Nahant, Mass.
Michael J Rauworth of Nahant died unexpectedly on December 6, 2023. Born in Chicago, Ill., he was the son of the late Samuel and Nancy (Hanna) Rauworth. He grew up in the Chicago area and lived in Nahant since 1986.
Michael was a graduate of the University of Chicago and the University of Virginia Law School. He worked as a lawyer in the Boston area for more than 30 years, most recently as a partner at Chartwell Law. His practice concentrated in maritime and admiralty matters.
Mike’s law practice was built on a lifelong association with seagoing pursuits. In nearly 30 years of service in the Coast Guard and Coast Guard Reserve, he rose to the rank of captain. He served in command of one U.S. Navy and five Coast Guard units. As a professional deck officer and master of over 20 commercial and military vessels, he sailed some 200,000 nautical miles. For many years, he taught about marine insurance at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.
Mike served on the Board of the American Sail Training Association/Tall Ships America for more than 20 years, and completed his service as President and Board Chair in 2021. He regularly published articles on maritime topics, including law and history.
Mike was active in civic and historic preservation affairs in Nahant for many years. He was a founding member of Nahant Preservation Trust and served as president for the first 17 years. Another long time interest was travel – especially by ship or BMW motorcycle.
He was the husband of Nancy Cantelmo, with whom he shared almost 40 years of marriage. They met in Greece while he was the chief officer of a four-masted square rigger.
In memory of Michael Rauworth, donations may be made to Tall Ships America, P.O.Box 1459, Newport, R.I., or to the Nahant Preservation Trust, P.O Box 30, Nahant, Mass.
