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FOIA News: Drafter of original FOIA statute dies at 98

FOIA News (2015-2023)Allan BlutsteinComment

Mark Schlefer, who helped write FOIA legislation, dies at 98

By Louie Estrada, Wash. Post, Dec. 21, 2020

From a young age, maritime and shipping lawyer Mark P. Schlefer liked to challenge authority.

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His willingness to ask questions of people in power carried over to his professional life and led to his role in the development of the Freedom of Information Act, the landmark legislation providing citizens with a tool to keep the government open and honest.

Mr. Schlefer, a former Washington resident, died Nov. 2 at his home in Putney, Vt. The cause was cardiorespiratory arrest, said a daughter, Katharine Schlefer Dodge. He was 98.

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