Daniel Peixotto Hays (March 28, 1854 – November 24, 1923) was a Jewish-American lawyer from New York.
Life
Hays was born on March 28, 1854, in
Pleasantville, New York
Pleasantville is a village in the town of Mount Pleasant, in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located 30 miles north of Manhattan. The village population was 7,513 at the 2020 census. Pleasantville is home to the secondary c ...
. He was the son of David Hays, a pharmacist and treasurer of the College of Pharmacy of the City of New York, and
Judith Salzedo Peixotto Judith Salzedo Hays (December 30, 1823 – March 1, 1881) was a Jewish-American teacher and principal from New York. Life
Peixotto was born on December 30, 1823, in New York City, New York
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is th ...
.
Hays attended the Thirteenth Street public school in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
and graduated from the
College of the City of New York in 1873. 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 ...
, graduating from there in 1875. He began working in the law office of Carpentier & Beach as an office boy while studying, and by the time he graduated he became managing clerk of the firm. In 1877, he became a partner with the firm's senior member ex-Judge Elias J. Beach. Beach died a few months later, after which Hays associated with James S. Carpentier under the firm name Carpentier & Hays. The firm was dissolved upon Carpentier's death in 1886.
He then became associated with
Samuel Greenbaum in the law firm Hays & Greenbaum. In 1898, Abraham Hershfield joined the firm and it became known as Hays, Greenbaum & Hershfield. The firm's clients included some of the most prominent businesspeople in New York City, including General
Adam Badeau against the executors of
Ulysses S. Grant's estate for services in preparing
Grant's memoirs, and was counsel for General
Daniel E. Sickles during the latter's term as
Sheriff of New York County.
Hays' partnership with Greenbaum lasted for seventeen years, after which Greenbaum became a
New York Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the superior court in the Judiciary of New York. It is vested with unlimited civil and criminal jurisdiction, although in many counties outside New York City it acts primarily as a court of civil ju ...
Justice. Hays then formed the law firm Hays & Hershfield, followed by Hays, Hershfield & Wolf. He was a partner in the latter law firm until his death. He was a director of a number of companies, including the Mt. Pleasant Bank. He was also a member of the
Palisades Interstate Park Commission
The Palisades Interstate Park Commission (PIPC) was formed in 1900 by Governors Theodore Roosevelt of New York and Foster Voorhees of New Jersey in response to the quarrying operations along the Palisades Cliffs of New Jersey. The Palisades, a N ...
, vice-chairman of the Westchester County Commission on county government, a trustee of the
Bedford State Reformatory for Women, treasurer and member of the board of managers of the Westchester County Normal School, a trustee of the Westchester Historical Society, and president of the Harlem Law Library. He was also a director of the Jewish Chautauqua Circle, treasurer of the Harlem Foundation for Jewish Communal Work, governor of The Judeans, a director of the
Montefiore Home, secretary of the
Jewish Theological Seminary, and a board member of the
Hebrew Orphan Asylum,
Mt. Sinai Hospital, the
Home for Aged and Infirm Hebrews,
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 the
Educational Alliance
Educational Alliance is a leading social institution that has been serving communities in New York City's Lower Manhattan since 1889. It provides multi-generational programs and services in education, health and wellness, arts and culture, and civ ...
. During
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, he was chairman of the Selective Service Board for Westchester County District 5 and a member of the Committee of Safety of Westchester County.
An early supporter of the
Young Men's Hebrew Association
A Jewish Community Center or a Jewish Community Centre (JCC) is a general recreational, social, and fraternal organization serving the Jewish community in a number of cities. JCCs promote Jewish culture and heritage through holiday celebrations, ...
, he served as its director for many years and was its vice-president in 1878 and president from 1879 to 1880. He was also president of the Mount Morris Club, a large and influential social organization in the upper part of New York City. He was a founder of ''
The American Hebrew
''The American Hebrew'' was a weekly Jewish magazine published in New York City.
History
It began publication on November 21, 1879, in New York City. It was founded by Frederick de Sola Mendes and its publisher was Philip Cowen. The weekly's ...
'' and was on its original board of editors. He moved to
Nyack in 1880, living there for some years. While there, he was a delegate from
Rockland County
Rockland County is the southernmost county on the west side of the Hudson River in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county's population is 338,329, making it the state's ...
in the 1884
Democratic State Convention,
which nominated
David B. Hill
David Bennett Hill (August 29, 1843October 20, 1910) was an American politician from New York who was the 29th governor of New York from 1885 to 1891 and represented New York in the United States Senate from 1892 to 1897.
In 1892, he made an un ...
for governor. He also purchased the ''Nyack City and County'', a prominent local publication, to make it supportive of
Grover Cleveland
Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States, serving from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. He was the first U.S. president to serve nonconsecutive terms and the first Hist ...
, and while the paper later fell out of his hands it remained a notable Democratic paper. In November 1893, he was appointed Commissioner of Appraisal and in charge of grades in the Twenty-third and Twenty-fourth wards in New York City. He was made Civil Service Commissioner later that year, and he became Chairman of the Board following the death of the former Chairman.
Hays became president of
Temple Israel in
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater ...
in 1889. In 1898, he was elected village president of Pleasantville. In 1905, he published his ''Collected Poems''. He was active in New York City and
Westchester County
Westchester County is a county located in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of New York, bordering the Long Island Sound and the Byram River to its east and the Hudson River on its west. The county is the seventh most populous cou ...
politics, serving as a delegate to several state Democratic conventions and as president of Harlem Democratic Club. He was also active in Jewish communal affairs, serving as trustee and secretary of the
Jewish Publication Society
The Jewish Publication Society (JPS), originally known as the Jewish Publication Society of America, is the oldest nonprofit, nondenominational publisher of Jewish works in English. Founded in Philadelphia in 1888, by Reform Rabbi Joseph Krauskop ...
and on the executive committee 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 ...
. While serving in the latter position, he was selected the Union's permanent chairman at its 1923 Golden Jubilee Convention in New York.
Hays was a member of 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
Westchester County Bar Association
The Westchester County Bar Association, established on February 11, 1896, is a not-for-profit corporation based in White Plains, New York
White Plains is a city in and the county seat of Westchester County, New York, United States. It is an ...
, and the
Jewish Historical Society
The Jewish Historical Society of England (JHSE) was founded in 1893 by several Anglo-Jewish scholars, including Lucien Wolf, who became the society's first president. Early presidents of the JHSE included Hermann Adler, Michael Adler, Joseph Jacobs ...
. In 1880, he married Rachel Hershfield, sister of his law partner Abraham Hershfield. Their children were Judith Piexotto (wife of Max Goldsmith), Florence (wife of Joseph J. Corn), Edwin Daniel, Mabel Ray (wife of Irving Lachenbruch), Bessie (wife of Paul Dreifuss), and Helen (wife of Irvin Auerbach).
Hays died at home from a short illness on November 24, 1923. His funeral was held in Temple Israel. The honorary pallbearers included
Oscar Strauss, ex-Judge
Samuel Greenbaum, Dr.
Stephen S. Wise, Federal Judge
Julian W. Mack,
Adolph S. Ochs
Adolph Simon Ochs (March 12, 1858 – April 8, 1935) was an American newspaper publisher and former owner of ''The New York Times'' and ''The Chattanooga Times'', which is now the ''Chattanooga Times Free Press''. Through his only child, Iphigene ...
,
Walter Law Jr., and
David M. Bressler. He was buried in Mount Hope Cemetery in Westchester County.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hays, Daniel P.
1854 births
1923 deaths
People from Pleasantville, New York
City College of New York alumni
Columbia Law School alumni
19th-century American lawyers
20th-century American lawyers
People from Nyack, New York
New York (state) Democrats
Lawyers from Manhattan
People from Harlem
American Reform Jews