Lex Hester
| Lex Hester | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 24, 1935 Washington, D.C. |
| Died | October 7, 2000 (aged 64) Jacksonville, Florida |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Florida State University |
| Known for | effective public administrator |
| Spouse(s) | Kathy Hester |
| Children | Danielle, Tracey |
Lewis Alexander Hester, III (December 24, 1935 – October 7, 2000) was a public administrator in Jacksonville, Florida. He "was the consummate no-nonsense administrator, the very best in his field,” according to M. C. Harden III, past chairman of the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce, influential in designing the city government of Jacksonville and managing it through the terms of three of Jacksonville's mayors.
Hester was born in Washington, D.C. on December 24, 1935, but raised in Jacksonville Beach. He met his future wife, Kathy, at FSU and they married and had two girls, Danielle and Tracey. They were together over 40 years. Lex Hester suffered a heart attack and died on October 7, 2000 at age 64.
He "was a gifted tennis player, frequently ranked among the top 10 in Florida in his age group" and the No. 1 player at Florida State University, where he earned the scholar-athlete award for the highest grade point average. He continued playing tennis after college and was a fierce competitor, receiving the "tennis player of the year" title from the Florida Tennis Association in 1990.
After graduating from Florida State University with a master's degree in public administration, Hester was working as a wage and child labor investigator for the United States Department of Labor when the Florida legislature created the Local Government Study Commission (LGSC). Their goal was to reform Jacksonville’s corrupt, inefficient government, and Lex Hester was hired as the executive director in 1965, with J.J. Daniel as chairman.
In November, 1966, a grand jury indicted 11 Jacksonville Public Officials on 142 counts of bribery and larceny including:
The city tax assessor took the Fifth Amendment, refused to testify, and resigned. No indictments were handed down against the police & sheriff departments, but it was common knowledge that misconduct occurred.
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