Myron Sulzberger (June 14, 1878 – September 16, 1956) was a Jewish-American lawyer, politician, and judge from New York.

Early life and education

Myron Sulzberger was born on June 14, 1878, in

New York City, New York New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on New York Harbor, one of the world's largest natural harb ...

, the son of Solomon Sulzberger and Esther Emden. His father was a German immigrant who served as president and treasurer of

B'nai B'rith B'nai B'rith International ( ; from ) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit Jewish service organization and was formerly a cultural association for German Jewish immigrants to the United States. B'nai B'rith states that it is committed to the se ...

and vice-president of the

Union of American Hebrew Congregations The Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), formerly known as the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (UAHC) until 2003, founded in 1873 by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, is the congregational arm of Reform Judaism in North America. The other two arms establ ...

. Sulzberger received his education in New York City public schools, followed by studies at the Weingart Institute. He completed a two-year course at the College of the City of New York and then attended

New York Law School New York Law School (NYLS) is a private, American law school in the Tribeca neighborhood in Manhattan, New York City. The third oldest law school in New York City, its history predates its official founding in 1891 by Theodore William Dwight, T ...

, where he was admitted to the state bar.

Career

Sulzberger was active in the Democratic Party, beginning his political involvement by giving speeches before he was old enough to vote. In 1901, he was elected to the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Ass ...

as a Democrat, representing the

New York County Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the smallest county by area in the U.S. state of New York. Located almost entire ...

26th District. He served in the Assembly in

1902 Events January * January 1 ** The Nurses Registration Act 1901 comes into effect in New Zealand, making it the first country in the world to require state registration of nurses. On January 10, Ellen Dougherty becomes the world's ...

and

1903 Events January * January 1 – Edward VII is proclaimed Emperor of India. * January 10 – The Aceh Sultanate was fully annexed by the Dutch forces, deposing the last sultan, marking the end of the Aceh War that have lasted for al ...

. While in the Assembly, he introduced and worked on several important legislative matters, particularly concerning insurance and canal propositions. Sulzberger served as special deputy

Attorney General of New York The attorney general of New York is the chief legal officer of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and head of the Department of Law of the government of New York (state), state government. The office has existed in various forms since ...

from 1904 to 1905 and as special counsel of the

New York State Prison Commission The New York State Commission of Correction is "empowered to visit and inspect all penal institutions and to promote humane and efficient administration of these institutions." It's a part of the New York State Executive Department. Correction Law ...

from 1924 to 1927. In 1927, he became a Municipal Court Justice, a position he was re-elected to in 1937. He resigned in 1941 and returned to private practice. As Justice, he chaired the rules committee, which recommended establishing a separate civil jurisdiction for small claims, leading to the creation of the Small Claims Part of Magistrate's Court. After retiring from the bench, he specialized in corporate and real estate law with the firm Sulzberger, Schechter & Sulzberger, partnering with his son Myron Jr. and Jacob Schechter.

Personal life

Sulzberger was president of the Mt. Vernon Country Club and chairman of the County Committee, 14th Assembly District, from 1920 to 1927. He also served on the advisory board of the Home of the Daughters of Jacob from 1927 onward and was a member of various organizations, including the

American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary association, voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students in the United States; national in scope, it is not specific to any single jurisdiction. Founded in 1878, the ABA's stated acti ...

, the

New York State Bar Association The New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) is a voluntary bar association for the state of New York. The mission of the association is to cultivate the science of jurisprudence; promote reform in the law; facilitate the administration of justice ...

, the

New York County Lawyers' Association The New York County Lawyers Association (NYCLA) is a bar association located in New York City. The New York County Lawyers Association was founded in 1908 because the existing bar association excluded some lawyers from membership due to their ra ...

, the Federal Bar Association of the

Southern District of New York The Southern District of New York is a federal judicial district that encompasses the counties of New York (Manhattan), Bronx, Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, Orange, Dutchess, and Sullivan. Federal offices or agencies operating in the distri ...

, the Society of Tammany, the Michael T. McCarron Association, the Yorkville Chamber of Commerce, the

New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children The New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children was founded in 1874 (and incorporated in 1875). It is the world's first Child protection, child protective agency. It is sometimes called the Gerry Society after one of its co-founder ...

, the Museum of Art, the

Museum of Natural History A natural history museum or museum of natural history is a scientific institution with natural history collections that include current and historical records of animals, plants, fungi, ecosystems, geology, paleontology, climatology, and more ...

, the Cosmopolitan Association, the

Freemasons Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

, the

Elks The Embeddable Linux Kernel Subset (ELKS), formerly known as Linux-8086, is a Linux-like operating system kernel. It is a subset of the Linux kernel, intended for 16-bit computers with limited processor and memory resources such as machines pow ...

, the

Knights of Pythias The Knights of Pythias is a Fraternal and service organizations, fraternal organization and secret society founded in Washington, D.C., on . The Knights of Pythias was the first fraternal organization to receive a charter under an Act of Co ...

, B'nai B'rith, the Craftsmen of Yorkville Club, and the National Democratic Club. He attended Temple Emanu-El and was an honorary director of its Men's Club. In 1903, he married Rena Fuld, and they had two children, Myron Jr. and Edward.

Death

Sulzberger died in White Plains General Hospital after a long illness on September 16, 1956.

References

External links

The Political Graveyard
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sulzberger, Myron 1878 births 1956 deaths American people of German-Jewish descent City College of New York alumni New York Law School alumni 20th-century American lawyers Lawyers from New York City American Reform Jews 19th-century American Jews 20th-century American Jews Jewish state legislators in New York (state) Politicians from Manhattan Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly 20th-century New York state court judges New York state court judges American Freemasons 20th-century members of the New York State Legislature