Charleston bond attorney and former City Councilman Albert Simons Jr., best remembered for brilliant legal work and generous civic contributions, died Wednesday at a local nursing home. He was 79.
Simons, affectionately known by friends and family as "Fish," was mourned Wednesday in the legal community and elsewhere.
"He was a wonderful gentleman, very gracious and kind," said Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr. "He deeply loved Charleston, he was interested in its progress and proud of its successes. His death is a time of sadness and mourning for the people of our city."
Attorneys with whom Simons worked described him as a gentle man who gave liberally of his time.
"He was a generous man who served his community well and in a quiet way," said attorney Charlton deSaussure Jr., a partner in Simons' longtime firm, now called Sinkler & Boyd.
He grew up near Simons' house and practiced law with him for 10 years.
"He was a wonderful example of that generation of lawyers, and he set a great example for the younger lawyers who came to know him," he said. "He always had time for every kid in the neighborhood and for all the younger attorneys in the firm. He really knew how to contribute to the community."
Simons, son of Albert Simons and Harriet Porcher Stoney Simons, was born in Charleston in 1918, descendant of a long line of Charlestonians.
His father, an author and Charleston architect, is credited with sparking the historic preservation movement in Charleston.
Simons Jr. began his college career at the College of Charleston after graduating from high school at 15. He later received a scholarship to Princeton University, where he earned his bachelor's degree. He enrolled at Yale University Law School, but his studies were interrupted by World War II.
Simons served as an artillery officer in Italy and was awarded a Bronze Star for meritorious service. He retired from the Army as a lieutenant colonel.
He returned to Charleston after completing law school at Yale, and joined the Sinkler and Gibbes law firm, eventually becoming a partner. He quickly earned a reputation for brilliance in bond work.
"He was a wonderful man who was one of the leaders in South Carolina in municipal bond financing," said attorney Bachman S. Smith III, also a partner at Sinkler & Boyd. "The firm of Sinkler, Gibbs & Simons was the first firm in the state whose opinion on a municipal bond financing was recognized by the New York financial institutions.
"The legacy that he left within the firm caused his influence to be felt daily in maintaining high professional standards," he said.
In 1948, Simons married Caroline Pinckney Mitchell, with whom he had four children.
Albert Simons III, chairman of the College of Charleston's School of the Arts capital campaign board and chairman of the college's board of visitors, described his father recently as a person of deep public responsibility.
Others described him as a witty man and good friend.
"He was a person that if you knew in advance you were going to be in his company, you would be looking forward to that experience," Riley said. "He added brightness to people's lives."
Simons had many ties to Charleston and particularly to the College of Charleston.
The Albert Simons Center for the Arts was named after his father, who founded the fine arts department at the college. Simons Jr. and his wife, a 1950 graduate of the college, founded the new historic preservation program at the college, now called the Caroline and Albert Simons Center for Preservation.
Simons Jr. and his brother, Stoney, also endowed The Simons Scholarship in the Arts in honor of their father; the family donated an undisclosed amount of money to add a wing to the Simons Center.
Simons is also remembered for his civic service.
He served on Charleston City Council from 1954 to 1959 and held numerous positions in civic organizations. He served as president of the Charleston Club and director of the S.C. Historical Society. He was a member of several other historical societies, the Charleston Library Society and the Hibernian Society.
He served for 17 years on the Charleston County Board of Assessment Control, both in the 1950s and the 1980s.
In 1972, Simons was included in "Who's Who in America."
Surviving are his wife; three sons, Albert Simons III of New York City and Julian M. Simons and Cotesworth Pinckney Simons, both of Sullivan's Island; a daughter, Caroline S. Finnerty of Atlanta; a brother, Samuel Stoney Simons of Philadelphia; two sisters, Serena Leonhardt of Charleston and Harriet P. Williams of Durham, N.C.; and nine grandchildren.
The funeral will be 10 a.m. Friday in St. Michael's Episcopal Church.
Burial, directed by Stuhr's Downtown Chapel, will be in St. James Episcopal Churchyard in Goose Creek.
Post and Courier, The (Charleston, SC) - January 8, 1998
Simons, affectionately known by friends and family as "Fish," was mourned Wednesday in the legal community and elsewhere.
"He was a wonderful gentleman, very gracious and kind," said Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr. "He deeply loved Charleston, he was interested in its progress and proud of its successes. His death is a time of sadness and mourning for the people of our city."
Attorneys with whom Simons worked described him as a gentle man who gave liberally of his time.
"He was a generous man who served his community well and in a quiet way," said attorney Charlton deSaussure Jr., a partner in Simons' longtime firm, now called Sinkler & Boyd.
He grew up near Simons' house and practiced law with him for 10 years.
"He was a wonderful example of that generation of lawyers, and he set a great example for the younger lawyers who came to know him," he said. "He always had time for every kid in the neighborhood and for all the younger attorneys in the firm. He really knew how to contribute to the community."
Simons, son of Albert Simons and Harriet Porcher Stoney Simons, was born in Charleston in 1918, descendant of a long line of Charlestonians.
His father, an author and Charleston architect, is credited with sparking the historic preservation movement in Charleston.
Simons Jr. began his college career at the College of Charleston after graduating from high school at 15. He later received a scholarship to Princeton University, where he earned his bachelor's degree. He enrolled at Yale University Law School, but his studies were interrupted by World War II.
Simons served as an artillery officer in Italy and was awarded a Bronze Star for meritorious service. He retired from the Army as a lieutenant colonel.
He returned to Charleston after completing law school at Yale, and joined the Sinkler and Gibbes law firm, eventually becoming a partner. He quickly earned a reputation for brilliance in bond work.
"He was a wonderful man who was one of the leaders in South Carolina in municipal bond financing," said attorney Bachman S. Smith III, also a partner at Sinkler & Boyd. "The firm of Sinkler, Gibbs & Simons was the first firm in the state whose opinion on a municipal bond financing was recognized by the New York financial institutions.
"The legacy that he left within the firm caused his influence to be felt daily in maintaining high professional standards," he said.
In 1948, Simons married Caroline Pinckney Mitchell, with whom he had four children.
Albert Simons III, chairman of the College of Charleston's School of the Arts capital campaign board and chairman of the college's board of visitors, described his father recently as a person of deep public responsibility.
Others described him as a witty man and good friend.
"He was a person that if you knew in advance you were going to be in his company, you would be looking forward to that experience," Riley said. "He added brightness to people's lives."
Simons had many ties to Charleston and particularly to the College of Charleston.
The Albert Simons Center for the Arts was named after his father, who founded the fine arts department at the college. Simons Jr. and his wife, a 1950 graduate of the college, founded the new historic preservation program at the college, now called the Caroline and Albert Simons Center for Preservation.
Simons Jr. and his brother, Stoney, also endowed The Simons Scholarship in the Arts in honor of their father; the family donated an undisclosed amount of money to add a wing to the Simons Center.
Simons is also remembered for his civic service.
He served on Charleston City Council from 1954 to 1959 and held numerous positions in civic organizations. He served as president of the Charleston Club and director of the S.C. Historical Society. He was a member of several other historical societies, the Charleston Library Society and the Hibernian Society.
He served for 17 years on the Charleston County Board of Assessment Control, both in the 1950s and the 1980s.
In 1972, Simons was included in "Who's Who in America."
Surviving are his wife; three sons, Albert Simons III of New York City and Julian M. Simons and Cotesworth Pinckney Simons, both of Sullivan's Island; a daughter, Caroline S. Finnerty of Atlanta; a brother, Samuel Stoney Simons of Philadelphia; two sisters, Serena Leonhardt of Charleston and Harriet P. Williams of Durham, N.C.; and nine grandchildren.
The funeral will be 10 a.m. Friday in St. Michael's Episcopal Church.
Burial, directed by Stuhr's Downtown Chapel, will be in St. James Episcopal Churchyard in Goose Creek.
Post and Courier, The (Charleston, SC) - January 8, 1998
Charleston bond attorney and former City Councilman Albert Simons Jr., best remembered for brilliant legal work and generous civic contributions, died Wednesday at a local nursing home. He was 79.
Simons, affectionately known by friends and family as "Fish," was mourned Wednesday in the legal community and elsewhere.
"He was a wonderful gentleman, very gracious and kind," said Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr. "He deeply loved Charleston, he was interested in its progress and proud of its successes. His death is a time of sadness and mourning for the people of our city."
Attorneys with whom Simons worked described him as a gentle man who gave liberally of his time.
"He was a generous man who served his community well and in a quiet way," said attorney Charlton deSaussure Jr., a partner in Simons' longtime firm, now called Sinkler & Boyd.
He grew up near Simons' house and practiced law with him for 10 years.
"He was a wonderful example of that generation of lawyers, and he set a great example for the younger lawyers who came to know him," he said. "He always had time for every kid in the neighborhood and for all the younger attorneys in the firm. He really knew how to contribute to the community."
Simons, son of Albert Simons and Harriet Porcher Stoney Simons, was born in Charleston in 1918, descendant of a long line of Charlestonians.
His father, an author and Charleston architect, is credited with sparking the historic preservation movement in Charleston.
Simons Jr. began his college career at the College of Charleston after graduating from high school at 15. He later received a scholarship to Princeton University, where he earned his bachelor's degree. He enrolled at Yale University Law School, but his studies were interrupted by World War II.
Simons served as an artillery officer in Italy and was awarded a Bronze Star for meritorious service. He retired from the Army as a lieutenant colonel.
He returned to Charleston after completing law school at Yale, and joined the Sinkler and Gibbes law firm, eventually becoming a partner. He quickly earned a reputation for brilliance in bond work.
"He was a wonderful man who was one of the leaders in South Carolina in municipal bond financing," said attorney Bachman S. Smith III, also a partner at Sinkler & Boyd. "The firm of Sinkler, Gibbs & Simons was the first firm in the state whose opinion on a municipal bond financing was recognized by the New York financial institutions.
"The legacy that he left within the firm caused his influence to be felt daily in maintaining high professional standards," he said.
In 1948, Simons married Caroline Pinckney Mitchell, with whom he had four children.
Albert Simons III, chairman of the College of Charleston's School of the Arts capital campaign board and chairman of the college's board of visitors, described his father recently as a person of deep public responsibility.
Others described him as a witty man and good friend.
"He was a person that if you knew in advance you were going to be in his company, you would be looking forward to that experience," Riley said. "He added brightness to people's lives."
Simons had many ties to Charleston and particularly to the College of Charleston.
The Albert Simons Center for the Arts was named after his father, who founded the fine arts department at the college. Simons Jr. and his wife, a 1950 graduate of the college, founded the new historic preservation program at the college, now called the Caroline and Albert Simons Center for Preservation.
Simons Jr. and his brother, Stoney, also endowed The Simons Scholarship in the Arts in honor of their father; the family donated an undisclosed amount of money to add a wing to the Simons Center.
Simons is also remembered for his civic service.
He served on Charleston City Council from 1954 to 1959 and held numerous positions in civic organizations. He served as president of the Charleston Club and director of the S.C. Historical Society. He was a member of several other historical societies, the Charleston Library Society and the Hibernian Society.
He served for 17 years on the Charleston County Board of Assessment Control, both in the 1950s and the 1980s.
In 1972, Simons was included in "Who's Who in America."
Surviving are his wife; three sons, Albert Simons III of New York City and Julian M. Simons and Cotesworth Pinckney Simons, both of Sullivan's Island; a daughter, Caroline S. Finnerty of Atlanta; a brother, Samuel Stoney Simons of Philadelphia; two sisters, Serena Leonhardt of Charleston and Harriet P. Williams of Durham, N.C.; and nine grandchildren.
The funeral will be 10 a.m. Friday in St. Michael's Episcopal Church.
Burial, directed by Stuhr's Downtown Chapel, will be in St. James Episcopal Churchyard in Goose Creek.
Post and Courier, The (Charleston, SC) - January 8, 1998
Simons, affectionately known by friends and family as "Fish," was mourned Wednesday in the legal community and elsewhere.
"He was a wonderful gentleman, very gracious and kind," said Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr. "He deeply loved Charleston, he was interested in its progress and proud of its successes. His death is a time of sadness and mourning for the people of our city."
Attorneys with whom Simons worked described him as a gentle man who gave liberally of his time.
"He was a generous man who served his community well and in a quiet way," said attorney Charlton deSaussure Jr., a partner in Simons' longtime firm, now called Sinkler & Boyd.
He grew up near Simons' house and practiced law with him for 10 years.
"He was a wonderful example of that generation of lawyers, and he set a great example for the younger lawyers who came to know him," he said. "He always had time for every kid in the neighborhood and for all the younger attorneys in the firm. He really knew how to contribute to the community."
Simons, son of Albert Simons and Harriet Porcher Stoney Simons, was born in Charleston in 1918, descendant of a long line of Charlestonians.
His father, an author and Charleston architect, is credited with sparking the historic preservation movement in Charleston.
Simons Jr. began his college career at the College of Charleston after graduating from high school at 15. He later received a scholarship to Princeton University, where he earned his bachelor's degree. He enrolled at Yale University Law School, but his studies were interrupted by World War II.
Simons served as an artillery officer in Italy and was awarded a Bronze Star for meritorious service. He retired from the Army as a lieutenant colonel.
He returned to Charleston after completing law school at Yale, and joined the Sinkler and Gibbes law firm, eventually becoming a partner. He quickly earned a reputation for brilliance in bond work.
"He was a wonderful man who was one of the leaders in South Carolina in municipal bond financing," said attorney Bachman S. Smith III, also a partner at Sinkler & Boyd. "The firm of Sinkler, Gibbs & Simons was the first firm in the state whose opinion on a municipal bond financing was recognized by the New York financial institutions.
"The legacy that he left within the firm caused his influence to be felt daily in maintaining high professional standards," he said.
In 1948, Simons married Caroline Pinckney Mitchell, with whom he had four children.
Albert Simons III, chairman of the College of Charleston's School of the Arts capital campaign board and chairman of the college's board of visitors, described his father recently as a person of deep public responsibility.
Others described him as a witty man and good friend.
"He was a person that if you knew in advance you were going to be in his company, you would be looking forward to that experience," Riley said. "He added brightness to people's lives."
Simons had many ties to Charleston and particularly to the College of Charleston.
The Albert Simons Center for the Arts was named after his father, who founded the fine arts department at the college. Simons Jr. and his wife, a 1950 graduate of the college, founded the new historic preservation program at the college, now called the Caroline and Albert Simons Center for Preservation.
Simons Jr. and his brother, Stoney, also endowed The Simons Scholarship in the Arts in honor of their father; the family donated an undisclosed amount of money to add a wing to the Simons Center.
Simons is also remembered for his civic service.
He served on Charleston City Council from 1954 to 1959 and held numerous positions in civic organizations. He served as president of the Charleston Club and director of the S.C. Historical Society. He was a member of several other historical societies, the Charleston Library Society and the Hibernian Society.
He served for 17 years on the Charleston County Board of Assessment Control, both in the 1950s and the 1980s.
In 1972, Simons was included in "Who's Who in America."
Surviving are his wife; three sons, Albert Simons III of New York City and Julian M. Simons and Cotesworth Pinckney Simons, both of Sullivan's Island; a daughter, Caroline S. Finnerty of Atlanta; a brother, Samuel Stoney Simons of Philadelphia; two sisters, Serena Leonhardt of Charleston and Harriet P. Williams of Durham, N.C.; and nine grandchildren.
The funeral will be 10 a.m. Friday in St. Michael's Episcopal Church.
Burial, directed by Stuhr's Downtown Chapel, will be in St. James Episcopal Churchyard in Goose Creek.
Post and Courier, The (Charleston, SC) - January 8, 1998
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