob returned to Graves Dougherty, where he became a noted appellate and utility rights lawyer, arguing several important cases before the supreme court of Texas. Notably while at Graves Dougherty Bob worked on the Tidelands case in which Graves Dougherty helped to represent the state of Texas against the federal government. In this case he coauthored a brief which was ultimately presented to and argued before the United States Supreme Court. The state of Texas won, and the resulting settlement brought funds to Texas public education.

Bob was to remain at Graves Dougherty until his retirement. He was managing partner of the firm for two decades and mentored several generations of attorneys. Seeing other younger attorneys reach their potential was a source of satisfaction to him. His colleague Mike McKetta remembers: “Bob will be remembered for his lovely and witty sense of humor. He had a knack for blending humor into otherwise dry subject matters, often when least expected”. Colleague Clarke Hedrick notes “Bob was a mentor to many of us at the firm. He was the kind of teacher who had the courage to care more about the lawyer and human being you would become then whether you happened to like him at the moment – the kind of teacher who sometimes drove one to despair but who one remembers and treasures after others have long been forgotten”. Colleague Terry Bray remembers him as “a great lawyer, and a great mentor, model, and teacher” and colleague Ben Vaughn notes “His capacity for excellence and effort knew no limits”.

Later in life, especially after his retirement, Bob found renewed purpose in working with his wife, noted mental health advocate Genevieve Hearon, to found Capacity for Justice, an organization which promotes the fair, just, and humane treatment of people with mental health and intellectual disabilities in the criminal justice system.

Bob is survived by his wife Genevieve Tarlton Hearon and his children Anne Rambo (Irv) Rosenbaum, Reed Hearon, Tarlton (Mike) Gaun and Paul (Marquette) Reddam, and his grandchildren Rachel Rambo, Ben and Abigail Gaun, and Ellis and Linden Reddam. He is predeceased by his siblings Marcia Hearon Lind and Richard Hearon and survived by his nephews Michael Lind and Mark (Sonja) Lind, and grandniece Sydney Lind. He is also mourned by generations of colleagues.

The funeral service is at Westlake Hills Presbyterian Church at 2 p.m. Sunday January 5th.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Capacity for Justice P.O. Box 1448 Cedar Park, TX 78630.