Arthur Present
2026
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Arthur S. Present
1924 - 2026
Arthur Stanley Present, a World War II veteran and retired federal administrative law judge, died March 1 at his home in Bethesda, Maryland. He was 102.
Born in Coney Island, New York, Mr. Present attended the City College of New York (CCNY) before putting his studies on hold to enlist in the Army during World War II. Deployed to the European Theater in early 1945, he served as the gunner for his company commander's tank. His decorations included the Good Conduct Medal, the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, the American Campaign Medal, and the World War II Victory Medal.
After the war, Mr. Present completed his degree at CCNY in 1947 and earned his law degree from Columbia University in 1950. He then moved to Washington, D.C. to clerk for U.S. Tax Court Judge Marion Harron, beginning a federal career that would span nearly three decades.
Mr. Present joined the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) in 1951, later moved to the Interstate Commerce Commission, and returned to the CAB in 1968. He served as an administrative law judge — a position that prior to 1972 was known as a hearing examiner — presiding over complex economic and regulatory cases during a period when the CAB controlled airline routes, fares, and competitive practices.
His most widely followed ruling came in the Youth Fare Investigation. In 1969, he found that discounted youth and family fares were unjustly discriminatory because they required other passengers to subsidize the reduced rates. The issue drew public attention, airline lobbying, and congressional scrutiny. In 1972, the CAB issued a final decision that canceled the discounts and largely affirmed Mr. Present's findings.
Mr. Present retired from the CAB in 1979. In the years that followed, he volunteered as an attorney with Legal Counsel for the Elderly before becoming the full-time caregiver for his beloved wife of 55 years, Paula A. Present, during her long illness with Parkinson's disease. She died in 2006.
Throughout his years of public service, Mr. Present was highly respected by his colleagues. His family will remember him as a loving and loyal husband; a caring, nurturing father; an engaged and supportive grandfather; and an adoring great-grandfather. His family will also remember how his warmth and intellectual curiosity enriched every gathering.
Survivors include three sons, Cliff (Laura Nicholson), Howard (Jessica), and Rick (Sue) Present; six grandchildren, Elaina (Paul), Matthew (Rachel), Emma (Ness Smith-Savedoff), Cora, Isabel, and Juliet; and two great-grandchildren, Amy and Zoe.
1924 - 2026
Arthur Stanley Present, a World War II veteran and retired federal administrative law judge, died March 1 at his home in Bethesda, Maryland. He was 102.
Born in Coney Island, New York, Mr. Present attended the City College of New York (CCNY) before putting his studies on hold to enlist in the Army during World War II. Deployed to the European Theater in early 1945, he served as the gunner for his company commander's tank. His decorations included the Good Conduct Medal, the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, the American Campaign Medal, and the World War II Victory Medal.
After the war, Mr. Present completed his degree at CCNY in 1947 and earned his law degree from Columbia University in 1950. He then moved to Washington, D.C. to clerk for U.S. Tax Court Judge Marion Harron, beginning a federal career that would span nearly three decades.
Mr. Present joined the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) in 1951, later moved to the Interstate Commerce Commission, and returned to the CAB in 1968. He served as an administrative law judge — a position that prior to 1972 was known as a hearing examiner — presiding over complex economic and regulatory cases during a period when the CAB controlled airline routes, fares, and competitive practices.
His most widely followed ruling came in the Youth Fare Investigation. In 1969, he found that discounted youth and family fares were unjustly discriminatory because they required other passengers to subsidize the reduced rates. The issue drew public attention, airline lobbying, and congressional scrutiny. In 1972, the CAB issued a final decision that canceled the discounts and largely affirmed Mr. Present's findings.
Mr. Present retired from the CAB in 1979. In the years that followed, he volunteered as an attorney with Legal Counsel for the Elderly before becoming the full-time caregiver for his beloved wife of 55 years, Paula A. Present, during her long illness with Parkinson's disease. She died in 2006.
Throughout his years of public service, Mr. Present was highly respected by his colleagues. His family will remember him as a loving and loyal husband; a caring, nurturing father; an engaged and supportive grandfather; and an adoring great-grandfather. His family will also remember how his warmth and intellectual curiosity enriched every gathering.
Survivors include three sons, Cliff (Laura Nicholson), Howard (Jessica), and Rick (Sue) Present; six grandchildren, Elaina (Paul), Matthew (Rachel), Emma (Ness Smith-Savedoff), Cora, Isabel, and Juliet; and two great-grandchildren, Amy and Zoe.
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