Robert Lesher
Early Life
Robert Fuller Lesher was born on December 9, 1899, in Manhattan, New York City, the son of Arthur Lawrence Lesher and Marion Alice Isaacs. He grew up in Rye, New York, at the family residence known as “The Cedars,” as part of a large and prominent family.
He was educated at the Hotchkiss School and later graduated from Harvard University, Class of 1922. During his youth, he lived at times in Connecticut, including Salisbury and Lakeville, reflecting both schooling and family movement.
World War I Service
Robert Fuller Lesher registered for the draft on September 12, 1918, while a student at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. His registration and Connecticut military census show that he was physically fit and capable in practical skills such as driving, handling boats, and mechanical work. There is no confirmed record of active military service, induction, or overseas deployment. His role remained that of a civilian registrant during the final months of World War I.
Life After Service
Following the war, Lesher entered the family business, Lesher, Whitman and Company, Inc., manufacturers of mohair fabrics established in 1882. After the death of his father in 1931, he became president of the company.
He married Elizabeth Gordon MacDonald on January 7, 1932, in Brooklyn, New York. The couple had one child and resided in Pelham Manor, New York, at 15 Oak Lane.
Lesher had spent most of his life in Rye before relocating after his marriage. He was affiliated with the North Baptist Church of Port Chester and was a member of the Apawamis Club, the Harvard Club of New York, and the Manursing Island Club.
Robert Fuller Lesher died on July 25, 1932, at Methodist Episcopal Hospital in Brooklyn, New York, after a short illness.
He was survived by his wife, Elizabeth Gordon MacDonald Lesher; his mother, Marion Alice Isaacs Lesher; his child, Robert Lesher; his sisters, Theresa Sniffen Lesher, Margaret Esther Lesher, Constance Amelia Lesher, Emilie Theresa Lesher, and additional siblings noted in family records; and his brothers, including Stephen Rosson Lesher.