Howard S. Levie
Encyclopedia
Howard S. Levie, was one of America's foremost legal experts on the law of war and the key draftsman of the Korean Armistice Agreement.
. He earned his Bachelor of Arts and Juris Doctor degrees from Cornell University
and a Master of Laws degree from George Washington University
. He also studied at the Sorbonne
in Paris and The Hague Academy of International Law
in The Netherlands.
and the Korean War
, Levie served in New Guinea
and the Philippines
, in post-war Japan, and in Korea. He provided legal reviews of Japanese war crime trials for General Douglas MacArthur. He was assigned to the Staff of the United Nations Command Armistice Delegation when he drafted the Korean Armistice Agreement. A member of the US Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps, Levie was the first Chief of the Army JAG Corps’ International Affairs Division at the Pentagon. Other assignments included postings in Italy, France, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas and the Presidio of San Francisco. He retired in 1963 in the rank of Colonel.
In September 1963 he joined the faculty of Saint Louis University
School of Law. While there, Levie authored over 20 articles on a broad spectrum of law of war topics. It was also during this tenure that he spent a sabbatical year at the Naval War College as the Charles H. Stockton Professor of International Law
. He retired from Saint Louis University in 1977 having attained Professor Emeritus of Law status, and returned to Rhode Island where he resumed his association with the Naval War College as a lecturer on the 1949 Geneva Conventions and the laws of war. In October 1994, his enormous contribution to the College was formally recognized with the establishment of the Howard S. Levie Military Chair of Operational Law.
On the occasion of his 100th birthday, Levie was awarded the prestigious Morris I. Leibman Award by the American Bar Association
’s Standing Committee on National Security Law. The award citation noted that his career as a soldier and a scholar spanned more than six decades and was marked by distinction throughout. It concluded, “The impact of [his] enormous body of work on the thinking of domestic and international policy makers, military commanders and scholars cannot be overstated.”
In 1998, the U.S. Naval War College
in Newport, Rhode Island
published Levie on the Law of War to honor Levie and to recognize the enormous impact of his writings on the law applicable during armed conflict. In the book’s Forward, Professor Emeritus Richard J. Grunawalt of the Naval War College observed:
Early life and education
Levie grew up in Baltimore, Maryland and New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. He earned his Bachelor of Arts and Juris Doctor degrees from Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
and a Master of Laws degree from George Washington University
George Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
. He also studied at the Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
in Paris and The Hague Academy of International Law
Hague Academy of International Law
The Hague Academy of International Law is a center for high-level education in both public and private international law housed in the Peace Palace in The Hague, The Netherlands...
in The Netherlands.
Professional career
A veteran of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, Levie served in New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
and the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, in post-war Japan, and in Korea. He provided legal reviews of Japanese war crime trials for General Douglas MacArthur. He was assigned to the Staff of the United Nations Command Armistice Delegation when he drafted the Korean Armistice Agreement. A member of the US Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps, Levie was the first Chief of the Army JAG Corps’ International Affairs Division at the Pentagon. Other assignments included postings in Italy, France, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas and the Presidio of San Francisco. He retired in 1963 in the rank of Colonel.
In September 1963 he joined the faculty of Saint Louis University
Saint Louis University
Saint Louis University is a private, co-educational Jesuit university located in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1818 by the Most Reverend Louis Guillaume Valentin Dubourg SLU is the oldest university west of the Mississippi River. It is one of 28 member institutions of the...
School of Law. While there, Levie authored over 20 articles on a broad spectrum of law of war topics. It was also during this tenure that he spent a sabbatical year at the Naval War College as the Charles H. Stockton Professor of International Law
Charles H. Stockton Professor of International Law
The Charles H. Stockton Chair of International Law at the United States Naval War College has its origins in the Naval War College's oldest civilian academic post. The first civilian academic at the College, James R. Soley was appointed in 1885 to lecture on the subject of International Law. Dr...
. He retired from Saint Louis University in 1977 having attained Professor Emeritus of Law status, and returned to Rhode Island where he resumed his association with the Naval War College as a lecturer on the 1949 Geneva Conventions and the laws of war. In October 1994, his enormous contribution to the College was formally recognized with the establishment of the Howard S. Levie Military Chair of Operational Law.
On the occasion of his 100th birthday, Levie was awarded the prestigious Morris I. Leibman Award by the American Bar Association
American Bar Association
The American Bar Association , founded August 21, 1878, is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. The ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of academic standards for law schools, and the formulation...
’s Standing Committee on National Security Law. The award citation noted that his career as a soldier and a scholar spanned more than six decades and was marked by distinction throughout. It concluded, “The impact of [his] enormous body of work on the thinking of domestic and international policy makers, military commanders and scholars cannot be overstated.”
In 1998, the U.S. Naval War College
Naval War College
The Naval War College is an education and research institution of the United States Navy that specializes in developing ideas for naval warfare and passing them along to officers of the Navy. The college is located on the grounds of Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island...
in Newport, Rhode Island
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
published Levie on the Law of War to honor Levie and to recognize the enormous impact of his writings on the law applicable during armed conflict. In the book’s Forward, Professor Emeritus Richard J. Grunawalt of the Naval War College observed:
Once in a great while, someone comes along who makes a significant and lasting contribution to his or her chosen profession, a contribution that comes to define the paradigm of that calling. With respect to the development and articulation of the law of war, Professor Howard Levie is just such an individual.
Published works
Soldier and scholar, Levie left a legacy of scholarly excellence in the development and study of the law of war. Having authored 10 books (several of them multi-volume works) and over 80 articles, he was internationally recognized as an authority on matters ranging from the treatment of prisoners of war to the legality of conventional and nuclear, chemical, biological weapons; from war crimes and terrorism to the protection of the victims of armed conflict. Among the books he authored are- Prisoners of War in International Armed Conflict
- The Code of International Armed Conflict
- Terrorism in War: The Law of War Crimes.
- Terrorism: Documents of International and Local Control, edited by Howard S. Levie.