Harry C. Ames Jr.

AMES, Harry C. Jr., 95, of Irvington, died August 27, 2008. A sixth generation Washingtonian, Mr. Ames was born March 27, 1913, son of the late Harry C. Ames Sr. and Hilda Hinkel Ames. He was preceded in death by his sister, Jacqueline Ames Heilman of Rye, N.Y. A graduate of Central High School in 1931, and of George Washington University in 1936, where he became a life member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity, he earned his law degree from George Washington University in 1938. Mr. Ames, his father, and Wilmer A. Hill formed Ames, Hill and Ames Law Firm of Washington, D.C. in 1939, concentrating in transportation law. He was admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court in 1955, and in 1967 successfully pled the "Ingot Molds" case, a historic resolution of the issue of rate differentials between railroads and barge lines. In 1993, Mr. Ames was named "Man of the Year" by the Administrative Law Judges of the Interstate Commerce Commission, for his distinguished service to the legal profession and to the Transportation Bar. Over the years he represented over 287 trucking and barge lines, including tank trucks, auto haulers, and common carriers. Mr. Ames' professional affiliations included the American Bar Association, Supreme Court Bar, the District of Columbia Bar, Motor Carrier Lawyers Association, and National Tank Truck Carriers Association. He was admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court in 1938. Ames, Hill and Ames was one of the oldest transportation law firms in the United States. Mr. Ames was a member of Westmoreland Congregational Church, where he served as president of the Board of Trustees and as moderator, as well as teaching Sunday school. He served as secretary treasurer of his local Council of the Boy Scouts of America. A past president of the Parent Teacher Association at Bethesda - Chevy Chase High School in Montgomery County, Md., he also served with that county's probation board doing pro bono legal work. Mr. Ames was a former member of the Congressional Country Club and a lifetime member of the University Club of Washington, D.C. Surviving are his wife of 69 years, Jane Saegmuller Ames; daughter, Virginia A. LaFond and her husband, Edward F. LaFond Jr., of Mechanicsburg, Pa.; two sons, H. Clifton Ames III of Reedville, Va. and George F. Ames and wife, Claire J. Ames, of Bethesda, Md.; seven grandchildren; two stepgrandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. A memorial reception will be held 1 p.m. Saturday, September 6, 2008, in the Rappahannock Room at Rappahannock - Westminster Canterbury in Irvington.
This obituary was originally published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.