John Reid Tait, local attorney, loving husband and father, died of causes related to a brain tumor on Wednesday, Feb. 1, in Lewiston. He was 65.
John was born April 17, 1946, in Toledo, Ohio, to Paul Reid and Lucy Richardson Rudderow Tait. His father was an engineer from Birkenhead, England, who sailed on the Cunard line and worked for the United Fruit Co. Paul came to the United States in 1929 and married Lucy in 1936. The couple moved to Toledo, where Paul worked for the Electric AutoLite spark plug manufacturer. Lucy was originally from Philadelphia and volunteered as altar guild treasurer for St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Toledo and later worked as secretary at St. John's Episcopal Church in Decatur, Ala.
John was a descendant of early colonial families who came to America in 1661 and included the wife of the first governor of Delaware and the wife of the second attorney general of the United States, serving in the cabinet of President George Washington.
As a child, John attended McKinley elementary school and DeVilbiss High School in Toledo. In high school he was a member of the science team, the junior council on world affairs, and a student council representative. He was an Eagle Scout and active at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Toledo.
John won a full scholarship to Columbia College, New York City (1964-1968). During a freshman mixer between his university and Vassar College in 1964, John met his future bride, Christina Bjornstad of Ann Arbor, Mich. They were married in 1972.
At Columbia, John served as the class treasurer and a reporter for WKCR radio station. As a reporter, he covered the United Nations and interviewed Martin Luther King Jr. John fondly remembered listening to Robert "Bobby" Kennedy speak at Columbia and shaking his hand in 1967.
After graduating from Columbia, John enlisted in the U.S. Army, graduating from Army Military Intelligence School in Fort Holabird, Md. During John's service he received a Top Secret Security Clearance and served as a Counterintelligence Special Agent.
Following his honorable discharge from the Army, John attended Vanderbilt University Law School, Nashville, Tenn. Upon graduating in 1974, John and Christina moved to Lewiston, where she set up a medical practice as one of the first women doctors in Idaho and John began his 35-year partnership with Paul Keeton in the law firm of Keeton and Tait. He was admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the U.S. District Court for Idaho, all Idaho state courts, and the Nez Perce and Coeur d'Alene tribal courts.
An expert in worker's compensation law, John was an enthusiastic and dedicated advocate for working people. In addition to the large number of worker's compensation cases, John's practice included personal injury, insurance, discrimination, real property, condemnation, business, contract and family law cases. He made it a point to represent people instead of big corporations. He was also a Special Deputy Attorney General for the Bureau of Child Support.
John achieved the rating of AV Preeminent. He was listed in Who's Who in American Law since 1985 and Who's Who in America since 1998.
John served as Clearwater Bar president, member and chairman of the Idaho State Bar Ethics Committee, and board member of the Worker's Compensation Section of the Idaho State Bar, serving as chair for 2004 and 2005. He served for many years on the Board of the Idaho Trial Lawyers and for 25 years on the State Board of Idaho Legal Aid Services. John received a special recognition in 1993 from Idaho Legal Aid.
John recently served on the Leadership Committees of the Idaho State Bar Idaho Partners Against Domestic Violence and the Idaho Pro Bono Commission. He also served on the Board of the Workers Injury Law and Advocacy Group. In 1998 he received the Pro Bono Award from the Idaho State Bar.
John was recently honored by the Worker's Compensation Section of the Idaho State Bar as the Idaho lawyer who best represents professional qualities in that specialized field of practice.
Over the course of his career, John argued a number of cases before the Idaho Supreme Court, including those involving landlord and tenant law, crop dusting, motor vehicle negligence, cattle grazing permits, debtor-creditor law and worker's compensation, including a case against Potlatch Corp. where his representation of his client was described as "vigorous" by the Court. He successfully established the case law assuring that health care providers are paid their usual and customary charges, in full, under the Industrial Commission regulations.
In 1994, John was nominated by President Bill Clinton and found qualified by the American Bar Association to serve as United States District Judge for Idaho, one of only 141 nominations sent to the U.S. Senate that year. His nomination was one of many that was blocked for political reasons.
John was a fixture in Idaho State Democratic politics. Although he was encouraged many times to run for public office, he felt more comfortable in the role of supporting others in their campaigns. He was instrumental in most statewide campaigns since the 1970s, particularly those of Sen. Frank Church, Gov. John Evans and Congressman Larry LaRocco. He served as treasurer for John Evans' United States Senate campaign and for U.S. Congressman Larry LaRocco's campaigns. He served on the Democratic Party's state Central Committee and provided never-ending help and guidance to local candidates in Nez Perce County. Not a Democratic caucus would go by without John presiding. John received the Democrat of the Year Award for Nez Perce County in 1991 and the Outstanding Idaho Democrat Award in 1995 from the state Democratic Party.
John enjoyed staying busy and working hard, especially to help others. He was devoted to improving the Lewiston community, offering time, support and leadership in many areas. He served on numerous regional, state and local boards, including the Northern Rockies Action Group from 1981-88, serving as their chair from 1984-86. He also served on the Lewiston Historic Preservation Commission, receiving the Outstanding Commissioner Award in 1992. John served on the St. Joseph Regional Medical Center Foundation, the Idaho Housing Agency, and most recently the Board of the Lewiston Independent Foundation for Education (LIFE). He was also an active member of the Episcopal Church of the Nativity.
For John, family and friends always came first. He loved organizing an annual backyard Easter egg hunt for the girls and their friends for several years, and participated as a chaperone on various field trips while Gretchen and Mary were involved in junior high and high school activities. Walking his girls down the aisle, Gretchen in 2009 and Mary in 2010, and the birth of his granddaughter Lucy this last December, were among the greatest joys of John's life.
He is survived by his wife, Christina Bjornstad; his brother, Paul Tait of Perrysburg, Ohio; his daughters and sons-in-law, Gretchen Bjornstad and Alastair Gemmell of London, England, and Mary Tait and Nathan Abraham of Silver Spring, Md.; and his granddaughter, Lucy Bjornstad, also of London, England.
If this obituary seems long - it is not nearly as long as the letters John would frequently write to opposing counsel explaining why his client should prevail based on the law and the facts of the case. John was ever the consummate communicator.
Family and friends will gather for a memorial service at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Episcopal Church of the Nativity in Lewiston. A reception in Somerville Hall at the church will follow at 3 p.m., where friends will be welcome to share their memories of John. A private family interment will also be conducted in Philadelphia at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that memorials be sent in John's name to the Lewiston Independent Foundation for Education (LIFE), www.life-inc.org, 3317 12th St., Lewiston ID, 83501, or to the Episcopal Church of the Nativity Memorial Fund, 731 Eighth St., Lewiston, ID 83501.
Vassar-Rawls funeral home is in charge of arrangements.
