INDIANAPOLIS — Robert H. McKinney, the namesake of the Indiana University Indianapolis law school, has died at age 98.
Indiana University President Pamela Whitten announced McKinney’s death in a statement released Tuesday afternoon.
“Today, the Indiana University community mourns the passing of Bob McKinney, a distinguished alumnus and civic leader whose impact on our state and its legal landscape will be felt for generations,” Whitten wrote. “Bob’s extraordinary career as an attorney and philanthropist was marked by his unwavering dedication to justice and public service.
“His influence on the IU Robert H. McKinney School of Law exemplified his commitment to legal education and the betterment of our community. Over his remarkable 98 years, he not only shaped the lives of countless students but also left an indelible mark on the practice of law in Indiana. Beyond his professional achievements, Bob was a champion for civic engagement, advocating for initiatives that uplifted our communities and fostered social progress.”
According to a short biography IU published on McKinney, he was born in Indianapolis. He also served in the United States Navy, spending three years in the Pacific Theater during World War II.
McKinney earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy. He even earned a temporary appointment to General Douglas MacArthur’s staff.
After his time in military, McKinney returned to Indianapolis in 1949 to go to law school. He was then called upon by the U.S. Military to serve in the Korean War for two years.
McKinney obtained his law degree from Indiana University, and until his retirement in 2005, he was the CEO of First Indiana Corp. First Indiana Corp was the parent company of the business now known as BMO Harris Bank.
McKinney was also a founding partner of Bose McKinney and Evans LLP — a law firm that still operates in Indianapolis today.
During his lengthy and decorated career, McKinney was appointed chairman of the Federal Home Loan and Bank Board, the Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corp. and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp. by President Jimmy Carter.
McKinney was deeply entrenched in the IU community, participating in school functions in various capacities. He was a member of the IU Board of Trustees from 1989-98, and for one year during that tenure, McKinney was the board’s president.
The naming gift McKinney gave IUI’s law school also provided money for five endowed faculty chairs and set up an endowment fund for various McKinney family scholarships.
IU gave McKinney numerous honorary awards, including a Bicentennial medal in 2019 for his service on the university’s board of trustees and a Doctor of Humane Letters in 2018 for his achievement in arts and humanities.
Photos of Robert H. McKinney courtesy of Indiana University.
“As a husband, father, and grandfather, Bob’s humility, wisdom, sense of duty, and creed of doing well by doing good comforts us in our time of loss,” the McKinney family wrote in a prepared statement. “Above all his many other professional and public achievements, Bob always said that his family was his greatest accomplishment.
“In our time of loss, we are comforted in knowing that he felt this way — and that he shared this sentiment often, both privately and publicly. In the meantime, we ask for privacy as the family gathers to honor Robert H. McKinney.”
