Walter Charles Hazlitt Sr., 96, former Brookhaven Republican leader

Walter Charles Hazlitt Sr., an original member of the Suffolk County Legislature who represented Stony Brook and a former Brookhaven Town Republican chairman, died Sunday at the age of 96.

Hazlitt, of Stony Brook, a World War II veteran, served as the 5th District’s first legislator when the county legislature was formed in 1970.

Hazlitt served as chief of the Stony Brook Fire Department and was a member of the department for more than 60 years.

He also served on the fire district’s Board of Fire Commissioners and as superintendent of the Stony Brook Water District, which the Suffolk County Water Authority manages.

“He had a very strong tradition of service,” his daughter Elizabeth Hazlitt Emerson, a state Supreme Court justice, told Newsday.

“If there was anybody who needed his help, or something he could do, he was always willing to put time in and it didn't matter who it was or what they did, or what they could do for him," Hazlitt Emerson said.

"It's been very gratifying to hear all the stories over the years of people that he helped when they needed that kind of help," she said. "So that's one of the things I hope he's remembered for.”

Hazlitt was born and raised in Brooklyn, where he graduated from Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School.

He joined the U.S. Marine Corps, serving in the Pacific campaign during World War II and as a sergeant in China in the Tokyo Bay Occupation Force until the surrender of the Japanese Navy, his daughter said.

After returning  home, he earned a bachelor’s degree from Seton Hall University.

Hazlitt worked for the Interstate Container Corp. in Queens, before the company moved to Smithtown.

He met his wife of 67 years, Betty, at the Stony Brook Yacht Club, where he served as commodore from 1955 to 1957.

Hazlitt also worked as executive director of the Suffolk County Water Authority until he retired in 1992.

Hazlitt served as a Republican committeeman for the Brookhaven Town GOP, and became party chairman.

But he also championed bipartisanship and worked with Democratic officials, his daughter and colleagues said.

“He was a fantastic chairman of the Republican Party and an amazing skilled legislator,” former Brookhaven Deputy Supervisor Eric Russo told Newsday. “He knew how to keep the Brookhaven Republican Committee moving forward in the ‘80s.”

Russo also recalled that Hazlitt helped him gain appointment as a member of the SCWA.

“He brought improvements to water quality and tried to maintain low rates and better serve the residents of Suffolk County,” Russo said.

Hazlitt died about a week before his 97th birthday, his daughter said.

Hazlitt is preceded in death by his wife and survived by his daughter Elizabeth, his son Walter Hazlitt Jr. of Chicago, and four grandchildren.

A visitation is planned Saturday and Sunday at Bryant Funeral Home in East Setauket, as well as an American Legion Service at 3 p.m. Saturday and a firematic service at 8 p.m., both at the funeral home.

A funeral mass is planned for Monday at 10:45 a.m. at St. James Roman Catholic Church in Setauket.