Douglas Benjamin Hester

Douglas Benjamin Hester, born on September 18th, 1927, in McKenzie Alabama, to the late Mack Ellis and Carrie Lottie Taylor Hester, died at Riderwood Village in Silver Spring, MD March 29th, 2018 following a lengthy battle with vascular dementia.

Mr. Hester is survived by his beloved wife of 58 years Melissa Hood Fuller Hester, his daughter Carlotta Marie Hester (Christopher Murray) of Washington DC and his son Benjamin Alexander Hester of Atlanta Georgia, as well as a niece Angela Montgomery and nephew Kirby Montgomery and several cousins.

Hester enrolled at the University of Alabama, but soon left to serve in the United States Army. Following his honorable discharge and return to university, he enrolled in the U.S. Naval Reserve and saw active duty during several summers. He received his Bachelor of Science in 1950 and his L. L. B. in 1952. At the university, he was a member of the Farah order of Jurisprudence, Pi Alpha Deltas, Omicron Delta Kappa, Sigma Delta Pi and was a Pi Kappa Pi. He was a member of the Alabama Bar Association, the District of Columbia Bar Association, and the Supreme Court Bar.

In February of 1952 Hester went to work in the United States Senate Legislative Counsel. In 1980, he rose to the position of Senate Legislative Counsel, the 11th lawyer to be appointed since the office was created in Congress in 1919. He retired in December of 1990 and moved to Montgomery Alabama. He and his wife moved to Riderwood Village in 2016. Hester was well known for his sense of humor and his story telling. His children are blessed and their lives are richer for hearing tales of growing up poor in the country, and of working hard to achieve a successful life as well as his stories of his years working with the Senate. He was a brilliant man, with a font of knowledge on many subjects. He spoke Spanish fluently, read German and studied Russian. He will be missed and fondly remembered.

A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday April 7, 2018 at 3:00 PM at the Riderwood Village Chapel 3140 Gracefield Rd. Silver Spring, MD 20904. Memorials may be made to the Montgomery AL Humane Society, 1150 John Overton Dr. Montgomery AL, 36110