Robert Harold Hishon

Robert H. Hishon, 83, of Atlanta, GA, passed away on Sept. 15, 2024, from multiple medical complications. Bob was born on July 14, 1941, to Rheta Joan Hishon and Harold Wilfred Hishon in Kitchener, Ontario. At age 7, Bob was diagnosed with polio and placed in an iron lung. After a year in the hospital, he recovered enough to walk on crutches, which he continued to use until the final decade of his life. He moved to Ft. Lauderdale with his family at 16. After Bob graduated from Central Catholic High School in 1959, he went on to study Accounting at Southern Mississippi University, where he was a member of Kappa Alpha fraternity and graduated with a B.S. in 1963. He practiced as a Certified Public Accountant for several years before attending Emory University School of Law, where he earned a J.D. in 1969. He was a fierce fighter, determined to overcome his physical handicaps and rise in the legal profession.

Beginning in 1969, Bob served first as an associate and then as a partner with Alston, Miller & Gaines until 1978. For the next seven years, he continued his career at Bondurant, Miller, Hishon & Stephenson and then went out on his own as lead attorney with Hishon Firm LLC. He practiced general business law, specializing in tax law until he died. He also taught taxation in the graduate law programs at Emory University and the University of Florida as an adjunct professor from 1974 to 2004. In 1993, he co-authored a book entitled Tax Fraud and Money Laundering, which he used in his classes.

Eminently qualified in his field, Bob was admitted to the American Bar Association, the State Bar of Georgia, the District of Columbia Bar, the Atlanta Bar Association, the United States Tax Court, and a number of appellate courts. He also maintained his affiliation with the Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants and was a member of the Federalist Society, the Order of the Coif, and the honor societies of Omicron Delta Kappa, Phi Delta Phi, and Phi Eta Sigma. Bob was designated as one of the Best Lawyers in America and was listed in the Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers and the published listing of Super Lawyers.

In the mid-1970s, Bob met Elizabeth (Betsy) Anderson, also an attorney in Atlanta, and the two were married in 1977.

Aside from his law practice, Bob volunteered as a director and chairman of the Georgia Special Olympics, and he had a keen interest in philanthropy with a focus on women’s education. He enjoyed playing golf for many years, and he was known for his hospitality, generosity, and love of wine and art.

Bob was predeceased by his wife, Elizabeth Anderson Hishon; his parents, Rheta and Harold; his brother Glen Patrick; and his sister Joyce Ann Axell (Charlie). He is survived by his partner of 23 years, Nancy Arnold Barber; his siblings James John (Dorothy Scopelitis), Mary Catherine Forte (widow of Rene), Harold Joseph (Jane), Joan Rheta Vinas (Art Quinn), and Marjorie Theresa Etts (widow of Craig); and a number of nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and great-nephews.

Services will be held at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (353 Peachtree Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30308) on Saturday, Oct. 5 at noon. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Elizabeth Anderson Hishon Foundation (c/o John Smith, CPA, 241 Lake Forrest Lane NE, Atlanta, GA 30342-3211), or the Ave Maria School of Law (Office of Development, 1025 Commons Circle, Naples, FL 34119).