Peter Holmes Dailey

Peter Holmes Dailey, 77, passed away peacefully on April 23, 2025, at his home in Harlem, after patiently enduring years of chronic illness.

Peter was born in Boston in 1947 to Dr. Benjamin Peter Dailey, a professor of physical chemistry at Columbia University, originally from Texas, and Beverly Elizabeth Holmes Dailey, an accomplished pianist and composer from North Carolina. He attended primary school at Dalton and was a member of the 1965 class at Lawrenceville, where he was head of Dickenson House. He spent a gap year at Robert College in Istanbul, Turkey, and graduated from Columbia University and Columbia Law School.

Peter was married to Pamela Hynds in Naples, Italy, in 1971 and together they had three children. Until moving to Harlem in 2011, they were longtime residents of Morningside Heights. Peter walked his succession of English Setters in Riverside Park, spent countless evenings at the Thalia, ushered for several years at St John the Divine, and, as a lover of all things sweet, bought his chocolates at Mondel's.

His life was defined by his passion for learning and his commitment to human rights. In the 1960s, he registered voters in the South, was part of the anti-war movement and the 1968 Columbia student uprisings. His legal career was spent seeking justice for the most vulnerable among us as a public defender in New York City. Many of his passions, however, lay outside of the courtroom. He was a devoted researcher and wrote for varied publications—from the American Scholar and the New York Review of Books to Art and Antiques—about the myriad subjects that piqued his interest, among them: Japanese prints; Father Divine; the politics of Haiti, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka; the work of Joseph Cornell and James Baldwin (whom he had known in Turkey); African-American history; and the New York City Ballet. His love of Japanese art led him to the Ukiyo-e Society (now the Japanese Art Society of America), where he served as president for several years as well as being an editor and contributor to their journal Impressions.

Above all, there was a special place in his heart for Haiti, both the people and the culture. He was never happier than following a rara band down the streets of Jacmel during Carnival or sitting on the porch of the Oloffson Hotel listening to the latest gossip. He was there with his daughter Claire when the earthquake struck in 2010. Miraculously, the old wooden structure stayed upright and they survived.

Peter's intellect was extraordinary—his memory verging on the freakish. He read at an astonishing pace and retained almost everything, becoming a deep well of facts, ideas, and obscure information. Even at the end of his life, he could call out answers to the Sunday crossword puzzle that had stumped the rest of his family. An insatiable collector, he filled his home with thousands of books, encompassing every subject that caught his fancy, and a vast library of music. His study was overflowing with records (an eclectic mix of his favorite James Brown, blues, jazz, classical, and opera) which he listened to at full volume.

He didn't just read about the things that obsessed him, he immersed himself in them completely. He indulged his love of dance by attending almost every New York City Ballet performance while Balanchine was alive, taking advantage of rush tickets or simply sneaking in through the fire exit, a practice that traumatized any friends he invited to join him. At home, he relished hoisting his children in the air while mimicking steps from Don Quixote. As an athlete—he'd played lacrosse and soccer in his school days—it wasn't enough to simply jog, he ran marathons, completing five in New York, albeit in a style more Clydesdale than thoroughbred. Just as vital to him were his friendships, some stretching back to childhood and Columbia, others forged in the years of early parenthood, and still more gathered with each new venture he pursued.

Peter is survived by his wife, Pamela, along with their three beloved children: Benjamin Dailey (and his wife, Angela Schwartz), Sarah Dailey Dewe (and her husband, Edward Dewe) and Claire Dailey (and her partner, Matthew Rosenberg). In addition, he is survived by his two brothers, William Dailey and Stephen Dailey, (with whom he played a lifetime of pranks that became sillier every year), four unconditionally adored grandchildren, Elijah and India Dailey and Atticus and Theodore Dewe, sister-in-law Murray Sease, nephew William Sease, and many cousins.

Peter will be remembered for his curiosity, intellect, and good deeds, but most of all for his love of family and friends, his wit, and his impish spirit.

A memorial reception will be held on October 23rd. Contact the family for further information if you wish to attend.

Any donations in Peter's honor may be made to the University of Fondwa (https://ufondwa.org/).

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