In Remembrance of the Honorable Gerald E. Loehr

Floor Speech

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Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in remembrance of the Honorable Gerald E. Loehr, a public servant who served with distinction and dedicated his life to the pursuit of justice.

Hon. Gerald E. Loehr was born into a Yonkers family with a longstanding tradition of politics and public service on May 19, 1943. His great-grandfather, John J. Loehr, served as a Yonkers Alderman (Councilman); his grandfather, Joseph F. Loehr, was the Mayor of Yonkers from 1932 to 1939; his mother, Gertrude Sweetman, was a civil servant; and his father, John F. Loehr, was an attorney and an Administrative Law Judge. With passion and principle, he proudly followed the family tradition.

He graduated from Manhattan College in 1965 and Fordham Law School in 1969. He began his distinguished career as a New York City Assistant District Attorney under the legendary Frank Hogan from 1969 to 1973. He then moved into private practice at the firm of Nobile and Magarian from 1973 to 1975.

Returning to the public sector in Yonkers, Loehr served two terms as the Third Ward Councilman from 1975 to 1979 and one term as Mayor from 1979 to 1981. Upon leaving the Mayor's office, he returned to private practice as a founding partner of the law firm Ecker, Loehr, & Ecker, LLP, where he worked until 2004.

In 2005, he was elected as Judge in the Westchester County Court. In 2006, he was appointed as an Acting State Supreme Court Justice, and in 2012, he was elected to serve as a State Supreme Court Justice in the 9th Judicial District.

Loehr was a devoted husband and father, survived by his beloved wife, Susan Newman Loehr, also a public servant and retired Westchester County Commissioner of Jurors. He is also survived by his older brother, John Loehr, and six children from two marriages: Peter, Janine (Barbanell), Melissa, Jonathan (Newman), Cariana (Bulman), and Gerald E., II. He also leaves behind 15 grandchildren, who will miss him dearly.

Today, Yonkers, the State of New York and our Nation, have lost a dedicated protector of justice. It is my hope that his wife, children, and grandchildren can draw strength and comfort from his many contributions. I ask my colleagues to join me in paying homage to a lifetime of service and in remembering the Honorable Gerald E. Loehr.

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