Charles Wilkinson

Charles Wilkinson, esteemed law professor at the University of Colorado, and trailblazer in the fields of Native American and Western land and water law, died peacefully of natural causes on June 6, 2023. His wife Ann was by his side. Charles was born in Saginaw, Michigan in 1941. He grew up in Bronxville, New York, and Westport, Connecticut. His father, Charles Fore Wilkinson Jr., was a research physician who served as Chief of Medicine at NYU Medical Center. His mother Frances, known as "Wally," was a quick-witted schoolteacher. A devoted Brooklyn Dodgers fan, young Charlie was inspired by Jackie Robinson's pursuit of racial justice. After graduating from Denison College, Charles followed his beloved Dodgers to California, where he attended Stanford Law School. There, fly fishing in California's high-mountain streams, he fell in love with the American West. That passion defined the rest of his life. Charles began his law career at the Phoenix law firm of Lewis & Roca. He admired the firm's national-caliber lawyers and its robust pro bono practice. But his life changed forever in 1971 when he accepted a job at the Native American Rights Fund in Boulder, Colorado. In NARF's founders, John Echohawk and David Getches, Charles found lifelong partners in his pursuit of justice for Indian people. At NARF, Charles pursued litigation to improve education on the Navajo reservation, restored the tribal status of the Menominee Nation and the Siletz Tribes, and advocated on behalf of the Nez Perce Tribe for the removal of Snake River dams. He joined the University of Oregon Law School faculty in 1975. In 1987, he returned to Boulder, where he became the University of Colorado Law School's Moses Lasky Professor of Law. In 1997, CU's Regents named Charles a Distinguished University Professor-one of only 25 in the CU system. In 2013, CU honored Charles and David Getches by establishing the Getches-Wilkinson Center for Natural Resources, Energy and the Environment. Charles remained on the faculty until 2018, when he became Professor Emeritus. Charles was an energetic and beloved teacher, whose passion for his subject matter changed students' lives. His classes on Federal Indian Law, Public Land Law, and Natural Resources and Water Law were wildly popular. Students vied for a coveted spot in his Seminar on the American West, which focused on specific regions of the West and culminated in legendary field trips. Charles received the top teaching awards from the Universities of Oregon, Colorado, and Michigan (where he served as a visiting professor). Charles authored 15 books. Early in his teaching career, he wrote treatises on Indian Law and Public Land Law. In 1987, he published American Indians, Time and the Law a highly-regarded synthesis of Indian law. Over time, books like Crossing the Next Meridian , Fire on the Plateau , Blood Struggle , Messages From Frank's Landing, and The People are Dancing Again taught as much about history, geography, and the revitalization of Indian nations as they did about the law. He took on numerous assignments for the federal government and the tribes. He was instrumental in establishing the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in 1996, and the Bears Ears National Monument in 2016. He served on the boards of the Wilderness Society and the Grand Canyon Trust, among other organizations. Even with his many professional accomplishments, Charles always had boundless love and energy for his family. He was a devoted and present husband, father, and father-in-law. Nothing gave him more joy than sharing a cup of coffee with his wife, Ann, or enthusiastically supporting his children and grandchildren at their sporting events, chess tournaments, and performances. There was simply nowhere in the world more fun to be than in the seat next to Charles at a baseball game, playing a poker hand Charles was dealing, or scouting a trout stream with him. He loved dogs, newspapers, ice cream, sagebrush, strong coffee, cowboy boots, and the Rockies (both the range and the team). His passion for Indian law never waned. He devoted his last years to a book covering the Boldt Decision, a seminal 1974 case affirming tribal fishing rights in Washington State. Charles completed the manuscript in his last year of life, and was deeply involved in final copyediting in the days before his passing. The book will be published by the University of Washington Press next February to commemorate the Boldt Decision's 50th anniversary. Charles is survived by his wife, Ann; his sons, Seth, Philip, David and Ben; his daughters-in-law, Zahraa and Samantha (whom he insisted were his daughters); and his grandchildren, Khalil, Meera, Ellen and Calvin. A celebration of Charles' life and career will be held in Boulder, Colorado in the fall. Those who wish to honor Charles may send a donation to the Native American Rights Fund ( www.narf.org ) or the Charles Wilkinson Memorial Fund at the University of Colorado Law School ( law.advancement@colorado.edu ).