William “Bill” Vickrey, a long-time administrator of California’s court system, died Tuesday in Utah after a lengthy illness, according to a statement released by the Judicial Council. He was 75.

For two decades, Vickrey led what was then known as the Administrative Office of the Courts, serving under three chief justices as California’s judicial branch moved from a system of 58 county-based trial courts to a more centralized operation under the Judicial Council.