1,400 at Javits’ Funeral; He Is Praised as ‘Example for Ages’
NEW YORK — Political and business leaders from across the nation joined other mourners today at the funeral for former Sen. Jacob K. Javits, praised for his courageous fight against illness and his distinguished record in Congress.
“He went not quietly into the valley of death, but fought it and left radiantly as an example for the ages,” Sen. Daniel P. Moynihan (D-N.Y.), who served with Javits, told the 1,400 people attending the service.
Javits, 81, died Friday in Good Samaritan Hospital in West Palm Beach, Fla., of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Javits had been battling the disease since 1979.
The first six rows of Central Synagogue were filled with local, state and federal leaders including former President Richard M. Nixon; Sen. Alfonse D’Amato, who defeated Javits in the 1980 Republican primary; Sens. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Charles McC. Mathias Jr. (R-Md.); former Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger and Gov. Mario Cuomo.
Others attending included writers Jerzy Kosinski and Kurt Vonnegut.
Javits, a Republican, served in the Senate for 24 years, the longest tenure of any New York senator. He specialized in international relations.
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