Esther Coopersmith was an unofficial Washington D.C. diplomat who for more than 70 years organized events for political power players all across the world.
- Died: March 26, 2024 (Who else died on March 26?)
- Details of death: Died in Washington, D.C. of cancer at the age of 94.
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Esther Coopersmith’s legacy
Growing up in the small Wisconsin town of Mazomanie to immigrant parents, Esther Coopersmith (then Esther Lipsen) got involved in politics as a teenager. By 19, she had moved to Washington, D.C., married real estate attorney Jack Coopersmith, and eventually began hosting barbecues for President Lyndon B. Johnson’s daughters, Lynda Bird and Luci. These events weren’t her first forays into politics – she was invited to Washington in the first place after her efforts on the 1952 presidential campaign of Sen. Estes Kefauver – but they did help set the stage for what was to come.
Coopersmith became an unofficial diplomat in Washington, hosting events and dinner parties for people from all walks of political life and from all parts of the world. She held fundraisers, hosted meet-and-greets, and more, all in an effort to bring people together. She took on official roles, too, such as serving as a U.S. delegate to the United Nations Status of Women Commission in Vienna from 1981 to 1983; serving as a member of President Ronald Reagan’s Commission on Executive, Legislative and Judicial Salaries in 1987; working as an observer to UNESCO under President Bill Clinton; and more. In fact, she met or worked with every president since President Harry S. Truman except for President Donald Trump.
At one point, she was hosting upwards of 75 events a year at her mansion, often bringing in diplomats from around the world. In 1979, President Jimmy Carter appointed her to the U.S. delegation to the United Nations. In 1984, her efforts to encourage dialogue in the Middle East were honored when she became only the second woman ever to receive the UN Peace Prize. UNESCO named her a Goodwill Ambassador in 2009. She was also involved in charitable work, including support of the Capital Children’s Museum, among others.
On hosting dinners for people of conflicting beliefs:
“I’m happy to know both sides, and if you want to get anything done in Washington, you need both sides.”—Interview with The Washington Diplomat, 2022
Tributes to Esther Coopersmith
Full obituary: Sagel Bloomfield Danzansky Goldberg Funeral Care, Inc.
