Upon learning Tuesday morning that former Rep. Gary Lee, R- N.Y., died at age 89 after a long illness, my mind instantly replayed the scores — perhaps more than 100 — of lunches he had hosted that included his former Rep. John Napier, R-S.C., and me.
As Congressman from 1978-82, the dynamic, detail-oriented Lee was on just about everyone's shortlists to be a future House GOP leader or speaker. But after his congressional career was cut short, Lee in the 1980s and '90s threw himself into his work as Washington representative for IC (Illinois Central) Industries. When IC acquired Whitman Chocolates, Lee would have samplers sent to offices of lawmakers — something that made him even more welcome there.
He would often "command" Napier and me to join him for lunch ("and I will host") at the Metropolitan Club or other favorite places. While we all had stories to tell, it was inevitably Lee who turned out to be the best political raconteur of all.
He once recalled how, as Tompkins County Republican Chairman in 1970, he made big news by becoming the first GOP county leader in New York to break with appointed Republican Sen. Charles Goodell and instead support Conservative Party nominee James Buckley.
"I was having dinner with my wife and kids and the phone rang," Lee told Newsmax. "It was [New York Gov.] Nelson Rockefeller, who had appointed Goodell [after the death of Robert Kennedy]. He was upset and asked what he could do to change my mind. I told him nothing, that Goodell was too liberal to take, and we liked Buckley. Rocky then said 'in a few years, this Senate race won't mean anything. But the Rockefeller family will be around forever.'"
Buckley went on to win a three-way race over Goodell and Democrat Richard Ottinger, thus becoming the last third-party candidate to serve in the Senate.
In 2010, Lee retired to Florida and was serving as Republican chairman of Lee County. He called to let Newsmax know he was backing state House Speaker Marco Rubio in the Republican U.S. Senate primary over front-runner and Gov. Charlie Crist.
"Crist is a liberal Republican, just like [California Gov. Arnold] Schwarzenegger," said Lee County Chairman Lee. "Marco will win."
He was right. Crist, in fact, abandoned the primary to run as an independent and lost to Rubio. He later became a Democrat and is now running for his old job against Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.
A product of public schools in Buffalo, the young Lee interrupted his studies at 19 when he could no longer afford tuition at Colgate University (NY). He then served in the U.S. Navy from 1952-56 and spent much of that time as a shore patrolman.
Following his discharge, Lee earned his degree from Colgate at 27 and went to work as an admissions officer at Cornell University. Prize-winning historian and Cornell Professor Clinton Rossiter, author of "Conservatism in America" and nearly 20 other books, had a strong influence on Lee's thinking and philosophy.
Lee served as a member of the Corning City Council as town supervisor of Dryden and a member of the Tompkins County legislature. Elected to the state Assembly in 1974, Lee voted increasingly with the small-but-growing right-of-center group of GOP legislators known as "F Troop."
When Republican Rep. William Walsh retired in 1978, Lee quickly wrapped up their party's nomination to succeed him in the 33rd District and was handily elected in November.
"Keep your eye on this Gary Lee — he's going to be in leadership soon," the late Bill Anderson, a legendary lobbyist for the Independent Petroleum Association (IPAA) admonished me early in the New Yorker's congressional life.
Anderson's opinion was echoed by North Carolina's Jim Broyhill, ranking Republican on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, who helped secure a slot for Lee on the panel. Two of Lee's classmates, Chief Deputy Whip Tom Loeffler (Texas) and Speaker-to-be Newt Gingrich (Georgia), agreed that the New Yorker was going places in the House GOP hierarchy.
But it was not to be. The Democrat-controlled legislature unveiled a redistricting plan that essentially annihilated Lee's 33rd District and led him to run in the new Syracuse-based 27th District against fellow Republican Rep. George Wortley.
"It is hard to pinpoint a single philosophical difference between Mr. Wortley and Mr. Lee," noted the New York Times. "The voting records of both men reflect the political conservatism of their region; both are enthusiastic supporters of Ronald Reagan."
But, with the endorsement of the Syracuse Herald Journal, Wortley eked out a razor-primary victory (200 votes out of 40,000 cast) over Lee.
"George's upset of Gary Lee was New York's political upset of the year," said Larry Casey, longtime top aide and political advisor to Wortley. "If Gary had not lost, he could have become Speaker of the House in later years. He was the purest of the pure political animal."
"Gary was a man who knew how to get things done— a good man who excelled not only in government service but knew how to navigate from the private sector as a superior government relations expert," said John Napier. "His trademark Whitman's samplers opened many doors and soothed many feelings in an era when government worked better. He was simply a good man."
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.