Henry Hart III, husband, father, public servant, died of ALS on April 18 at his home in West Mt. Airy.
Henry was born in North Adams, Massachusetts, on March 1, 1950. He attended college nearby at Amherst (B.A. 1972) and law school at Boston University (J.D. 1976).
But it was Philadelphia where he truly lived his life. Henry was a graduate of Germantown Friends School. He came back to Philadelphia to begin his legal career. And it was here in Philadelphia that he married his wife Sarah and together raised their four children.
Henry was a lawyer who worked for the public, not for profit. His first job after law school was at the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission. But he soon went on to the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, where he spent almost two decades as a trial lawyer, teacher, and supervisor.
One of his chiefs in the office was Jeffrey Minehart, now Supervising Judge of the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Criminal Division. “Henry always had a great perspective on how to approach a criminal case. He was extremely bright and never hesitated to give his opinion on how to proceed. He was usually right.”
Henry worked closely with many lawyers in the office, including Gary Tennis, now Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs. “Sharing a courtroom with Henry Hart in the Major Crimes Unit was a humbling experience; his intelligence, humor and just plain skill were beyond reach. I couldn’t have asked for a better and kinder mentor.”
Henry left the DA’s office to become chief counsel to the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency. Several years later he moved to the Pennsylvania Office of Inspector General, where he eventually served as Acting Inspector General. He spent the last decade in the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office as Attorney-in-Charge of the Philadelphia Bureau of Consumer Protection.
Henry was also a physical man. He loved to ride fast bikes, lift heavy weights, drive powerful cars. He loved to talk about these things. And he especially loved to watch his children as they participated in their own sports events, cheering each of them on by name with his booming voice. Son Alex was a member of the water polo team at West Point. Matt Price, the former coach of that team, remembered that Henry “would be there at any tournament with Gatorade, Tastykakes, hoagies and all sorts of stuff for the team.” Henry became a board member of the regional parents’ club, just as he had joined school committees at Germantown and Stratford Friends.
Family and cars came together on road trips, which he loved as well. One of his favorites was driving his Mustang around New England, searching for the best authentic fried clams shacks. He shared his enthusiasms with his children, who vividly remember their family outings. “With his sharp, sometimes over-the-edge humor, Dad could lighten up even the most disastrous situation – like when his overfueling of our campfire nearly set Acadia National Park ablaze,” his children said.
Henry is survived by his family: his wife, Sarah Hart (nee Baseden); his children, Jackie Vandenbraak Pfeiffenberger (Andy), Rich Hart (Jordan Miller), Alex Hart, and Tessa Hart (James Kent); his mother, Ann Hart; his sister, Elizabeth Hart; and his grandchildren, Sarah and Mike Pfeiffenberger.
A memorial service for worship will be held at Germantown Friends Meeting, 47 W. Coulter St. Phila. PA on Saturday, April 25 at 2 pm. Donations in his memory may be made to Stratford Friends School, 2 Bishop Hollow Road, Newtown Square, PA 19073, or to the Ellyn Fund, ALS Assoc. (Phila. Chapter) 321 Norristown Road, Lower Gwynedd, PA 19002.