Richard Stone, Florida’s first Jewish senator since Civil War, dies at 90

Richard Stone, Florida’s first Jewish senator since the Civil War and an adviser on the Camp David Peace Accords, died on Sunday at the age of 90, his sonin-law Joel Poznansky told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

Stone was born in Brooklyn and grew up in Miami Beach. He graduated from Harvard College and Columbia Law School, and worked as a lawyer in Florida prior to entering local politics.

In his 1974 bid for the US Senate, Stone’s Republican opponent, Jack Eckerd, attacked him by highlighting his Jewish identity. Eckerd ran ads prior to and on Election Day itself, noting that he was a Protestant and Stone a Jew. Eckerd later apologized for highlighting Stone’s religion.

In 1975, Stone became the state’s first Jewish senator since the Civil War. David Levy Yulee, who was born Jewish but later converted to Christianity, served as a senator for the state in 1855-1861.

A Democrat and member of the Foreign Relations Committee, Stone led efforts to secure aid for Israel and was an adviser on the 1978 Camp David Accords, which set the stage for the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty. As a senator, he traveled to Israel where met with political leaders, including prime minister Menachem Begin.

After losing his reelection bid in 1980, Stone served as ambassador-at-large for Central America under president Ronald Reagan and as ambassador to Denmark under president George Bush. In the latter role, he honored members of the Danish resistance to the Nazis during World War II. ( JTA)