Norman Frederick Lent | |
|---|---|
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromNew York | |
| In office January 3, 1971 – January 3, 1993 | |
| Preceded by | Allard K. Lowenstein |
| Succeeded by | David A. Levy |
| Constituency | 5th district (1971–1973) 4th district (1973–1993) |
| Member of theNew York State Senate | |
| In office January 1, 1963 – December 31, 1970 | |
| Preceded by | Daniel G. Albert |
| Succeeded by | Norman J. Levy |
| Constituency | 2nd district (1963–1965) 6th district (1966) 7th district (1967–1970) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1931-03-23)March 23, 1931 Oceanside, New York, U.S. |
| Died | June 11, 2012(2012-06-11) (aged 81) Arlington, Virginia, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Barbara Morris Lent |
| Residence(s) | Arlington, Virginia West Palm Beach, Florida |
| Alma mater | Hofstra University Cornell Law School |
| Occupation | Attorney |
Norman Frederick Lent (March 23, 1931 – June 11, 2012) was an American politician fromNew York. Under both theRepublican andConservative Party banners, he served in theNew York State Senate from 1963 to 1970 and in theUnited States House of Representatives from 1971 to 1993.
Lent was born inOceanside,Nassau County, New York. He graduated fromMalverne High School in 1948, fromHofstra University in 1952, and fromCornell Law School in 1957. Lent served as a code breaker in theU.S. Navy from 1952 to 1954, during and immediately after theKorean War[1]
Following his military service, Lent worked as alawyer in private practice inLynbrook, New York, beginning in 1957, and served as an Associate Police Justice inEast Rockaway from 1959 to 1960. He then worked as Confidential Law Secretary forNew York Supreme Court Justice Thomas P. Farley from 1960 to 1962.
Lent was a member of theNew York State Senate from 1963 to 1970, sitting in the174th,175th,176th,177th and178th New York State Legislatures.
As a State Senator, he opposed the integration of the elementary schools in Malverne, which the state's education commissioner ordered in 1963.[2] After theUnited States Supreme Court upheld the order, Lent introduced an anti-busing bill in the State Senate that was ultimately signed into law but found unconstitutional by a federal court.[3] Lent stated that he opposed the order because the integration could undermine neighborhood schools.[2]
Lent supported efforts to expand the grounds under which women could have legalabortions in New York.[2] He headed both the Joint Committee on Public Health as well as the Senate Health Committee and pushed for a limited expansion of the law in order to reduce the number of illegal abortions taking place. The joint committee recommended expanding the legal grounds to include forciblerape,incest, substantial risk to the physical or mental health of the mother, unmarried mothers under 16 years, “gross abnormalities” of the fetus, and mental incompetence or physical disability of the mother.[4]
Lent was elected as a Republican to the92nd,93rd,94th,95th,96th,97th,98th,99th,100th,101st and102nd United States Congresses, holding office from January 3, 1971, to January 3, 1993.
He was a delegate or alternate delegate to the1972,1976,1980,1984 and1992 Republican National Conventions.
Lent entered Congress by defeating an incumbent, the controversial Democratic representativeAllard K. Lowenstein, by 9,300 votes in a hotly contested election in a newly drawn, largely Republican district. One of his campaign slogans was the play on words, "Let's vote out Lowenstein for Lent."Long Island's generally liberalFive Towns region had recently been removed from the district, and the far more conservative Massapequa added, during Congressional redistricting by the Republican-controlled State legislature.
The election was viewed nationwide as a referendum onPresidentRichard Nixon's conduct of theVietnam War. Lent supported Nixon's policy of gradually withdrawing American Forces from Vietnam while turning the fighting over to theSouth Vietnamese Army.
As a U.S. Representative, Lent was endorsed several times by Long Island's largest newspaper,Newsday, whose editors called Lent a "key player in environmental and energy legislation". He was most active as a member of theHouse Committee on Energy and Commerce and of theHouse Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, ultimately becoming theranking minority member of both committees. He became ranking member of the Energy and Commerce committee after incumbent ranking member,Jim Broyhill, was appointed as a United States Senator in 1986.[5]
Lent worked on drafting and handled floor debate for the Republican minority on some of the most sweeping environmental, energy, telecommunications and transportation legislation enacted during his tenure. These included theClean Air Act Amendments of 1990, National Energy Policy Act of 1992, Cable Television Act, Legislation ending the 1992 National Rail Strike, theSuperfund Act (CERCLA), Resource Conservation & Recovery Act (RCRA), Toxic Substances Control Act (TOSCA), the Conrail Privatization Act, and the Insider Trading and Securities Fraud, Enforcement Act.
Lent held Honorary Doctor of Laws Degrees from Hofstra University (1988) andMolloy College (1985) and was the recipient of the Prime Minister's Medal, State of Israel (1977), Distinguished Achievement Medal, Holland Society of New York (1987) and the George Estabrook achievement Award, Hofstra University (1967), along with many other awards.
Lent died on June 11, 2012, at his home inArlington, Virginia, ofcancer.[6]
| New York State Senate | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theNew York State Senate from the2nd district 1963–1965 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of theNew York State Senate from the6th district 1966 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of theNew York State Senate from the7th district 1967–1970 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromNew York's 5th congressional district 1971–1973 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromNew York's 4th congressional district 1973–1993 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Ranking Member of theHouse Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee 1984–1986 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Ranking Member of theHouse Energy and Commerce Committee 1986–1993 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
