photo Hamilton Jordan and Jimmy Carter
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, James P Lavin, age 83, of Ridgewood, NJ passed away peacefully on March 2, 2023. Surviving him are his daughter Jean (Ian Morgan), sons James and Thomas (Amanda). Proud grandfather of Liam and Henry. His sister Barbara Tomany survives him, as do nieces Karen and Jennifer, nephews Tommy, Marty, Matthew and Patrick. He is predeceased by his wife Bridget Lavin, sister Priscilla Heatherton, brother Tom Lavin, nephew Robert Heatherton and sister and brothers in laws Katherine Lavin, James Tomany and George Heatherton.
Jim Lavin attended Cardinal Hayes High School, and joined the Marines the first minute he could. He wanted adventure and adventure he got, travelling around the world – to Italy, and Lebanon, where he drove AmTracs. In Okinawa, where he picked up some sophisticated musical preferences – Edith Piaf and Fado music. If a contest were to be held for the messiest Marine alive, Jim would have won hands down. Much to the dismay of his family, those sloppy habits never changed.
His mind was not sloppy though. Determined and headstrong, he catapulted that drive into a successful career as a prosecutor. After attending Fordham Business School on the GI Bill, he worked several bank jobs. But after a chance viewing of “Anatomy of a Murder” he decided Criminal Law was his calling. He made his way through Fordham Law School, making Law Review. He worked at Curtis, Mallet-Prevost before heading to the revered Southern District of NY as Assistant US Attorney from 1972 to 1979.
He wrote and argued briefs on several high-profile cases and rose to become Chief of Narcotics. While Rudy Giuliani was his “trial buddy” and initially taught him the ropes in the courtroom, Jim and others made a name for themselves on their own. He was most proud of putting away Herbert Sperling, a notorious and vicious drug kingpin who attempted to assassinate the mastermind of the French Connection. Many early cases focused on the Mafia’s attempts to infiltrate the narcotics trade. After he departed the Southern District for private practice, he was appointed lead investigator on the notorious Hamilton Jordan / Studio 54 / narcotics case.
Hamilton Jordan was a prominent figure in American politics, serving as Jimmy Carter’s chief of staff from 1979 to 1980. In 1978, he was involved in a narcotics case that involved the famous nightclub Studio 54.In January 1978, Jordan and two other men were arrested outside Studio 54 in New York City and charged with possession of cocaine. Jordan maintained that he was innocent and had never used cocaine, but he pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of possession of marijuana. He was sentenced to a year’s probation and fined $500.The incident caused a scandal in Washington and damaged Jordan’s reputation. However, he remained in his position as chief of staff until the end of Carter’s presidency. Studio 54 was known for its hedonistic atmosphere and drug use, and its owners, Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager, were eventually convicted of tax evasion and served time in prison. The nightclub closed in 1980.
He was a voracious reader – often going through a book a day when he was on a reading jag. He read all the classics, loved history and would read any mystery or spy novel going. Jim enjoyed talking to his son-in-law Ian about every aspect of history. And was thrilled when his grandsons loved reading – buying them dozens of books one Christmas alone. He read so many books that he started coding them in the library – little dots, dashes and checks – at first to let him know he had read that book.
Wake and service were held Friday March 10 from 3-7 at Feeney’s Funeral Home, 232 Franklin Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ 07450. Burial private. In lieu of flowers, donations to Cardinal Hayes H.S. in The Bronx are welcome.
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This says he lived in Glen Rock for 30 years. ??
https://www.northjersey.com/obituaries/ber114551