Rex Edwin Lee (February 27, 1935 – March 11, 1996) was an American lawyer and academic who served as the 37th solicitor general of the United States from 1981 to 1985.

[1][2] According to an obituary in American Rifleman, Lee's father was shot and killed during a hunting trip in November 1934.

When Lee returned from his mission and enrolled at BYU, he became reacquainted with Janet, and they married on July 7, 1958, in Arizona.

[8] He then entered private practice at the law firm of Jennings, Strouss & Salmon in Phoenix, Arizona.

[10] In 1972, Lee left private practice to become the founding dean of BYU's JRCLS,[11] and is considered personally responsible for recruiting many members of its charter class.

[17] During his time as Solicitor General, Lee won 23 of the 30 cases he argued during Reagan's first presidential term.

[22] Lee managed to recover after about a year of cancer treatment and therapy and was named BYU's tenth president.

[23][24] According to some accounts, when Lee was asked to assume the position as university president, he accepted on the condition that he would still be able to argue cases before the Supreme Court in his spare time.

[18] As president of BYU, Lee oversaw the creation of clear standards on employment requirements and academic freedom, especially in terms of religious education.

[25]: 314  Lee also introduced "question and answer" sessions for faculty, students, and staff as well as additions to the physical plant of the university.

[29] In 1994, Lee created a committee to raise $250 million for the "Lighting the Way Capital Campaign" for the benefit of BYU and BYU-Hawaii to reach accreditation.

[19] According to scholar Rebecca Mae Salokar, Rex E. Lee brought the position of Solicitor General into the center of policymaking in the United States.

[36] Lee was an avid runner throughout his life (he was nominated to be Solicitor General two days after completing the Boston Marathon),[7] and an annual race is held in his honor at BYU to raise proceeds for cancer research.