Arthur L. Lesher. Jr.
Early Life
Arthur Lawrence Lesher Jr. was born on December 16, 1891, in Manhattan, New York City, the son of Arthur Lawrence Lesher and Marion Alice Isaacs. He spent much of his youth in Rye, New York, residing at “The Cedars,” a prominent family residence, and was part of a large and well-documented family.
He grew up with several siblings: Theresa Sniffen Lesher, Stephen Rosson Lesher, Robert Fuller Lesher, Margaret Esther Lesher, Constance Amelia Lesher, and Emilie Theresa Lesher. He received a formal education, reportedly earning a degree, and was known to have musical ability, including playing the violin as a child.
Family accounts describe him as a complex and unconventional individual—often well dressed and articulate, yet living an irregular lifestyle, sometimes appearing and disappearing for periods of time. He was known to work intermittently in roles such as orderly, caretaker, and clerk.
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World War I Service
Arthur L. Lesher Jr. enlisted in the U.S. Navy on April 4, 1917, in New York City. He served in the United States Naval Reserve Force as a Seaman and later as a Seaman Second Class.
He initially served at the Brooklyn Navy Yard and trained at the Naval Training Station, Newport, Rhode Island. He was later assigned to the battleship USS South Carolina, where he served from December 7, 1917, through November 11, 1918.
The USS South Carolina was used primarily for training, coastal defense, and support operations during World War I, contributing to naval readiness and preparation of sailors.
He remained in naval service until his honorable discharge on July 3, 1919.
Life After Service
Following his military service, Lesher lived in New York City, Rye, Port Chester, and later the Bronx, with records documenting residences across multiple decades. He continued to work intermittently in clerical and caretaker positions.
Census and directory records show that by the 1920s he was living in Manhattan, later returning to Rye and Port Chester, and by the 1940s residing in the Bronx, where he was employed by the Veterans Administration.
Throughout his life, he experienced significant family losses, including the deaths of his father Arthur Lawrence Lesher in 1931, his brother Robert Fuller Lesher in 1932, his brother Stephen Rosson Lesher in 1939, his mother Marion Alice Isaacs Lesher in 1946, his brother William Montgomery Lesher in 1951, and his sister Marion Lesher in 1953.
He never married and had no known children.
Arthur Lawrence Lesher Jr. died on September 21, 1963, in Jamaica, Queens, New York, at the age of 71.
He was part of a large immediate family including his parents, Arthur Lawrence Lesher and Marion Alice Isaacs Lesher, and his siblings Theresa Sniffen Lesher, Stephen Rosson Lesher, Robert Fuller Lesher, Margaret Esther Lesher, Constance Amelia Lesher, and Emilie Theresa Lesher.