Orin Lehman

Orin Allan Lehman (January 24, 1920 – February 22, 2008) was an American public servant who served as New York State’s longest-serving commissioner of New York State Office of Parks and Recreation.

Orin Lehman
BornJanuary 14, 1920
Manhattan, New York, US
DiedFebruary 22, 2008 (age 88)
Manhattan, New York, US
NationalityAmerican
EducationPrinceton University (B.A.)
New York University (M.A. and Ph.D.)
Known forCommissioner of New York State Office of Parks and Recreation
Spouse(s)
Jane Bagley
​
​
(m. after 1962, divorced)​

Wendy Vanderbilt
​
​
(m. 1970; div. 1995)​
Children3

Early life

Lehman was born to a Jewish family in Manhattan on January 24, 1920, the son of Evelyn (née Schiffer) (1893–1970) and Allan Lehman (1885–1952).[1] He was the great-grandson of Mayer Lehman and great-nephew of Herbert H. Lehman, former New York governor and United States senator.[1]

In 1942, he graduated with a B.A. from Princeton University.[1] In 1956, he earned a M.A. in American history from New York University and in 1961, he earned a Ph.D. in American history from New York University.[1]

Career

After college, he served as a pilot in the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II and was seriously injured during the Battle of the Bulge; he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Purple Heart.[1] After the war, he helped to establish (along with Eleanor Roosevelt and Bernard Baruch) to start Just One Break, a charity dedicated to helping disabled people find employment.[1] In 1947, Lehman worked as an associate for the family firm, Lehman Brothers.[1]

Political career

In 1950, President Harry S. Truman appointed him to the advisory board of the Economic Cooperation Administration which administered aid to Europe under the Marshall Plan and then served as United States delegate to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.[1]

In 1965, he unsuccessfully ran for New York City comptroller in 1965 and in 1966, he unsuccessfully ran for Congress.[1] In 1973, he was a member of the New York City Board of Corrections.[1] In 1975, Governor Hugh L. Carey appointed him as commissioner of New York State Office of Parks and Recreation succeeding Robert Moses where he served until 1993.[1]

Personal life

Lenman was married twice. His first marriage was on July 24, 1962 to Jane Bagley, a Carnegie-Mellon Institute graduate who was a granddaughter of R. J. Reynolds. They divorced and Jane remarried to yachtsman S. A. Long before her death in 1988.[2] Before their divorce, they were the parents of one daughter:

  • Susan Lehman Carmichael (born 1965), who married Trent Carmichael in 1992.[3]

In 1970, he married for the second time to Wendy Maria Vanderbilt (1939–2016), daughter of Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt Jr.[4] Before their divorce in 1995, they were the parents of two daughters:[1]

  • Brooke Lehman (born 1972)
  • Sage Lehman (born 1975), who married Christopher Ronis in 2009.[5]

He was in an eight year relationship with comedian Joan Rivers "until she caught him cheating, in 2001, and threw him out."[6][7][8]

In 1970, he tried his hand at producing the off-Broadway play The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds by Paul Zindel, which won the Pulitzer Prize for best drama.[9]

Lehman died on February 22, 2008 of pneumonia at his home in Manhattan.[1] His partner at the time was actress Monique Van Vooren.[1]

References
  1. Hevesi, Dennis (23 February 2008). "Orin Lehman, 88, Parks Steward, Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
  2. "Jane Lehman, 55; Active in Philanthropy". The New York Times. 21 April 1988. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
  3. "WEDDINGS; Susan Lehman, Trent Carmichael". The New York Times. 13 September 1992. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
  4. Edwards, Russell (25 October 1970). "Miss Wendy Vanderbilt Is Married to Orin Lehman". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
  5. "Sage Lehman, Christopher Ronis". The New York Times. 6 June 2009. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
  6. Teeman, Tim (4 September 2014). "Joan Rivers: Our Last Interview". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
  7. Van Meter, Jonathan (September 4, 2014). "Joan Rivers Always Knew She Was Funny". New York Magazine. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
  8. Smith, C. Brian (2020-09-30). "An Oral History of 'The New Hollywood Squares'". MEL. Retrieved 2020-10-05.
  9. Flatley, Guy (19 April 1970). "...And Gamma Rays Did Its!". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
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