Robert Hoerner ’53

Robert Hoerner ’53, who clerked for Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court Earl Warren, died Feb. 19, 2019, in Bay Village, Ohio. He was 87.

At Cornell College Hoerner participated in cross country and golf, and graduated Phi Beta Kappa. Following graduation he served in the U.S. Army in Japan where he became a crypto-operator and teletypist. He then attended the University of Michigan Law School, becoming editor-in-chief of the Michigan Law Review. After graduating in 1958 he served as law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren. In 1959 he became an associate with Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue in Cleveland, Ohio.

In 1963 Hoerner became chief of the evaluation section of the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division. In 1967 he became a partner with Jones Day, where his areas of practice included antitrust and intellectual property.

Among other activities, he was a trustee of the New Organization of Visual Arts (NOVA), a nonprofit promoting opportunities for Cleveland-area artists. He wrote and recited poetry and performed roles in Rocky River Senior Center productions. He also ran five marathons.

He is survived by his wife of 29 years, Mary Hoerner, a sister, four children, and three grandchildren.