Lt. Arthur Lester Newman was born 7 February 1911 on a farm just outside Portland, Michigan. He was the second of four kids born to Henry Arthur Newman and Anna Larson. When he was eight the family moved to Seneca Falls, New York. After graduating with honours from high school, he enlisted in the United States Navy. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1934 and married Marie Theresa Florestano on 1 June 1936. Their daughter, Floranne Hope "Bunny", was born April 1939.
In the fall of 1941, Lt. Newman was assigned as the Executive Officer of USS Truxtun (DD-229). He died 18 February 1942 when the Truxtun was wrecked off the coast of Newfoundland. He was first buried at St. Lawrence, Newfoundland, before being brought back to the United States in December 1947 to be buried at the Arlington National Cemetery. In January 1945, Lt. Arthur Lester Newman was posthumously awarded the Navy-Marine Corps Medal for bravery and valor during the sinking of USS Truxtun. In April 1951, Chestnut Street in Annapolis, Maryland, was renamed Newman Street in honor of Lt. Arthur Lester Newman.
