Seymour P. Lachman

Seymour P. Lachman (December 12, 1933 – January 2, 2025) was an American academic, political historian, book author, and politician from New York.

Background Lachman was born in the Bronx on December 12, 1933, to a Jewish family who immigrated from Poland.

In 1961, Lachman married Susan Altman, with whom he had two children.

Career Lachman entered politics as a Democrat. He was a member of the New York City Board of Education from 1969 to 1974, and was President of the board from 1973 to 1974. He resigned from the board to spend more time teaching at City University of New York.

Lachman was a professor of History and Political Science at Kingsborough Community College of the City University of New York beginning in 1963, serving as Dean of the Mid-Brooklyn campus beginning in fall 1965. He was re-elected four times and remained in the State Senate until 2004, sitting in the 191st, 192nd, 193rd, 194th and 195th New York State Legislatures. He was Deputy Minority Whip from 2003 to 2004. He retired from the State Senate in 2004 and was replaced by Diane Savino.

Books Black/white/green/red: The Politics of Education in Ethnic America (1978) with David Bresnick and Murray Polner One Nation Under God: Religion in Contemporary American Society (1993) with Barry Kosmin Three Men in a Room: The Inside Story of Power and Betrayal in an American Statehouse (2006) with Newsday journalist Robert Polner The Man Who Saved New York: Hugh L. Carey and the Great Fiscal Crisis of 1975 (2011) co-authored by Robert Polner Mr. New York: Lew Rudin and His Love for the City (2014) Failed State: Dysfunction and Corruption in an American Statehouse (2017) with Newsday journalist Robert Polner