Hon. Seymour Boyers

Judge Seymour Boyers led a distinguished and impactful life devoted to the service of others and to advancing the cause of justice. He was known throughout the legal community of this City not only for his fine mind but also for his unwavering honesty and his constant kindness.

His was a life in positive perpetual motion. He was a prominent trial lawyer, an author, a legal educator, a justice of the Appellate Division Second Department, a City Councilman and a Councilman-at-Large for Queens County, New York. As a young law maker, he marched with Martin Luther King and fought for Civil Rights. He was also the principal sponsor and was, by many, considered the “father” of the Landmarks Preservation bill that protects and preserves beautiful historical buildings throughout the City of New York. He was a long time partner at the law firm of Gair, Gair, Conason, Rubinowitz, Bloom, Hershenhorn, Steigman & Mackauf and, following his appointment by the Chief Judge of the State’s highest court, recently served as Chair of the Second Judicial Department Screening Commission. He further served as a member of the Special Commission on the Future of the Courts. Judge Boyers was also one of the founders and served as the first Chairman of the Board of Visitors of the CUNY Law School, a position that he held from 1983 to 2002. On April 16, 2015, he received an honorary degree and the Dean’s Public Spirit Award. The Judge was especially proud of helping to shape, in CUNY Law, an enduring institution devoted, like Sy Boyers himself, to law in the service of the public interest.

Sy was a lifetime New Yorker. He was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1926. He played baseball and football for Tilden High School before playing quarterback and halfback at Syracuse. He was a graduate of the New York University Law School before going on to an illustrious career.

He died in New York City on January 7, 2019 but will always be revered and remembered by his many devoted friends and his loving family. He is survived by his wife Joan and his children, Risa, Robbin, Robert and Richard and by his eleven grandchildren who will all deeply miss their doting “Pa.” His legacy is one of boundless love.