Lucy Law Webster, an ardent advocate for world peace, pioneering global federalist, United Nations diplomat, and devoted mother, passed away peacefully at the age of 95, November 3, 2026, Election Day, residing recently in Little Falls, New York, after having previously made her home in Cooperstown, New York.
Born Lucy Law, her lifelong commitment to international justice began at an early age. In 1940, at just nine years old, she penned an anti-war poem that was published in Parents Magazine. Its closing aspiration—“Where people the world’s laws obey”—became her guiding North Star across more than seven decades of global activism and scholarship. Her high school yearbook presciently noted her pet peeve as “unresponsive people” and observed that she was determined to “do something” upon leaving college.
While attending Miss Fine’s School (now Princeton Day School), she helped establish a student chapter of the United World Federalists, inspired directly by Albert Einstein, who welcomed her student group into his Mercer Street home in Princeton. Lucy attended Wellesley College, where she was elected National Student Chairman of the United World Federalists and spearheaded the New England Student Council across major regional universities. Following graduation, she served as Secretary-General of the World Student Federalist office in Amsterdam and completed graduate studies in Political Science and International Relations at Columbia University.
In 1954, backed by small donations from 50 American chapters she embarked on an ambitious round-the-world speaking tour for World Federalism. Her travels took her through Europe, the Middle East, and newly decolonizing nations across Southeast Asia—including visits to Kuala Lumpur and Saigon in the immediate aftermath of Dien Bien Phu—advocating tirelessly for multilateral cooperation and the prevention of armed conflict.
While in Europe and New York, Lucy met British BBC journalist David Webster through their mutual leadership in the student federalist movement. They married and relocated to London, where they raised their two sons, Daniel and Alexander, and where Lucy continued her research and federalist organizing across the UK and Europe.
Lucy’s career in public service spanned leading international institutions. Moving back to New York in the 1970s, she served as Executive Committee Chairman of the World Movement for World Federal Government. She dedicated significant service to the United Nations, working with UNICEF and later serving as Special Assistant to the Secretary-General of the Second World Conference to Combat Racism. Within the UN Secretariat, she served as a Political Affairs Officer in the Department for Disarmament Affairs, editing major publications, coordinating working groups for the UN Disarmament Commission, and serving as liaison to NGOs and the press during the 1990 and 1995 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty review conferences.
Driven by an unceasing intellectual curiosity, Lucy went on to earn a second Master’s degree in World Political Economy and Finance. Following her retirement from the UN, she served as Executive Director and Program Director for Economists for Peace and Security (EPS), where in 2001 she spearheaded a major statement for multilateralism endorsed by hundreds of leading economists and Nobel laureates. She also served as Executive Director of the Center for War/Peace Studies, Vice-Chair of the Council of the World Federalist Movement, and President of the New York Chapter of Citizens for Global Solutions.
Throughout her life, Lucy compared the quest for global governance and peace to “walking up a down escalator”—noting that while challenging, “it’s better to walk up than just stand there!” She remained steadfast in her belief that lasting peace requires care, disarmament, and universal law.
Lucy was preceded in death a year ago by her beloved son, Alexander Webster.
She is lovingly remembered and survived by her son, Daniel Webster, and his partner, Laurel Margerum; her daughter-in-law, Jeannine Webster; former wife, Ika Forghel; her grandchildren, Jonathan, Alex, Lucas, Oskar, Alex, and Cate; and her great-grandchildren, Ryan and Julia.
A memorial service celebrating Lucy's life and enduring legacy of peace will be held at a future date. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the World Federalist Movement https://wfm-igp.org/ or to organizations advancing international peace, diplomacy, and disarmament.
