Senate Resolution No. 852

BY: Senator GAUGHRAN

MOURNING the death of legendary former United
States Congressman Lester L. Wolff

WHEREAS, It is with profound sorrow and deep regret that this
Legislative Body, representing the people of the State of New York, is
moved this day to pay tribute to an eminent man of indomitable faith and
dedication whose public service and countless accomplishments will
forever stand as a paradigm and inspiration for others; and

WHEREAS, Lester L. Wolff, a former New York Congressman who
championed President Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society programs in the
1960s and America's fight against international drug trafficking in the
1970s, died on Tuesday, May 11, 2021, in Syosset, New York, at the age
of 102; and

WHEREAS, Lester L. Wolff was elected to the House of Representatives
in 1965, and served as a United States Congressman for 16 years, during
which time he co-sponsored the original Medicare law; carried a message
from China's paramount leader, Deng Xiaoping, to President Jimmy Carter
that led to full Sino-American diplomatic recognition in 1979; and
helped expose Indochina's so-called Golden Triangle as a major source of
heroin destined for the United States and its troops in Vietnam; and

WHEREAS, Lester Lionel Wolff was born in Manhattan on January 4,
1919, the only child of Samuel and Hannah (Bartman) Wolff; he grew up in
Washington Heights, in northern Manhattan, where he attended Public
School 189; and

WHEREAS, In a storybook childhood, Lester L. Wolff met Babe Ruth and
Lou Gehrig at Yankee Stadium and received a baseball for his bar mitzvah
signed by the 1932 Yankees, who won the American League pennant and
swept the Chicago Cubs in the World Series; and

WHEREAS, After graduating from George Washington High School in 1935
and New York University in 1939, Lester L. Wolff and the former Blanche
Silver were united in marriage in 1940; and

WHEREAS, Due to his asthma, Lester L. Wolff was ineligible for
service in World War II, but volunteered for the Civil Air Patrol; he
flew hundreds of missions over Atlantic coastal waters as a pilot and
observer on the lookout for German submarines and the wreckage and
survivors of allied ships torpedoed offshore; and

WHEREAS, As one of the wartime patrol's last survivors, Lester L.
Wolff received the nation's highest civilian honor, the Congressional
Gold Medal, on behalf of the organization in 2014; and

WHEREAS, Upon the completion of his military service, Lester L.
Wolff produced and moderated "Between the Lines," a local public-affairs
television program; he then began working in marketing and founded the
Coordinated Marketing Agency before beginning his illustrious career in
politics; and

WHEREAS, As one of his first acts in the House of Representatives,
Lester L. Wolff was a sponsor of the Medicare bill; he also voted for
such legislative cornerstones as Medicaid and the Voting Rights Act of
1965; and

WHEREAS, Furthermore, throughout eight terms in Congress, his
wide-ranging legislative agenda included bills to strengthen Social
Security, environmental protections, veterans' benefits, famine relief
and assistance for refugees; and

WHEREAS, Locally, this extraordinary congressman led the charge in
the 1960s to nix the building of a bridge planned to continue the
Seaford-Oyster Bay Expressway in Syosset north to connect with Route 106
through Muttontown, Upper Brookville and Oyster Bay; and

WHEREAS, During this time, Lester L. Wolff contacted the Department
of the Interior to survey the area, leading the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Department to declare the 3,209 acres of bay bottom, salt marsh and
small freshwater wetland the Oyster Bay National Wildlife Refuge and
crushing the plan for the bridge; and

WHEREAS, Lester L. Wolff introduced amendments to the White House
sponsored Foreign Assistance Act of 1969 which restored peace talks
between Israel and the Arab states; and

WHEREAS, An expert in Asian affairs, Lester L. Wolff served as the
chairman of the House International Relations Subcommittee on Asian and
Pacific Affairs where he led a Congressional delegation to meet with
Vice Premier Teng Hsiao-ping on July 9, 1978; and

WHEREAS, Lester L. Wolff co-wrote the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979,
which mandated American protections for Taiwan's security, economy and
other interests; signed into law by President Carter, it stabilized the
American position in Asia; and

WHEREAS, Predeceased by his wife, Lester L. Wolff is survived by his
son, Bruce; his daughter, Diane; four grandchildren; six
great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandchild; and

WHEREAS, Every citizen in New York State has most certainly
benefited, in one way or another, from the deep dedication, intelligence
and commitment that Lester L. Wolff brought to his work as an
influential congressman and public policy-maker; a loyal friend and
trusted advisor, he will be deeply missed and truly merits the grateful
tribute of this Legislative Body; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
mourn the death of Lester L. Wolff, and to express its deepest
condolences to his family; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to the family of Lester L. Wolff.