Adolph Lewis Sanger (October 8, 1842 – January 3, 1894) was a Jewish-American lawyer from New York.

Early life and education

Sanger was born on October 8, 1842, in

Baton Rouge, Louisiana Baton Rouge ( ; , ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It had a population of 227,470 at the 2020 United States census, making it List of municipalities in Louisiana, Louisiana's second-m ...

. He moved to

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 ...

, when he was eight. Sanger graduated from the

City College of New York The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a Public university, public research university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York ...

with an A.M. in 1862. He then went to

Columbia Law School Columbia Law School (CLS) is the Law school in the United States, law school of Columbia University, a Private university, private Ivy League university in New York City. The school was founded in 1858 as the Columbia College Law School. The un ...

, where he received an

LL.B. A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

in 1864 and an

LL.M. A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is a postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in another subject. In many jurisdi ...

in 1865. While attending Columbia, he studied law with Benedict & Boardman, leading commercial lawyers in the city at the time.

Career

In 1865, he began practicing law with Myer S. Isaacs. A

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

, he unsuccessfully ran for Judge of the Marine Court in 1881. In 1870, he was appointed a commissioner of the United States deposit funds. He was a New York

presidential elector In the United States, the Electoral College is the group of presidential electors that is formed every four years for the sole purpose of voting for the president and vice president in the presidential election. This process is described in ...

in the

1880 Events January *January 27 – Thomas Edison is granted a patent for the incandescent light bulb. Edison filed for a US patent for an electric lamp using "a carbon filament or strip coiled and connected ... to platina contact wires." gr ...

and 1884 presidential elections. In 1885, he was elected President of the

Board of Aldermen An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law with similar officials existing in the Netherlands ( wethouder) and Belgium ( schepen). The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking mem ...

. He was serving as Acting Mayor during the reception of the

Statue of Liberty The Statue of Liberty (''Liberty Enlightening the World''; ) is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, within New York City. The copper-clad statue, a gift to the United States from the people of French Thir ...

. In 1886, he began the first of three terms as a Commissioner of Education. In 1893, he became president of the

Board of Education A board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution. The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional area, ...

. Sanger was a leader 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 ...

, president of the

Board of Delegates of American Israelites The Board of Delegates of American Israelites was the first Jewish civil and political rights organization in the United States, modeled after the Board of Deputies of British Jews. The organization was established in 1859 with headquarters in New ...

, 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 ...

. He was an Executive Committee member of the Grant Monument Association, a director of the Purim Association and the Montefiore Home, President of the Mount Washington Collegiate Association, and superintendent of the Temple Emanu-El religious school.

Death

Sanger died at home from

pneumonia Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...

on January 3, 1894. The funeral was held in Temple Emanu-El and officiated by Rabbi

Gustav Gottheil Gustav Gottheil (May 28, 1827, Pinne/ Pniewy, Grand Duchy of Posen, Prussia – April 15, 1903, New York City) was a Prussian-born American rabbi. Gottheil eventually became one of the most influential, well-known and controversial Reform Je ...

, who was aided by Rabbi

Joseph Silverman Joseph Silverman (August 25, 1860 in Ohio – July 26, 1930 in New York City), was a leading American Reform rabbi and author. He was the first American born rabbi to serve in New York City. Born in Cincinnati, he attended the University of ...

and Rabbi William Sparger. The honorary pallbearers included Mayor

Thomas Francis Gilroy Thomas Francis Gilroy (June 3, 1840 – December 1, 1911) was the 89th mayor of New York City from 1893 to 1894. Biography Gilroy was born in Sligo, Ireland, and immigrated with his parents to New York City at age seven. His father died soon a ...

, School Commissioner

Randolph Guggenheimer Randolph Guggenheimer (November 4, 1907 – July 1, 1999) was a lawyer and philanthropist. Guggenheimer advocated for improved medical services for residents of Harlem from poor areas. In 1979, he and management consultant Eugene McCabe co-founde ...

Police Commissioner A police commissioner is the head of a police department, responsible for overseeing its operations and ensuring the effective enforcement of laws and maintenance of public order. They develop and implement policies, manage budgets, and coordinate ...

James J. Martin, ex-Attorney General Simon W. Rosendale,

Simon Wolf Simon Wolf (October 28, 1836 – June 4, 1923) was an American businessman, lawyer, writer, diplomat and Jewish activist. Biography Wolf was born in Hinzweiler, Kingdom of Bavaria. He emigrated to the United States in 1848, making his home in ...

Jacob Schiff Jacob Henry Schiff (born Jakob Heinrich Schiff; January 10, 1847 – September 25, 1920) was a German-born American banker, businessman, and philanthropist. He helped finance the expansion of American railroads and the Japanese military efforts a ...

Julius Bien Julius Bien (27 September 1826, Naumburg – 21 December 1909, Manhattan, New York) was an American lithographer originally from Germany, as well as president of B’nai B’rith for more than three decades. He produced a lithographed edition ...

, and his law partner Myer S. Isaacs. The funeral was also attended by, among other people, the Board of Aldermen (headed by George B. McClellan Jr.),

President

Alexander S. Webb Alexander Stewart Webb (February 15, 1835 – February 12, 1911) was a career United States Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War who received the Medal of Honor for gallantry at the Battle of Gettysburg. After the war, h ...

, Professor Richard Gotthiel, Professor

Robert Ogden Doremus Robert Ogden Doremus (11 January 1824 – 22 March 1906) was a United States chemist and physician. Biography Doremus was the son of philanthropist Sarah Platt Doremus and her merchant husband Thomas. He studied at Columbia, and graduated from N ...

, Tax Commissioner Joseph Blumenthal, ex-

Comptroller A comptroller (pronounced either the same as ''controller'' or as ) is a management-level position responsible for supervising the quality of accountancy, accounting and financial reporting of an organization. A financial comptroller is a senior- ...

Theodore W. Myers, Assistant

District Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, county prosecutor, state attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or solicitor is the chief prosecutor or chief law enforcement officer represen ...

Vernon M. Davis, Senator Jacob A. Cantor, Hugh O. Pentecost, Frederic R. Coudert,

Samuel Untermyer Samuel Untermyer (March 6, 1858 – March 16, 1940) was a prominent American lawyer and civic leader. He is also remembered for bequeathing his Yonkers, New York estate, now known as Untermyer Park, to the people of New York State. Life Samu ...

David Leventritt David Leventritt (January 31, 1845 – January 9, 1926) was a Jewish-American lawyer and judge from New York. Life Leventritt was born on January 31, 1845, in Winnsboro, South Carolina, the son of George M. Leventritt and Betty Goldberg. His p ...

, Dr.

Frederick de Sola Mendes Frederick de Sola Mendes (July 8, 1850 – October 26, 1927) was a rabbi, author, and editor. Family history and education Frederick de Sola Mendes was born into an old Spanish & Portuguese rabbinic family. He was the son of Rabbi Abraham Pereir ...

, and delegates from various organizations he was involved in. He was buried in

Salem Fields Cemetery Salem Fields Cemetery is a Jewish cemetery located at 775 Jamaica Avenue in the Cypress Hills neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, United States, within the Cemetery Belt. It was founded in 1852 by Congregation Emanu-El of New York. Salem Fie ...

in Cypress Hills.

References

External links

*
The Political Graveyard
' 1842 births 1894 deaths People from Baton Rouge, Louisiana Lawyers from New York City City College of New York alumni Columbia Law School alumni 19th-century American lawyers American lawyers Politicians from Manhattan New York City Council members New York (state) Democrats 1884 United States presidential electors American Reform Jews 19th-century American Jews Deaths from pneumonia in New York (state) Burials at Salem Fields Cemetery {{Jewish Encyclopedia, title=SANGER, ADOLPH L.