On the morning of May 3, 2020, the incandescent George Hamilton Hauck succumbed to a long, debilitating illness. His beloved daughter, Nona, was with him as he found peace.
Eldest child of a military family, son of RAdm. Hamilton O. and Patricia Hauck, George (who went by “Ham”) had moved all over the country, bringing his enormous zest for life to all the places he lived. His sense of humor, dry, witty and devilishly on point, enlivened any occasion, from simple family gathering to larger social event. He loved people, he loved entertaining people, he was magnetic, and his brilliant light was always on. He was just plain fun to be around.
Ham was comfortable in the academic world. An early, voracious reader with tons of energy and ideas, he had to be kept engaged. He was an excellent (sometimes mischievous) student. At Huntington High School, L.I. he joined everything he could possibly fit in a day; drama club, school plays (always the lead), school orchestra, marching band, swing band, rock band, sports, contributing writer to the school paper. His active approach to life and learning continued in both colleges he attended; Hamilton College, in Clinton, N.Y. and Occidental College, Pasadena, CA.
After graduation from Occidental in 1963, Ham joined the Navy and attended Officers’ Candidate School in Rhode Island. He served in active or reserve capacity until 1975, some of that time spent on the coast of Vietnam. Following his military service, he returned to Occidental College where he was the Assistant Director of Admissions. While there, he met and married Erika Maslan, a native of Austria. The couple moved to Berkeley, CA for Ham to enter UC Berkeley School of Law (Boalt) where he received his Juris doctor in 1971. He then had the opportunity to do post-doctoral studies in international and comparative law as a Giannini Fellow in Law at the University of Florence, Italy.
Upon returning to the Bay Area with a head full of legal information, a cool, continental appearance and a hot car, Ham took a position with McCutcheon, Doyle and Enerson until his love of teaching drew him back to Berkeley where he taught law and was the Executive Editor of the American Journal of Comparative Law. During this time, he helped craft the current treaty that resolved difficulties between Taiwan and China and co-authored a text on international law. In 1974 Ham began guest lecturing and teaching at various law schools, the last of which was at the University of Puget Sound. In 1990, Ham moved back to San Francisco to establish his own law practice and to be near his daughter, Nona. He maintained his practice until his retirement.
Ham’s passing leaves a hole in the hearts of the family and many, loyal friends who loved him. He is survived by his daughter, Antonia (Nona); her husband, Chris; and their children, Henri and Violette; his sister, Susanna Hauck Matthies and her husband, Paul; his brother, Stuart and wife Gayle; and his nieces and nephews, Kath, Beth, Phil and Alex.
Ham’s family wishes to express their heartfelt thanks to Irish Help at Home and Marin Post Acute for their attentive care of Ham in his final years.
