In Memoriam
Jonathan H. Waxman
Jonathan Waxman died on August 15, 2023. Here are two remembrances:
Obituary
The Washington Post
August 19, 2023
Jonathan Waxman
1964 Yale graduation
Jonathan Waxman, 80, of Washington, DC died peacefully with his wife, Laura De Koven Waxman, at his side on Tuesday, August 15, 2023.
He leaves behind two children, Rachel Jennifer Waxman of Baltimore and Aaron Francis Waxman of Washington, DC; his daughter-in-law Sara Kemme; two grandchildren, Abigail Rose and Linden Tye; and his sister Elinor Waxman of Berkeley, CA.
Jon was born in Hartford, CT, graduated from Yale and Yale Law School, and worked for New Haven Legal Assistance for seven years before coming to Washington to work in the Solicitor's Office of the U.S. Department of Labor. He joined a private practice representing American Indian tribes for several years and returned to DOL for the rest of his career.
He was a loving husband, father, and grandfather.
A celebration of his life will be held in the fall. Donations may be made in his memory to Legal Aid DC.
Essay, 50th Reunion Class Book
by Jonathan Waxman
May 2014
I can’t say that my life has turned out as I envisioned it when I graduated, but then, perhaps planning to rule the universe was a bit overambitious. I have enjoyed the practice of law these last 46 years, have been blessed with a wonderful family, wife Laura and two great kids, and have lived comfortably.
As far as my law career goes, the best times were right after I graduated law school and went to work for the New Haven Legal Assistance Association. We were a bunch of young lawyers out to change the world and we succeeded to some extent. I was lucky to be involved in legal services work at a time when many of the restrictions which plague today’s legal services programs did not exist. We were also lucky to have been involved with the Yale Law School which, when restrictions began to appear, found us outside grant money to continue our work. So I was able to be involved in all kinds of interesting work, ranging from criminal work to class action litigation to lobbying to working with neighborhood organizations. The most important aspect of the work is that I got to work directly with clients who needed my help and whom I was able to help in many cases. That is, to me, the most gratifying thing about practicing law. All my best stories come from that period.
I remained at LAA for 7½ years and then, looking for a change of scene, joined the Department of Labor. I stayed there for about five years and then joined a firm with two of my DOL colleagues in which we represented Indian Tribes. That too involved the kind of direct client contact I most enjoy. Whether it says something about my aura or was an Indian joke, I was given a tribal name by three separate tribes in Oklahoma, Minnesota, and California. In each case the name translated as White Bear. I’ve had white hair since my early 30’s and I’ve always struggled with my weight so the association may have been fairly obvious.
Unfortunately, the firm failed and I found myself back at DOL 5 years later and there I remain.
I stayed in pretty regular contact with two of my college roommates; Doug Nohlgren until his untimely death, and Al Weed, C. Weed as he was then. Weed owns a small winery in Central Virginia and I have enjoyed working there on occasional weekends.
I think that my greatest achievement is that, doubtless through no great contribution on my part, I have sired two kids, Rachel and Aaron, who have grown into the kind of adults whom I admire and would like to call friends. Rachel works on maternal and child health programs in Francophone third world countries and Aaron is a Master Electrician at a local theater company.