Henry Moskowitz (September 27, 1880 – December 18, 1936) was a

civil rights activist Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life of ...

, and one of the co-founders of the

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is an American civil rights organization formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E. B. Du&nbs ...

Early life and education

Life and work

Biography

Moskowitz was born on September 27, 1880, in

Huși Huși (, Yiddish//''Hush'', , German language, German: ''Hussburg'') is a municipiu, city in Vaslui County, Romania, former capital of the disbanded Fălciu County in the historical region of Western Moldavia, Romanian Orthodox Church, Romanian O ...

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

. He was

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

. He migrated to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in 1883. He attended the New York City public schools and then 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 ...

in 1899. In 1906, he earned a Ph.D. in philosophy from the

University of Erlangen A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Univ ...

in Germany. In 1914, he married Belle Lindner Israels (1877–1933). In 1914,

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 ...

mayor

John Purroy Mitchel John Purroy Mitchel (July 19, 1879 – July 6, 1918) was the 95th mayor of New York, in office from 1914 to 1917. At 34, he was the second-youngest mayor of the city, and was sometimes referred to as the "Boy Mayor of New York". Mitchel won t ...

appointed him president of the Municipal Civil Service Commission. In 1917, he served as the

Commissioner of Public Markets The Commissioner of Public Markets, Weights, and Measures of the City of New York was a cabinet-level post appointed by the List of mayors of New York City, mayor of New York City during World War I, when foodstuffs were in short supply and people ...

in New York City. He was the founding Executive Director of the League of New York Theatres, which eventually became

The Broadway League The Broadway League, formerly the League of American Theatres and Producers and League of New York Theatres and Producers, is the national trade association for the Broadway theatre industry based in New York City. Its members include theatre ow ...

, the organization known for producing the

Tony Awards The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cere ...

. He was also an active leader in

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...

's Progressive Party. He died on December 18, 1936, in

Manhattan, New York City 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 ...

Works

* ''Up from the City Streets: Alfred E. Smith'' (1927)

Timeline

* 1880 Born in

* 1883 Migrated from Romania to the United States * 1898 Co-founds the Downtown Ethical Society, a

settlement house The settlement movement was a reformist social movement that began in the 1880s and peaked around the 1920s in the United Kingdom and the United States. Its goal was to bring the rich and the poor of society together in both physical proximity an ...

* 1899 Graduates from

* 1906 Earned his Ph.D. in philosophy from the

in Germany * 1909 Co-founds

on February 12, 1909 *1909 Associate leader of the Society for Ethical Culture of New York *1911 Investigates the

Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan, a borough of New York City, on Saturday, March 25, 1911, was the deadliest List of industrial disasters, industrial disaster in the history of the city, an ...

*1912 Runs for Congress from the 12th District as a Progressive Party *1912 Rejects censorship in movies *1914 Appointed president of the Municipal Civil Service Commission *1914 Married Belle Lindner Israels (1877–1933) *1917

for

*1925 Trip to Europe to observe the plight of

Jews in Poland The history of the Jews in Poland dates back at least 1,000 years. For centuries, Poland was home to the largest and most significant Jews, Jewish community in the world. Poland was a principal center of Jewish culture, because of the long pe ...

*1932 Director of the League of New York Theatres *1933 Death of wife on January 2, 1933 *1933 Trip to Europe to observe the plight of Jews in Germany *1936 Death in Manhattan on December 18, 1936

Early life and education

Life and work

Biography

Works

Timeline

See also

References

Further reading