LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION celebrating the life and accomplishments of Henry
L. Diamond, the first Commissioner of the New York State Department of
Environmental Conservation

WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is moved to publicly mourn the death of
those prominent citizens whose lifework and purposeful endeavors have
served to enrich and enhance the quality and character of life for
others in their community and the great State of New York; and
WHEREAS, It is with feelings of deepest regret that this Legislative
Body records the passing of Henry Diamond, a preeminent citizen whose
distinguished public service and caring commitment will long serve as a
standard to which others might aspire; and
WHEREAS, Henry L. Diamond died on Sunday, February 21, 2016, at the
age of 83; and
WHEREAS, Henry Louis Diamond was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on
May 24, 1932, to Louis Diamond and the former Esther Deich; he was proud
of his immigrant parents, and appreciated the values they instilled in
him as a child; and
WHEREAS, In 1950, Henry L. Diamond graduated from The McCallie School;
four years later, he earned his bachelor's degree from Vanderbilt
University; and
WHEREAS, After graduation, Henry L. Diamond proudly served his country
as a member of the United States Army in Germany; for his meritorious
service, he was the recipient of the Freedoms Foundation Award; and
WHEREAS, After his discharge, Henry L. Diamond furthered his education
by obtaining his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center; in
1961, he joyfully married the former Elizabeth "Betty" Tatum; and
WHEREAS, Henry L. Diamond began his illustrious ecological career
working with environmental activist Laurence Rockefeller serving on
President John F. Kennedy's Outdoor Recreation Resources Review Commis-
sion; the Commission's 1962 report, OUTDOOR RECREATION FOR AMERICA, led
to the creation of the Land and Water Conservation Fund, the Wilderness
Act, and a national system of wild and scenic rivers; and
WHEREAS, During the 1960s, several events occurred which raised the
public awareness of the potential harm to the environment caused by man;
by 1970, the environmental movement gathered steam prompting activists
to declare April 22 as Earth Day and to promote it as a day of national
consciousness-raising about environmental threats; and
WHEREAS, At this auspicious event, Governor Nelson Rockefeller
appointed Henry L. Diamond as the first Commissioner of the New York
State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), a position he
served with great distinction from 1970-1973; and
WHEREAS, Henry L. Diamond will be fondly remembered as a pioneer and
steadfast defender of the environment during a period when ecology and
conservation efforts were considered eccentric; and
WHEREAS, Throughout his tenure at the New York State DEC, Henry L.
Diamond combined all New York State resource management and anti-pollu-
tion programs into the Nation's first environmental department; this
remarkable conservationist was at the forefront of creating programs to
deal with mercury pollution and solid waste management, initiatives
which later became models for many other states; and
WHEREAS, Throughout his tenure, New York was in the forefront of
efforts to ban certain pesticides, eliminate polluting phosphates from
detergents and protect vast swaths of the Adirondacks; and
WHEREAS, In 1972, Henry L. Diamond enthusiastically advocated for the
Environmental Quality Bond Act by leading a 533-mile bicycle ride across

New York State to raise awareness on this issue which provided for water
and air pollution control and land acquisition; and
WHEREAS, One year later, Henry L. Diamond resigned his post to become
Executive Director of the Commission on Critical Choices for Americans,
an authority created by the Governor to set goals for the Nation; and
WHEREAS, In 1975, Henry L. Diamond joined a bourgeoning Washington, D.
C. environmental law firm which became Beveridge & Diamond; under his
leadership, the practice became one of the Nation's largest firms dedi-
cated to environmental and natural resources law; and
WHEREAS, As an environmental attorney, Henry L. Diamond advised corpo-
rations and municipalities and served on more than 30 nonprofit boards
and commissions including Resources for the Future, the Environmental
Law Institute, The Woodstock Foundation, The Jackson Hole Preserve,
Inc., and Americans for Our Heritage and Recreation; and
WHEREAS, Working pro bono, Henry L. Diamond represented the Rails-to-
Trails Conservancy in its defense of the constitutionality of rail bank-
ing; and
WHEREAS, In 1991, Henry L. Diamond chaired the National Park Service
75th Anniversary Conference, and co-authored the 1996 Sustainable Use of
Land Project report, LAND USE IN AMERICA; most recently, he co-chaired
the bipartisan Outdoor Resources Review Group; and
WHEREAS, Henry L. Diamond's bond with Laurance Rockefeller enabled him
to facilitate some of Laurance's generous donations to the National Park
Service; some of these gifts were the JY Ranch in Wyoming, additions to
Hawaii's Haleakala National Park, areas in the United States Virgin
Islands, and the establishment of the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller
National Historical Park in Woodstock, Vermont; and
WHEREAS, For his incredible contributions to conservation and the
field of environmental law, Henry L. Diamond was the recipient of numer-
ous awards and accolades; in October of 2015, the Environmental Law
Institute presented him with its prestigious Environmental Achievement
Award before an audience of more than 700 environmental professionals
from the private sector, government and non-profit communities; and
WHEREAS, In addition, Henry L. Diamond received the Secretary of the
Interior's 2011 Lifetime Conservation Achievement Award, the Interior
Department's highest honor for a private citizen; he was also bestowed
the 2008 Pugsley Medal by the American Academy for Park and Recreation
Administration; and
WHEREAS, Henry L. Diamond is survived by his loving wife, Elizabeth;
and his daughter, Laura (Bill) Decker; and
WHEREAS, For more than six decades, Henry L. Diamond devoted his life
.SO DOC A R1113 RESO TEXT 2015
to public service and protecting New York State's natural resources with
a focus on leading by example; his passion and dedication to his beliefs
was instrumental in developing environmental law in the United States;
and
WHEREAS, It is incumbent upon all citizens to recognize and applaud
the efforts of Henry L. Diamond who worked tirelessly on behalf of
protecting our natural surroundings for the benefit of present and
future generations of not only New Yorkers, but all citizens throughout
the 50 states; and
WHEREAS, He was truly a trailblazer for the environment; armed with a
humanistic spirit and imbued with a sense of compassion, Henry L.
Diamond's life was a portrait of service, a legacy which will long
endure the passage of time and will remain as a comforting memory to all
he served and befriended; he will be greatly missed by many; now, there-
fore, be it
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to the family of Henry L. Diamond.