Funeral arrangements set for Milton Hirsch, who served on Columbus Council and in GA House
Milton Hirsch, who served Columbus as a city councilor and Georgia as a state representative, has died.
Diagnosed with bone cancer, Hirsch died Tuesday at Legacy Reserve, a senior living community, in Columbus, his oldest son, Jay, told the Ledger-Enquirer. He was 97.
Striffler-Hamby Mortuary is handling the funeral arrangements. A memorial service to honor Hirsch will be Friday at 11 a.m. in Temple Israel, 1617 Wildwood Ave. Burial will be private.
Hirsch was a Columbus Councilor from 1973-78 and a Georgia House member from 1983-84.
He practiced law for 67 years in his hometown of Columbus, specializing in divorce. While he worked with married couples who were trying to split, Hirsch was married to his wife Elsa for 69 years. And despite getting paid to be argumentative, Hirsch was conciliatory outside the courtroom.
“He truly lived to take care of anybody that crossed his path and just wanted everybody to be treated fairly,” Jay said. “I mean, he was in the most contentious and heart-wrenching profession, … but all he wanted to do was to be fair, even if he lost.”
Hirsch loved playing bridge and golf, reading books then buying copies of ones he liked as gifts for others, and leading discussions titled “Milton’s Chat Room” at Temple Israel, where he was a past board member as well as at Shearith Israel Synagogue.
“He found beauty in almost everything,” Jay said.
In the 1960s and 1970s, Hirsch broke color barriers by inviting people of all races into his home.
“He reached out,” Jay said. “He knew no difference.”
Milton Hirsch’s career
Hirsch’s willingness to go against the majority most likely contributed to his short political career, Jay said, such as a controversial state bill regarding bankruptcy and his advocacy for banning Saturday Night Special handguns in the city.
“He had pressure on him to vote one way, but he refused because he didn’t think it would be fair and it would hurt people,” Jay said. “He paid the price for it. … His focus was just absolutely on what would be fair, not for the rich or the poor but for everybody.”
Rabbi Larry Schlesinger of Temple Israel, who served on the Bibb County Commission and ran for mayor in Macon, called Hirsch’s death “a huge loss” for Columbus.
“Milton put service above self, and that was expressed in so many different aspects of his life and his career,” Schlesinger told the L-E. “The people he served benefited from what he had to offer.”
When he was president of the Columbus Lawyers Club, Hirsch led the effort to establish the Muscogee County Law Library. He also helped convince the city council and county commission to allocate land to build Bull Creek Golf Course.
Hirsch was a founder of Pine Manor and Oak Manor nursing homes and served on their boards from 1967-87.
While on the city council, Hirsch was a member of the committee that spearheaded the development of Uptown Columbus, the nonprofit organization that revitalized and promotes the city’s downtown.
In 1976, Hirsch was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention that nominated fellow Georgian Jimmy Carter for president.
Hirsch also coached youth baseball in Peach Little League for eight years.
This story was originally published August 7, 2024 at 8:50 AM.
