O. James Lighthizer

O. James "Jim" Lighthizer (born March 20, 1946) is an American lawyer, politician, and president emeritus of the American Battlefield Trust, a nonprofit battlefield preservation organization.[6]

O. James Lighthizer
Lighthizer in 2005
Secretary of the Maryland Department of Transportation
In office 1991–1995
Preceded by	Richard H. Trainor
Succeeded by	David L. Winstead
County Executive, Anne Arundel County, Maryland
In office 1982–1990
Preceded by	Robert A. Pascal
Succeeded by	Robert R. Neall
Member of the Maryland House of Delegates from the 33rd district
In office 1979–1982 Serving with Robert R. Neall (R), Elizabeth S. Smith (R)[1][2]
Preceded by	Patricia Aiken (D)[3]
Succeeded by	John G. Gary (R)[4]
Personal details
Born	March 20, 1946 Ashtabula, Ohio, U.S.[5]
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Married
Children	Five children
Relatives	Robert Lighthizer (brother)
Alma mater	University of Dayton (BA), 1968 Georgetown University (JD), 1975

Political career

As a Democrat, Lighthizer was a member of the Maryland House of Delegates from 1979 to 1982.

Lighthizer served from 1982 to 1990 as elected County Executive of Anne Arundel County, Maryland and is remembered for being instrumental in the creation of Quiet Waters Park, something he would later say was "the toughest political fight in my 16 years of politics".[7]

After his term ended, Lighthizer served as the Secretary of Transportation to Governor William Donald Schaefer from 1991 to 1995. During his tenure, he developed new programs that matched state fund with federal ISTEA (Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act) funds to preserve battlefield land. Between 1991 and 2014, the programs Lighthizer initiated and championed protected 8,700 acres on 61 properties near the Antietam National Battlefield, as well as additional acreage at other Maryland battlegrounds.[8]

Nonprofit career

After leaving state service, Lighthizer resumed the private practice of law. As a board member at the Civil War Trust, he helped engineer its merger with the Association for the Preservation of Civil War Sites in 1999 before becoming president of the merged organization.[9] In 2011, the Civil War Preservation Trust was renamed, again becoming simply the Civil War Trust, and in May 2018, the overall organization was renamed American Battlefield Trust, with the Civil War Trust continuing as a division of the umbrella organization along with a second division, the Revolutionary War Trust.[10]

In November 2019, at the 20th anniversary of his presidency, Lighthizer announced that he would retire in 2020.[11] On November 12, 1999, Lighthizer was named president of the newly formed Civil War Preservation Trust, which was created from the merger of two Civil War battlefield preservation organizations, the Association for the Preservation of Civil War Sites, founded in 1987, and the Civil War Trust, founded in 1991. Together, these two organizations had preserved more than 6,000 acres of battlefield land, but had amassed more than $7 million in debt.[12] In 2000, Lighthizer's first full year, the Trust (now named the American Battlefield Trust) retired all of the outstanding debt while also saving 2,421 new acres.[13] In November 2014, the Trust expanded its preservation mission to include not only Civil War battlefields, but those of the American Revolution and the War of 1812.[14] Through 2019, the organization has saved almost 52,000 acres at more than 130 battlefields in 24 states, averaging well over 2,000 acres a year during Lighthizer's 20 years at the helm. Membership grew from about 20,000 in 2000 to more than 47,000 in 2017.[15] From 2000 through 2019, the Trust took in a total of $451 million for battlefield preservation, including $235 million in private donations and $216 million in federal and public funding.[16] In 2019, the Trust received its 10th consecutive four-star rating from Charity Navigator, which evaluates non-profit organizations for fiscal stability, responsibility and performance.[17] Only two percent of non-profits have attained a four-star rating from Charity Navigator for as many as nine consecutive years.[18]

Lighthizer received the National Humanities Medal in a White House ceremony on January 13, 2021. "I was very shocked to receive it," said Lighthizer. "To be recognized by the president of the United States for your own work is extremely gratifying. It's very humbling."[19]

Personal life

Lighthizer is married and the father of five children.[5] Lighthizer's brother, Robert Lighthizer, currently serves as U.S. Trade Representative.

References

1. "Maryland Manual, 1979-80". Archives of Maryland, Volume 179. Maryland State Archives. August 2, 2018. p. 36. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
2. "Maryland Manual, 1981-82". Archives of Maryland, Volume 180. Maryland State Archives. August 2, 2018. p. 45. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
3. "Maryland Manual, 1977-78". Archives of Maryland, Volume 178. Maryland State Archives. August 2, 2018. p. 37. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
4. "Maryland Manual, 1983-84". Archives of Maryland, Volume 181. Maryland State Archives. August 2, 2018. p. 48. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
5. "O. James Lighthizer, County Executive, Anne Arundel County, Maryland". Maryland Manual On-Line. Maryland State Archives. January 19, 2021. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
6. "Jim Lighthizer". American Battlefield Trust. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
7. "Our say: On parks, Schuh plays the Quiet Waters card". The Capital. June 12, 2016. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
8. Zeller, 2017. p. 334.
9. Farrell, John A. (November 16, 2008). "McMansionizing History". The Washington Post.
10. "National Historic Preservation Group Forms American Battlefield Trust". American Battlefield Trust (Press release). May 8, 2018. Retrieved May 29, 2018.
11. "Jim Lighthizer, president of American Battlefield Trust, Announces Retirement". Emerging Civil War. November 4, 2019. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
12. Zeller, Bob (2017). Fighting the Second Civil War: A History of Battlefield Preservation and the Emergence of the Civil War Trust. Washington, D.C.: Knox Press. pp. 12, 215. ISBN 978-0-9988112-1-5.
13. Zeller 2017, pps. 217, 227.
14. Zeller 2017, p 339.
15. Zeller 2017, p. 20
16. "Saved Land". American Battlefield Trust. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
17. "Historical Ratings for American Battlefield Trust". Charity Navigator. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
18. "American Battlefield Trust Earns Coveted 4-Star Rating From Charity Watchdog Group". American Battlefield Trust (Press release). August 15, 2018. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
19. Price, Lilly (January 19, 2021). "Former Anne Arundel Executive James Lighthizer awarded National Humanities Medal in White House ceremony". The Capital. Retrieved January 19, 2021.