Jon A. Baughman, 72, longtime Pepper Hamilton law partner

JON A. BAUGHMAN was an outstanding Philadelphia lawyer - but that's not all he was.

"He was a man of total integrity, who loved life, loved his family and loved his job," said his lawyer son, Michael E. Baughman.

His father was a man who delighted in feeding the homeless on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway with his church, playing tennis and nurturing seeds in his garden in Fort Washington to produce corn, tomatoes and peppers and flowering fruit trees.

But most of all, Jon Baughman, longtime partner at Pepper Hamilton LLP, was a family man.

"I keep hearing what a great lawyer he was," said his son. "But he was an even greater father."

Jon A. Baughman, a lawyer who handled many major civil cases in his 40 years with Pepper Hamilton and was cherished by fellow lawyers as a popular colleague with his friendly, upbeat personality, and an Army veteran of the Vietnam War, died Monday of complications of Alzheimer's disease. He was 72.

Jon Baughman was a man of such integrity and prestige that he was tapped in 1992 to chair the executive committee and lead Pepper Hamilton through a period of upheaval that resulted from the departure of the firm's former chairman, John G. Harkins, and several other lawyers.

"Under Mr. Baughman's leadership, the firm not only survived, but prospered, growing significantly in head count and revenue," Pepper Hamilton said in a statement.

"Mr. Baughman had a broad litigation practice, handling securities, antitrust and patent cases as well as complex disputes over real estate, construction and contracts," the firm said.

"He was renowned for his ability to reduce a case to its essentials and to avoid wasting time in protracted depositions if the testimony could be had in an hour or two."

"He loved working, he loved being a lawyer," said his son, also a Pepper Hamilton partner and longtime lawyer for the Daily News and Inquirer. "Since he died, I've been getting amazing messages from people about how much he meant to them."

In addition to serving on the firm's executive committee, Jon was chairman of the litigation department for many years, and later was chairman of Pepper's intellectual property practice group for several years.

Jon also was a mentor to young lawyers. At his retirement party, Barry M. Abelson, then chairman of the executive committee, remarked, "No partner ever created more future partners through working with him than Jon."

Barbara W. Mather, a Pepper Hamilton partner and longtime associate of Jon Baughman, said he was a "wonderful colleague, very unselfish, someone you could really rely on."

"He was a super trial lawyer. He represented a lot of major corporations in Pennsylvania in very serious cases."

Jon was active in the Upper Dublin Lutheran Church, serving as president of the church council. In addition to joining the mission of feeding the homeless in Philadelphia, he was available for almost anything the church needed doing.

Jon was born in Lemoyne, Cumberland County, Pa., and graduated from Cedar Cliff High School. In 10th grade, he met a cute girl named Barbara Ingram. They went through high school and Gettysburg College together. They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary last September.

Jon graduated from Gettysburg magna cum laude with a degree in mathematics in 1964. He went on to the University of Pennsylvania Law School, graduating magna cum laude in 1967. He was comment editor for the Law Review.

He went to work for Pepper Hamilton after graduation, but after a couple of years enlisted in the Army.

Jon served in Vietnam as a captain in the Advocate General's Office. He handled criminal cases involving Army personnel as both a prosecutor and a defense lawyer. It was his only experience with criminal law.

He returned to Pepper Hamilton in 1972, where he remained.

His wife is a retired chemist for McNeil Pharmaceutical.

Besides his wife and son, he is survived by another son, J. Steven Baughman, a partner in Ropes & Gray law firm in Washington, D.C.; a brother, James Baughman, and six grandchildren.

Services: Tuesday, 3 p.m. at Upper Dublin Lutheran Church, 411 Susquehanna Road, Ambler. Friends may call at 1 p.m. Burial will be private.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Alzheimer's Association Delaware Valley Chapter, 399 Market St., Philadelphia 19106, or Lutheran World Relief, 700 Light St., Baltimore Md., 21230.