Congressman, Lynbrook Lawyer Norman F. Lent Dies at 81

Congressman Norman F. Lent (R-NY), who represented the South Shore of Nassau County for 22 years in the United States House of Representatives, died at his home on June 11. He was 81.

Elected to the House in 1970, when he defeated incumbent Rep. Allard K. Lowenstein (D-NY), Lent served in Congress from 1970 to 1992, winning by ever-increasing majorities. Upon his retirement, Lent was succeeded by Rep. Peter T. King, who continues to hold the seat. Prior to his tenure in Congress, Lent served five terms in the New York State Senate.

During a distinguished career in the House, serving during the administrations of five presidents — Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan and George H.W. Bush — Lent became the Ranking Republican on both the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and the House Committee on Merchant Marine & Fisheries.

Lent earned a reputation as a hard-working legislator who was deeply concerned about his constituents. He was highly regarded by colleagues for his ability to bring opposing factions together to produce workable compromises on important legislation.

Lent won bipartisan praise for his role in crafting some of the most sweeping environmental, energy, telecommunications and transportation legislation of the decade: the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, National Energy Policy Act of 1992, Cable Television Act, Legislation ending the 1992 National Rail Strike, Superfund Hazardous Waste Cleanup Act (CERCLA), Resource Conservation & Recovery Act (RCRA), Toxic Substances Control Act (TOSCA), the Conrail Privatization Act and the Inside Trading and Securities Fraud, Enforcement Act.

As the vice-chairman of the House Committee on Merchant Marine & Fisheries, Lent played a leading role in passage of legislation important to Long Island's coastal areas. He was a leader in the successful effort to enact the landmark law establishing a 200-mile limit law protecting American fishing rights, the Coastal Zone Management Act; Tanker Safety Act; and the Oil Pollution Compensation & Liability Act of 1990.

Lent also helped win enactment of the Ocean Dumping Ban Act of 1988 which mandated an end to the dumping of treated sewage sludge in the ocean by Dec. 31, 1991 and helped promote the use of environmentally safe sludge disposal alternatives.

A lifelong resident of Nassau County, Lent was born in Oceanside on March 23, 1931. He attended Long Island public schools in East Rockaway, Lynbrook and Malverne. He graduated from Malverne High School in 1948 and received his BA from Hofstra University in 1952. Lent attended Cornell University Law School under the GI bill.

Lent practiced law in Lynbrook from 1957-88. He was a partner in the Lynbrook law firm of Hill, Lent & Troescher during the period 1964-88. He was admitted to both the New York and Florida Bar, and was a member of the American, Florida and Nassau County Bar Associations.

Lent served as Associate Police Justice of East Rockaway (1959-62), confidential law secretary to former NY Supreme Court Justice Thomas P. Farley (1961-62) and as Counsel to the Lido-Point Lookout Fire District (1973-81). He was also admitted to practice in the US District Court for both the Eastern and Southern Districts of NY and to the US Supreme Court.

Lent served in the U.S. Navy during and immediately after the Korean War, achieving the rank of Lieutenant

Congressman Lent is survived by his wife, Barbara Morris Lent, and two children from a former marriage: Norman F. Lent Ill of Alexandria, Va. and Barbara Lent Roberts of Houston, Texas. A third child, Thomas B. Lent, died of a brain tumor in 2000. Lent had five grandchildren.

Funeral services were held in Alexandria and interment will be at Arlington National Cemetery.