Kenneth Edward Brooten Jr., 77, of Blue Ridge, went to be with his Heavenly Father at Trellis Supportive Care, Kate B. Reynolds Hospice Home, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina Friday, January 17, 2020, from pancreatic cancer.
He was born in Kirkland, Washington, to Kenneth E. Brooten Sr. and Sadie (Née Assad). His relatives emigrated from Lebanon, homesteading in Fourth of July Canyon in northern Idaho. He grew up on the family farm in Cougar Gulch, south of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. In 1960, he graduated from IHM Academy. He served his country in the U.S. Coast Guard, receiving an honorable discharge in 1968 after eight years in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve.
His career with the U.S. Congress began in 1962 with the 87th Congress. From 1962 to 1967 he worked on Capitol Hill serving as special aide, special assistant and special legislative assistant to several representatives including, U.S. Rep. Henry B. Gonzalez of Texas.
In 1967, he became a hospital administrator for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Gainesville, Florida, while attending the University of Florida, where he earned a bachelor’s in journalism in 1970, and master’s in journalism and international law in 1972, earning highest honors with both degrees. In 1972, he briefly attended the University of Idaho’s College of Law in Moscow, Idaho, before graduating from the University of Florida’s College of Law, earning his Juris Doctor in 1975 and diplomas in international law and trade in 1974 from Trinity College, The University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England and the Institute of Legal Sciences, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland.
He was accepted to The Florida Bar and District of Columbia Bar, with practices in Washington D.C., Gainesville, Florida, and Winter Park, Florida. He was among Martindale-Hubbell Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers in the World from 1995 to 2015 with a Martindale-Hubbell “AV Pre-eminent” national rating since 1984. During his 42-plus years as a national and international trial lawyer, he argued appellate cases before the United States Circuit Courts of Appeals for the fifth and eleventh Circuits, before the Supreme Court of Florida, and before the First, Fourth and Fifth District Courts of Appeal of Florida. He tried to verdict of a jury hundreds of cases in state and federal courts.
In 1976, he was appointed to the U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee on Assassinations where he served as special counsel, acting chief counsel, director and chief counsel. He was chief legislative counsel for House Resolution 222 which authorized its investigations into the facts and circumstances surrounding the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He was sole trial counsel in the U.S. for Her Majesty’s Government of the United Kingdom in 1990.
A prolific writer, he penned over 300 articles on legal medicine and international law. He co-wrote the story and teleplay, “Under the Knife,” for CBS’ Simon & Simon in 1987. He authored: “The Grand Jury” in 1984, and “Malpractice: A Guide to Avoidance and Treatment” in 1987. He was senior medical-legal commentator for Medical News Network from 1993 to 1994.
He semi-retired, enjoyed pro-bono work, with his loving wife, Judy, to Bascom, Florida, and Blue Ridge. A devoted husband, father and grandfather, he was a member of St. Luke’s Church (Anglican) in Blue Ridge.
He is survived by his wife of 18 years, Judy (Née Robinette); son, Dr. Justin (Amy) of Winston-Salem, North Carolina; daughter, Michelle (Scott) of Valdosta, Georgia; grandchildren, Grace, Grant, James and Emma; sister, Barbara (Tom) of Piedmont, California; niece, Anne (Jeannie) of Alameda, California; sister, Bernadette of Cambridge, Massachusetts; brother, Kent (Kristin) of Kent, Washington niece, Crystal of Tacoma, Washington; niece, Lacey (Vince) of Seattle, Washington; nephew, Seth of Burien, Washington; and grand-nephews and nieces, Tommy, Margaret, Vivienne and Archer. He was preceded in death by his father and mother.
A memorial service celebrating the life and faith of Kenneth E. Brooten Jr. will be held Saturday, February 15, 2020, at 11 a.m. at St. Luke’s Church (Anglican), Blue Ridge. In August, family and lifelong friends from IHM Academy will be hosting a celebration of his life in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial donations may be made in his honor to Trellis Supportive Care (www.trellissupport.org) of Winston-Salem, North Carolina.