Winston Sidney Moore

02/13/1942 - 06/03/2025

Winston Sidney Moore of McLean, Virginia passed away unexpectedly in his sleep at the age of 83 on June 3, 2025. Sid was born in Durham, North Carolina on February 13, 1942. He graduated from Durham High School as the valedictorian of the Class of 1960, and from Davidson College in 1964. Following a tour in the Army, he attended the University of Michigan Law School, where he met Maureen, his wife of 55 years. After Sid earned his JD in 1970, together they chose the Washington, DC area as their permanent home, and Sid's legal career began at the American Enterprise Institute where he became the Director of Legal Policy Studies. He spent the rest of his career in public service: during the 1980s he served as the Executive Director of the Federal Trade Commission and then as the Executive Director of the United States Sentencing Commission. Through the 1990s until his retirement in 2007, he was the Associate Dean at the George Mason University School of Law, including a stint as Acting Dean.

Sid had a thirst for knowledge and a love of debate and sharing of opinions. During his retirement, he helped found a group of retired men who deliberate the "issues of the day" for hours every Friday morning. The group continues to meet weekly via Zoom with members attending from as far away as France.
Sid truly enjoyed considering the views of others and would hate the idea of allowing only one narrator to deliver the perspective on his life, so each of his three children provided an insight:

"My father was incredibly smart and profoundly loyal – he wasn't the guy who filled up a room with his personality – he was the guy you wanted to sit next to so you could gain an interesting perspective and probably get a good laugh along the way. He was present, supportive, insightful, and absolutely the person you'd want to call for an engaging chat on a long drive."

"My dad had a quiet confidence where he did not need everyone to know he was the smartest person in the room. He loved fiercely and taught us to work hard, give our best and be good people. Anyone who was lucky enough to have him in their corner knew how wonderful and special he was."

"I had the great pleasure of working alongside many people who knew my father professionally, each of whom made it clear that he was the same person at work as he was at home: intelligent, loyal, unflappable, and unfailingly decent. These qualities served him well as a colleague; they made him exceptional as a father."

Sid also recognized how fortunate he was to have found a partner in life who was his equal and kept him on his toes throughout a successful and happy marriage. He is survived by his wife, Maureen, his three children, DJ (Nick Hentschel) of Los Angeles, Derek (Serena Lei) of Denver, and Christina of Chicago, his older brother Victor (Anne) of Durham, NC, along with nieces, nephews and numerous friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, Victor and Margaret Moore. He will be missed. A celebration of life is being planned for Fall 2025, and additional information will be provided at: