Seymour P. Lachman, 91, a longtime faculty member, administrator, former New York state senator, and prolific writer about state politics, died Jan. 2.
Born in 1933 in Brooklyn, he earned a B.A. and M.A. from Brooklyn College and a Ph.D. from New York University, all in history. He taught history and political science at City University of New York starting in 1963, serving as dean of the Brooklyn campus as of 1965. He later taught at Adelphi University, and in 2008 became the founding director, later dean, of the Hugh L. Carey Institute for Government Reform at Wagner.
Dr. Lachman served on the New York City Board of Education from 1969 to 1974, including a term as president. In 1996 he was elected to the state Senate, and was re-elected four times; he was deputy minority whip during his final term.
He wrote several books about New York politics, including “Three Men in a Room: The Inside Story of Power and Betrayal in an American Statehouse,” “The Man Who Saved New York: Hugh Carey and the Great Fiscal Crisis of 1975,” “Mr. New York: Lew Rudin and His Love of the City,” and “Failed State: Dysfunction and Corruption in an American State House.”
In addition to his academic and political contributions, Dr. Lachman also formerly served as a member of Wagner College's Board of Trustees.
He is survived by his wife, Dr. Susan Lachman, and two children and their spouses, Rabbi Eliezer and Sarah Lachman and Sharon and Aaron Chesir.
