ITHACA, N.Y. -- The death of Sol M. Linowitz, the international lawyer and diplomat who served as President Jimmy Carter's ambassador-at-large, negotiating the Panama Canal treaties and Middle East peace agreements, is being met with sadness on the Cornell University campus.

Linowitz died March 18 at his home in Washington, D.C. He was 91.

President Jeffrey S. Lehman says, "Sol Linowitz exemplified humanity's -- and Cornell's -- noblest ideals in his service to the legal profession, his country and the global community. He was tireless in his advocacy of using America's scientific expertise, technology and resources to improve the lives of the world's impoverished peoples. He sought to make peace in the world's most troubled region. He was a loyal friend to Cornell, and the university benefited greatly from his wisdom and long service."

Lehman adds: "Sol's many friends at Cornell mourn his passing. We extend our deepest sympathies to his wife, Toni, his daughters and grandchildren, and his many longtime friends at this sad time. We all take comfort in knowing that the seeds that Sol Linowitz planted, in international diplomacy, in government and the legal profession, in global executive service and at Cornell will leave a long-lasting legacy."

Stewart J. Schwab, the Allan R. Tessler Dean and professor of law at Cornell, says: "Mr. Linowitz was one of our most illustrious graduates, who combined legal practice, business leadership and public service at the highest levels. He served with distinction on the Cornell Law School Advisory Council. He will be missed."

Linowitz, who graduated at the top of his class from Cornell Law School in 1938, was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom -- the nation's highest civilian honor -- by President Bill Clinton in a White House ceremony Jan. 15, 1998. Along with David Rockefeller (who also received a medal), Linowitz was a founder and former chair of the International Executive Service Corps, avolunteer program that sends U.S. executives to provide managerial and technical expertise to developing countries.

In 1992 Linowitz was honored by the Cornell Board of Trustees and Cornell Club of Washington, D.C., at a special gala at the Corcoran Gallery of Art. President Emeritus Frank H.T. Rhodes said at that event, "Sol Linowitz is a loyal and devoted friend of Cornell University whose leadership, integrity and genuine concern for humankind have touched the lives of people around the world."

Linowitz's notable record of public service included: U.S. ambassador to the Organization of American States (1966-1969), co-negotiator of the Panama Canal treaties, and President Carter's ambassador-at-large for Middle East negotiations (1979-1981). During his career, he was a highly successful businessman and lawyer, having served as chairman and general counsel of Xerox Corp.; a director of Time Inc., Pan Am and the Mutual Life Insurance Co. of New York; and partner and senior counsel with the international law firm of Coudert Brothers.

Linowitz's service to Cornell spanned more than three decades. He was appointed to the Cornell Board of Trustees in 1966 by Gov. Nelson Rockefeller and remained on the board until 1995, when he was named a trustee emeritus. He was a Presidential Councillor, and served on various trustee committees, including the Committee on Board Membership and the Committee on Academic Affairs and Campus Life. In addition, he was a member of the university's Campaign Advisory Council, Major Gifts Committee and the University Council.

Linowitz also was an emeritus member of the Law School Advisory Council, a former member of the Law School Campaign Steering Committee and past president of the Law Association. He delivered one of Cornell's most prestigious lectures, the Spencer T. and Ann W. Olin Address, at Reunion in June 1991.

Linowitz's affiliation with Cornell also extends to his family: His wife, Evelyn "Toni" Zimmerman, and two of his four daughters, Anne Mozersky and Ronni Jolles, all received their undergraduate degrees at Cornell.

The son of Russian immigrants, Linowitz helped pay for his schooling by teaching violin; he also played with the Utica Symphony and with a dance band during summers. At Cornell, he served as editor of the Cornell Law Quarterly and was elected to the Order of the Coif, a national legal honorary society. He earned his undergraduate degree at Hamilton College, graduating Phi Beta Kappa.

Linowitz published two books, The Betrayed Profession , a critique of the legal profession, in 1994, and The Making of a Public Man, A Memoir , in 1985.

In a 1990s article, "Reflections on American Freedom," Linowitz wrote about America's promise of freedom and how the United States could fulfill its promise to bring equality to every person in this country and to spread the ideals of freedom and democracy around the globe: "We will only do it by tapping the deepest within us as people, by dedicating ourselves to the fulfillment of our mission as a beacon of hope for ourselves and for the other human beings of this earth, by remembering the words from Terence carved in the wall of Willard Straight Hall: Humani nihil a me alienarum puto -- 'I think nothing human is foreign unto me.'"