College of Law mourns death of charter professor

The College of Law is mourning the loss of Francis X. Riley, one of its most renowned professors and advocates, who died Sept. 14 in Chicago. He was 93.

Riley devoted his life to the law and education. He was one of the law school’s original faculty members when it opened in 1975 at Lewis University in Glen Ellyn, Ill. He also played an integral role with the transfer of the law school to NIU in 1978. He taught full-time until 1983 and then part-time until 1987.

Highly respected among the student body, he received the NIU Law Faculty Member of the Year Award from the classes of 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983 and 1984. In 1998, the NIU Law Alumni Council named Riley an honorary alumnus.

After his retirement, Riley remained highly involved with NIU Law as an active member of its Board of Visitors, which he served on until recent years.

“Frank Riley’s passing is a tremendous loss to the NIU Law family and the legal profession as a whole,” College of Law Dean LeRoy Pernell said.

“His genuine love for the law and education was invigorating and we owe much of our development and success to Frank’s visions and passion. Even in his 90s, Frank remained a leading advocate of NIU Law, and we will always be grateful for his service and unwavering support,” Pernell said. “He will always be revered as an exemplary leader for all in the legal profession, and his contributions to NIU Law will never be forgotten.”

Renowned for his public service, Riley was instrumental in the development of the law school’s programs and curriculum that have lent to its reputation as a leader in producing graduates who go into public interest law. In 2001, he received the Laureate Award from the Academy of Illinois Lawyers.

In January 1993, NIU Law dedicated and renamed its moot courtroom the Francis X. Riley Courtroom. Since 1994, an annual lecture series named in Riley’s honor has brought distinguished speakers to campus to discuss ethical issues related to the legal profession.

10-2-06