Lester Samuel Hyman

Lester S. Hyman, a distinguished American attorney, political advisor, and ardent supporter of the arts, passed away on May 9, 2025, in Washington, D.C. He was a dedicated public servant, mentor, and community leader whose career spanned decades of legal excellence and political engagement.

Born in Providence, Rhode Island, on July 14, 1931, Lester displayed from an early age a vibrant intellect and insatiable curiosity about world affairs, politics, and the arts - interests that would carry him far beyond the boundaries of his hometown. Influenced by the fireside chats of President Franklin Roosevelt, he envisioned a life of engagement and service.

As a young man, Lester became a cub reporter for The Brown Daily Herald, covering many events of historic significance. Notably, at just 18 years old, he persuaded the editors and faculty to send him to Washington, D.C., to cover a ceremony in the Oval Office where President Harry Truman signed a proclamation declaring the North Atlantic Treaty in effect. This experience ignited a lifelong passion for history’s great events and figures.

Lester graduated from Brown University in 1952 and earned his law degree from Columbia University School of Law in 1955. His passion for the arts, nurtured in Providence where his mother was a gifted pianist and his uncle owned a movie theater that allowed him free access to classic films, blossomed further during his time at Columbia. There, he frequented Harlem’s Apollo Theater, immersing himself in the era’s great music. Though he dabbled in playing the clarinet, inspired by Benny Goodman, and participated in community theater, his children would attest that his greatest accomplishments lay in being a devoted patron of music and theater. He forged lifelong friendships with renowned artists who were kindred spirits drawn to his genuine joy and wonder for human creativity.

Despite his deep love for the arts, a career in law and politics called. After honorable service in the U.S. Navy, Lester began his legal career as an attorney in the Corporate Finance Division of the Securities and Exchange Commission. He then moved to Massachusetts, where he quickly became active in Democratic politics. A protégé of John F. Kennedy, Lester was closely connected to the Kennedy family and played a pivotal role in Massachusetts political life. He served as chief assistant to Governor Endicott Peabody, Secretary of Commerce and Development for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and chairman of the Massachusetts Democratic Party in the late 1960s. The politics of Massachusetts in the 1960s was littered with colorful personalities and lofty aspirations, and Lester reveled in all of it.

With his term as Chairman completed, in 1969, Lester relocated his young family to Washington, D.C., joining the law firm Leva, Hawes, Symington, Martin and Oppenheimer. He later co-founded the prominent law firm Swidler Berlin, continuing his legal and political work with integrity and dedication. Beyond his law practice, whether helping to launch the non-partisan Center for National Policy, monitoring elections in Haiti, serving on the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial Commission, or vetting candidates for key cabinet posts in the Clinton administration, Lester embraced the life of an engaged citizen.

Lester also maintained a deep affinity for the British Virgin Islands, where he built a home on Tortola in 1987. For more than three decades he championed the territory’s interests in Washington D.C., particularly on issues of travel, finance, and education. He was a committed board member of the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College and the National Parks Trust in the BVI, significantly contributing to the community’s development.

He is survived by his three children, David (and Alison), Andrew and Elizabeth (and David), who cherished his “rose-colored” optimism and love. Lester Hyman’s life was marked by an unwavering commitment to justice, community, family, and friendship. A man of taste, civility, and compassion, he will be deeply missed.

In lieu of flowers please consider giving a gift in his name to the ACLU Foundation or the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.