JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Harry Shorstein, the former Fourth Circuit State Attorney who helped define the face of Jacksonville justice for a generation, has died. The State Attorney’s Office, which Shorstein led for five terms from 1991 to 2008, confirmed his passing on Friday.
“Shorstein was a true public servant — he was a combat-decorated U.S. Marine in Vietnam before he returned home to serve his community,” the office said in a statement.
Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan also remembered Shorstein as a model of public service. “Harry Shorstein was an example to all of us through his many decades of public service,” Deegan wrote. “His wisdom and heart will be missed, but it is carried on through the many people he mentored who are now leading our city today.”
Harry Shorstein was an example to all of us through his many decades of public service as State Attorney, General Counsel for the City of Jacksonville, and many more achievements. He spoke of making sure Jacksonville isn’t a tale of two cities – a challenge that my administration works every day to change. He believed deeply in delivering justice but also in second chances, a mission that is emblematic of his focus on working with at-risk youth. His wisdom and heart will be missed, but it is carried on through the many people he mentored who are now leading our city today. My heart and prayers are with his family and every life he touched.
— Mayor Donna Deegan (@MayorDeegan)
From the Marine Corps to the courtroom
Shorstein grew up in Jacksonville’s Riverside neighborhood, attended Lee High School, and earned both his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Florida in 1965. Before starting his legal career, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps…