"Davey"
David was born on 28 June 1952 in Hartford Connecticut to Rita Lafond Caron and Laurier Caron, immigrants from Coaticook, Quebec, Canada. Older brother, Ray, and older sister, Helen kept exuberant “Davey” in check. His father’s stroke, when Davey was twelve, gave him responsibilities and channelled his energies to academics. At J.C. Penney High School in East Hartford, Dave Caron was voted most studious, most likely to succeed and most mature.
Coast Guard
When David was asked “Why did you choose the Coast Guard Academy for college?” He replied: “I went for many reasons. During Vietnam, I had objections to the war but believed in service to my country I had both a desire for adventure and a love of the sea. In addition, I was drawn to the excellence and challenge of the academy.”
However, after being accepted to the Academy, he failed the physical! In order to be admitted he underwent jaw surgery - this required breaking his jaw and putting it back to a “proper” alignment. At the Academy he worked hard and was Commander of the Corps and graduated with High Honors in Physics and Political Science in 1974. In addition to working hard at his academics, he was a singer. As a second bass in the Academy Glee Club he sang at both the Memorial Service for President Harry S. Truman at the National Cathedral and at the second inauguration of President Richard M. Nixon at the White House.
David’s love of the sea and a desire for adventure led him to become a salvage diver. In the Coast Guard he served first in the Arctic as the Navigator and Salvage Diving Officer aboard the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star, and second in San Francisco as the Assistant Chief of the Marine Environmental Protection for California. While in the Bay Area he sang with the Oakland Symphony Orchestra.
When asked how the Academy and military experience prepared him for his civilian career, he replied: “The Academy focuses you and focuses one’s life. For many, there seems to be a waiting for some event to provide focus for this one life we have: the Academy awoke that in me. The Academy, and particularly the military, also teaches one to respect everyone and the part that everyone plays. The respect is a central part of a sense of shared community.”
Education
In 1979, after leaving the Coast Guard, David was a Fulbright Scholar to the United Kingdom attending the University of Wales and receiving a Masters’ degree in Marine Law and Policy. And he continued singing! Fortune would have it that the Cardiff Polyphonic Choir needed a second bass for one year.
Returning from Wales, David studied law at the University of California at Berkeley working for Professor Stefan A. Riesenfeld and graduating Order of the Coif, as Editor in Chief of Ecology Law Quarterly and as co-recipient of the Thelen Marrin Prize for outstanding student scholarship.
Following Berkeley, David served as legal assistant to Judges Richard M. Mosk and Charles N. Brower at the Iran-United States Claims Tribunal. While there, he began his associations with The Hague Academy of International Law, becoming the 25th American to receive its diploma, and with the University of Leiden, where he received his Doctorate in Law. He thereupon served as a Senior Research Fellow with the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Law.
Professor
David joined the law faculty of the University of California at Berkeley in 1987 and was named the C. William Maxeiner Distinguished Professor of Law in 1996. He served as Co-Director of the Law of the Sea Institute and Co-Director of the Miller Institute on Global Challenges and the Law. A prolific scholar, his writing and teaching addresses international law and organizations, with the corpus of work focusing on public and private international dispute resolution, international courts and tribunals, the United Nations, the law of the sea, international environmental law, climate change and, in general, the roots of international law.
A warm and generous peer and teacher, he participated fully in the Berkeley Law community. He dressed up and played Santa Claus at the annual holiday party and would sing at Am Jur shows where faculty performed alongside students. His singing of “Amazing Grades” and “Grade me Tender” would end in raucous applause and cheering.
When asked about being a professor, David's reply was “being a mentor to talented research assistants and students is amazingly satisfying and I hope successful. My students serve all over the world, in and out of government. They are simply wonderful people and I feel privileged to know them.”
However, after being accepted to the Academy, he failed the physical! In order to be admitted he underwent jaw surgery - this required breaking his jaw and putting it back to a “proper” alignment. At the Academy he worked hard and was Commander of the Corps and graduated with High Honors in Physics and Political Science in 1974. In addition to working hard at his academics, he was a singer. As a second bass in the Academy Glee Club he sang at both the Memorial Service for President Harry S. Truman at the National Cathedral and at the second inauguration of President Richard M. Nixon at the White House.
David’s love of the sea and a desire for adventure led him to become a salvage diver. In the Coast Guard he served first in the Arctic as the Navigator and Salvage Diving Officer aboard the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star, and second in San Francisco as the Assistant Chief of the Marine Environmental Protection for California. While in the Bay Area he sang with the Oakland Symphony Orchestra.
When asked how the Academy and military experience prepared him for his civilian career, he replied: “The Academy focuses you and focuses one’s life. For many, there seems to be a waiting for some event to provide focus for this one life we have: the Academy awoke that in me. The Academy, and particularly the military, also teaches one to respect everyone and the part that everyone plays. The respect is a central part of a sense of shared community.”
Dean
David was appointed Dean of the Dickson Poon School of Law King’s College London in 2013. “I am utterly delighted to be joining King’s College London and in particular its outstanding community of scholars and students.” While at King’s he led a worldwide recruitment campaign for eight new Distinguished Chair positions and a significant number of teaching and research positions, establishing the school as a global centre for legal research and education. And in London he sang: at the Christmas Party he serenaded students; in the office he and his assistant would break into song; and, thanks to an introduction by a generous alum, he sang with the Parliament Choir.
Service to Law
David’s commitment to the American Society of International Law (ASIL) was deep and broad. His membership started in 1979 and as a law student he served as President of the Association of Student International Law Societies and thus an ex officio member of the Executive Council. He returned to the ASIL Executive Council as an elected member in 1990, the same year that he won the American Journal of International Law’s Francis Deak Prize for best article by an author under 40. He served as a Vice President of the Society, and as a member of the Program Committee, Honors Committee, Executive Committee, and Nominating Committee. He was a member of the AJIL Board of Editors from 2008-2017, and an Honorary Editor from 1 April 2017. He participated in two interest groups, Disaster Law and International Environmental Law. From 2005-2007, he served as Vice President and was President of the Society in 2010-2012. During his presidency, he and his wife, Susan Spencer, moved to Washington and he made Tillar House his base of operations so that he could devote himself to the work of the Society. While President he undertook a strategic planning exercise and developed the concept of the Research Forum, both as a vehicle for geographic outreach for the Society, and to tap into new ideas and innovative scholarship.
David’s commitment to service was not limited to ASIL. He served as chair of the Institute of Transnational Arbitration from 2005-2009. And he was either chair of a committee or on the executive committee for numerous organizations including the American Association of Law Schools, the American Bar Association, the American Law Institute, the Hague Academy of International Law, the International Law Association, and the Institut de Droit International. In addition, he was chair of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on the International Legal System from 2010-2012.
Whether in Berkeley and Oakland, London, or The Hague, David and Susan loved bringing together and opening their homes to colleagues, friends, and former students.
Lawyer, Arbitrator, Judge
David was admitted to the California State Bar in 1983 and was called to the Bar of England and Wales in 2009. He was a Bencher of The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple and a Member of Chambers at 20 Essex Street. He served as an arbitrator in numerous international matters, including from 1996-2003 as Commissioner with the Precedent Panel (E2) of the U.N. Compensation Commission in Geneva resolving claims arising out of the 1990 Gulf War. He served as counsel for the Marshall Islands Nuclear Claims Tribunal and represented Ethiopia in front of the International Court of Justice. He served as an arbitrator in several North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) cases as well as for the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), the International Dispute Resolution Center (ICDR) and ad hoc United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) proceedings.
In 2015, he was appointed a member of the Iran - United States Claims Tribunal in The Hague. In addition, he served as Judge ad hocin Alleged Violations of Sovereign Rights and Maritime Spaces in the Caribbean Sea (Nicaragua v. Columbia) and Judge ad hoc in The Certain Assets Case (Iran v. the United States of America) at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague.
Family
David was a devoted, generous and sensitive father. From playing games in the swimming pool, to boogie boarding in the Pacific, to scuba diving in Bonaire, he shared his love of fun, the ocean and adventure with Peter and Marina. The three of them loved comic books, science fiction and fantasy, going to see the latest Marvel movie, or watching new episodes of Japanese animation ninja adventure series Naruto.
He shared his passion for travel with his children as well, one summer taking them on a road trip around Iceland while reading the Icelandic sagas together. These, and other unforgettable gifts, exemplify David’s dedication to instilling a sense of joy and curiosity, along with courage, in his children, representing the world as full of possibility, beautiful unknowns, and exciting challenges.
David and Susan’s marriage vows reflect their bond to one another, the partnership created, and the love displayed.“I promise to always build a temple from the lumber of our lives, to be truthful, trusting, and vulnerable.I pledge to take time for us to combobulate, to be strong when you lean into me, and to have the courage to lean into you.I vow to be your beacon -- calling, listening to, and encouraging your soul.I commit to life together for our time here and beyond.”