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Bar News - January 17, 2003 In Memoriam - Orr, Shaheen DUDLEY ORR, 95, LAW FIRM FOUNDER Dudley W. Orr, who co-founded Orr & Reno, one of the state' largest law firms and was a leader in the philanthropic community, died Dec. 20, 2002, at Evergreen Woods, in North Branford, Conn. The 95-year-old Orr had moved to Connecticut about four years ago after living most of his life in Concord. A memorial service was to have been held Jan. 11 in Concord at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, followed by a reception at the Orr & Reno offices. The son of Benjamin and Carolyn (Dudley), Orr was born in Concord on June 9, 1907. He attended Phillips Exeter Academy and Dartmouth College, and graduated from Harvard Law School in 1933, and was admitted to the Bar that year. For the next few years, he worked in private practices and as an assistant attorney general and as a tax commissioner for the state of New Hampshire. During the years of World War II, he worked in the Office of Price Administration and was a lieutenant in the US Naval Reserve. In 1946, he opened his own firm with Robert Reno. The firm concentrated on corporate matters and personal planning-from managing assets and trusts to estate planning. Charles Leahy, who joined the firm in 1963, said Orr was drawn to working with institutions and organizations in helping society. In addition to service on numerous corporate boards, including the presidency of Concord Natural Gas Corp from 1953-1979, chairmanship of the United Life and Accident Insurance Company for nearly 20 years, and helping to found the Merrimack County Savings Bank, he took pride in helping to establish the New Hampshire Charitable Fund, was president of the NH Historical Society, and served on the Concord Planning Board for 30 years, among other involvements. He also was a devoted alumnus, serving on the boards for Dartmouth and Phillips Exeter Academy. A lifelong Republican, Orr never ran for office but he knew many politicians, and was especially close to former New York governor and presidential candidate Nelson Rockefeller of New York, and former US Sen. Norris Cotton of New Hampshire. As an attorney and mentor, Leahy said Orr was fond of aphorisms and a common-sense approach to managing clients' affairs. Leahy quotes the Orr & Reno current trust services brochure and chuckles that Orr's advice -"High returns means high risk," and other plain-spoken comments reflecting Orr's sensible philosophy- appear throughout. Orr, the father of two daughters (and the grandfather of four girls and great-grandfather of four girls) was an early proponent of equal rights for women, said Leahy. Leahy's wife, Susan, was one of the first female lawyers to be hired out of law school by a major New Hampshire law firm. She went on to become the first president of a major law firm in the state at Orr & Reno. "'Dud' believed that there was a lot of talent and imagination that was being overlooked in 50 percent of the population," said Leahy. During Orr's tenure as chair of the Dartmouth College board of trustees, the school decided to admit women. In a profile published last month in the Concord Monitor (Dec. 26, 2002), US Supreme Court Justice David Souter, who worked for Orr & Reno from 1966 to 1968, said he admired Orr for his clarity and "consummate sense of realism." "He was a man who, in my experience, never allowed his emotions to cloud his judgement in the service of prudence," Souter told the Monitor. He was also self-effacing, Leahy said. Having established a policy that any partner must cede their voting role at age 70, Orr continued to come to the office in his semi-retirement, providing a sympathetic ear and support while attending meetings and handling matters for some clients. "He would not presume to influence the firm at that point," Leahy said. "He would just come in and ask how you were doing and be there to listen." Margerie Orr Stein, Orr's eldest daughter, said Orr, in preparing for his own memorial service, chose hymns and music and specifically instructed that "no one was to stand up and give speeches about me." Stein said the family decided that rather than having no one say anything at all, his four granddaughters would provide some brief reminisces about family life with their grandfather. Survivors include his wife, Florence-Gene (Ward) Orr; two daughters, Marjorie Stein of Summit, NJ: and Carolyn Mattoon, of Lakeville, Conn.; four grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. A brother, John Orr, predeceased him. Memorial donations may be made to the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, 37 Pleasant St., Concord, 03301. Henry N. Shaheen, Dover Henry N. Shaheen, 79, of Oak Street in Dover, died Dec. 9, after a battle with lung cancer. Shaheen was Clerk of the Sullivan County Superior Court for more than 20 years until his retirement in 1988. He previously practiced law in Senatobia, Mississippi. Born in Dover on Oct. 15, 1923, the son of Chickory and Mary Frances Nasseur Shaheen, Shaheen attended Dover schools and the University of New Hampshire before earning his law degree from the University of Mississippi. A US Army veteran in World War II, he earned two Purple Hearts and later was a member of the Dover Post No. 8 of the American Legion. Shaheen is survived by a daughter, Mrs. Duncan (Judith Ann) Benney of Weimar, Calif.; four sons, Thomas H. Shaheen of Dover, Peter Edmund Shaheen of Dover, Joseph Michael Shaheen of Newport, Mich., and Mark D. Shaheen, of Dover; and 10 grandchildren. In memory of our colleagues Dudley W. Orr and Henry N. Shaheen, the New Hampshire Bar Association's Board of Governors has contributed to the New Hampshire Bar Foundation, 112 Pleasant Street, Concord, NH 03301.
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