John V. N. Klein, an attorney and architect of the Suffolk County Farmland Preservation Program in New York, died December 22, 2021 at age 90, in Lexington, Virginia.

Mr. Klein was a two-term Suffolk County executive in the 1970s - a time when Suffolk County, Long Island, was the fastest growing county in the U.S. and had a population of 1.2 million.

He later became a managing partner in the law firm Meyer, Suozzi, English and Klein, P.C.

As Suffolk County executive, Mr. Klein was responsible for conceiving and implementing a first-of-its-kind Farmland Development Rights Program. The program purchases the right to develop from farmers who continue to hold title to the land and continue to farm. To date the innovative program has preserved over 11,000 acres of farmland. The county plans to invest $100 million in the program over the next 10 years to preserve remaining at-risk farms. The measure was part of a strategy to keep eastern Long Island from becoming over developed like Nassau County or western Suffolk County.

In 1980 Mr. Klein joined the law firm Meyer, Suozzi, English and Klein, P.C. in Garden City, Long Island, serving as managing attorney for 12 years starting in 1984. This was a period when the firm doubled its size.

For over two decades Mr. Klein served as a director of the Long Island Association, the leading business leaders' advocacy organization for Long Island.

Mr. Klein descended from a mix of Long Island German and Dutch families on both his father’s and mother's side, some reaching back to the 1700s. They had settled in Floral Park and Little Neck, at a time when these areas were predominantly farmland and woodland. Mr. Klein was born in 1931 during the beginning of the depression. At that time, Mr. Klein's father, W. Royden Klein, lost $200,000 attempting to bail out a bank owned and managed by his father and uncle. The bank failed anyway. Mr. Klein's father moved eastward, eventually settling in Smithtown where he opened his own law practice.

Mr. Klein graduated from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville for his undergraduate and law degrees, a part of the country he and his wife, Audrey fell in love with. They would later retire to Lexington in 2008.

Shortly after college he joined his father's law firm. His 24-year political career got launched in June 1956 when his father encouraged him to apply for the Smithtown town attorney position, a mere three months after having been admitted to the bar. He served as town attorney for six years. He then ran for Smithtown town supervisor, a post he held for six years. For two years he served as chairman of the newly created county legislature. This prepared him for a successful run for Suffolk County executive in 1972, a post he held for eight years.

In March 2000, Mr. Klein was featured as "Long Islander of the Century" by Newsday.

Over the years Mr. Klein was called upon for advice and consultation from Presidents Carter, Reagan and Ford, and from New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller.

Mr. Klein was predeceased by his beloved wife of 62-1/2 years, Audrey Rowe Klein. He was the son of the late W. Royden Klein and Elmira Van Nostrand Klein. He was the brother of the late William R. Klein Jr. and Douglas S. Klein.

He is survived by nephew, William R. Klein III and family, and nephew, Douglas S. Klein and family. Burial will take place in Syosset, N.Y. at a later date.

Arrangements are by Harrison Funeral Home & Crematory.