Historical records matching Allen Lesser
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About Allen Lesser
Allen Lesser, Editor, Biography Author, Javits Assistant, 86
New York Times Published: January 14, 1994
Allen Lesser, a writer, editor and former executive assistant to Senator Jacob K. Javits, Republican of New York, died yesterday en route to Curacao with his wife, Frances. He was 86.
As Senator Javits's executive assistant from 1960 to 1965, he played a major role in the drafting of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and of legislation that established Medicare and the National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities.
Mr. Lesser later served in the Office of Civil Rights and Office of Education in the Department of Health, Education and Welfare. He was one of the first Federal officials charged with supervising the desegregation of universities and public schools in the South.
In 1957, he was co-founder and first editor of The Near East Report, a weekly newsletter that is still published. He was also the managing editor of The Contemporary Jewish Record, a forerunner of Commentary. Biography Author
In 1933, he began a lifelong research project on the career of Adah Isaacs Menken, the 19th-century American actress. His biography of her in 1947 was an account of her achievements as an actress, dancer and belle of the Nevada territory and the American frontier.
Last year, he put together a series of eight sketches and satires by Mark Twain, consisting of columns written in 1864, when Twain was a reporter for The Territorial Enterprise of Virginia City, Nev. It was then that Samuel Clemens began to use the Twain nom de plume.
Mr. Lesser is survived by his wife, Frances, of Washington; two sons, Lawrence M., of Rockville, Md., and Howard M., of Bethesda, Md; a brother, Dr. Arthur J. Lesser of Washington, and four grandchildren.
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Allen Lesser's Timeline
| 1907 |
1907
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Brooklyn, NY, United States
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| 1994 |
January 12, 1994
Age 87
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Miami, FL, United States
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