ROBERT WEBSTER

1938 - 2023

WEBSTER--Robert David. Robert David Webster died on November 16, 2023, at the age of 85. Robert was born and raised in New York City and educated at Colgate University and Harvard Law School. He had a long and distinguished law career at the firm of Pillsbury Winthrop (formerly Winthrop, Stimson, Putnam, and Roberts), where he was a managing partner and the head of the Financial Institutions group. A specialist in banking law, Robert served in leadership positions with the International Bar Association and the Union Internationale des Avocats. He also served as consultant to the United Nations Commission on Transnational Corporations and as a director of the Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank. In 1981 Robert was a key member of the banking group that worked with the State Department to resolve the Iranian hostage crisis. He worked tirelessly to help frame an agreement that released billions in Iranian assets held in U.S. banks, protected the banks from defaults on their loans to Iran, and brought the hostages home. Robert and his wife Betsey have had a second home in Lyme, CT, for more than 30 years. In Lyme, he served on the boards of the First Congregational Church of Old Lyme, Musical Masterworks, The Florence Griswold Museum, and the Lyme Ambulance Association. He was a man of powerful intellect, wide-ranging curiosity, and integrity; he was witty, kind, and generous. Throughout his life he was a good friend and a mentor to countless people. He was a devoted husband and a wonderful father. He is survived by his wife Betsey, his children Elizabeth, Hope, and Christopher, and his grandchildren Philip, Catherine, James, and Katryna. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, December 2, 2023 at 1:00pm at the First Congregational Church of Old Lyme. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Florence Griswold Museum or the Lyme Ambulance Association.