Raymond F. Lederer, 70, Phila. politician convicted in Abscam sting

Raymond F. Lederer, 70, a quintessential Philadelphia blue-collar Democratic politician who lost his congressional seat after he was ensnared in the FBI's Abscam investigation, died yesterday of cancer in the Fishtown home where he had spent his childhood.

Mr. Lederer had been diagnosed with lung cancer in June, said Richard Dickson, his former congressional intern and a close friend.

"He was just a very decent guy, unassuming," said David B. Glancey, a former Philadelphia Democratic Party chairman. "He was of the neighborhood he came from, and always remained of that neighborhood. He was of the constituent-service school."

After a stint as the director of Philadelphia's Probation Department, Mr. Lederer embarked on an extraordinarily successful political career, winning a state House seat in 1974, and the Third Congressional District seat two years later.

In 1980, that career was dealt a concussive blow when he was caught on videotape accepting bribes from FBI agents posing as front men for a fictitious Arab sheik who wanted to build a hotel in Center City.

Despite the allegations, Mr. Lederer won reelection, but resigned the next year after he was convicted. He served 10 months in prison.

"It was a traumatic event in his life and his family's life," Dickson said.

Mr. Lederer, however, did not complain about his fate, Dickson said. Instead, the conviction helped the father of six put public life in its place.

"In some ways it was a gift to him and to his family," Dickson said. He was able to spend time with his children and grandchildren.

"He was able to look at his life in a completely different way. There were things that were much more important," Dickson said.

To make ends meet, Mr. Lederer went to work as a roofer, helping to deliver materiel to job sites, recalled Dickson, who is now a Philadelphia Parking Authority director. "He was not the handiest guy I ever met," Dickson said.

"He had a rare quality for an elected official - humility," said U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Savage.

Mr. Lederer was a popular figure among neighborhood children who marveled at the elaborate model-train set he maintained in his Shackamaxon Street home.

He also built a miniature circus for his own children and their friends. It included tiny bleachers and an assortment of figures to occupy them, from police officers to nuns.

"He was like the ringmaster of the circus," said his son Miles. He would stage a special performance each summer at the family home in North Wildwood.

"He was the Pied Piper for all the neighborhood kids," Miles Lederer said. "The backyard was standing-room only."

Mr. Lederer graduated from Roman Catholic High School in 1957, and later took classes at St. Joseph's University and Pennsylvania State University.

While in Congress, Mr. Lederer was a member of the Ways and Means Committee and was instrumental in arranging a deal to bring Chilean fruit through the Port of Philadelphia.

Dickson said that on his first day on the job, Mr. Lederer passed on advice he had learned from his father. He said that when constituents raise an issue, pay attention.

"If you can't respond like it is important to you," he remembered Mr. Lederer telling him, "you need to find another line of work."

In addition to son Miles, Mr. Lederer is survived by his wife of 47 years, the former Eileen Coyle; another son, Joseph; daughters Mary Beth Baranosky, Patricia Green, Diane Benson and Claire Hampton; 15 grandchildren; a sister; and four brothers.

A viewing will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at St. Michael Roman Catholic Church, Second and Jefferson Streets, North Philadelphia. A Funeral Mass will be said at 10 a.m. Friday, and friends may call at the church from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. Burial will be in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Cheltenham.