Lester Holtzman (June 1, 1913 – November 12, 2002) was an American lawyer, jurist, and politician. He served four terms in the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together the ...
from 1953 to 1961. He was later a justice of the
New York Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the trial-level court of general jurisdiction in the New York State Unified Court System. (Its Appellate Division is also the highest intermediate appellate court.) It is vested with unlimited civ ...
, serving from 1962 until 1973.
Early life
Holtzman was born in New York City on June 1, 1913 to Jewish immigrants from Poland, Isidore and Rebecca. Lester was the couple's only child born in the United States. He had an older sister Rose who was born in Poland and immigrated with her parents. They are the only two to survive infancy. The family lived on the
Lower East Side
The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets.
Traditionally ...
in Manhattan until 1916, when Lester contracted polio. They settled in the
Middle Village, in
Queens
Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...
which might offer a better chance to recover. He attended
Newtown High School in Queens until his father bought a small grocery where Lester would work while doing Prelaw work in the evening.
He was the president of his class at
St. John's University School of Law
St. John's University School of Law is a Roman Catholic law school in Jamaica, Queens, New York, United States, affiliated with St. John's University.
The School of Law was founded in 1925, and confers Juris Doctor degrees and degrees for Maste ...
and graduated in 1936. Afterwards, he went into private practice in Queens.
Political career
Holtzman had sought political jobs for several years; once receiving an offer from the
Federal Housing Administration
The Federal Housing Administration (FHA), also known as the Office of Housing within the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), is a United States government agency founded by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, created in part b ...
. He ran for Congress in
1952
Events January–February
* January 26 – Cairo Fire, Black Saturday in Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses.
* February 6
** Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh ...
, a year that saw
Dwight Eisenhower sweep into the White House and the
Republicans
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or again ...
picked up 22 seats in the House of Representatives. His opponent was
Robert Tripp Ross
Robert Tripp Ross (June 4, 1903 – October 1, 1981) was an American politician from New York. He served in two non-consecutive terms to the United States House of Representatives and an assistant Secretary of Defense.
Early life
Born in Washingt ...
, an incumbent who had won his seat in a special election a few months before.
During the campaign, he promised that he would cease takeoffs by low-flying aircraft into
Laguardia Airport
LaGuardia Airport is a civil airport in East Elmhurst, Queens, New York City. Covering , the facility was established in 1929 and began operating as a public airport in 1939. It is named after former New York City mayor Fiorello La Guardia ...
, which was in the district. Holtzman admitted later this was a lie and was the only lie he consciously told in his career. He defeated Ross by a close 300 votes becoming the only Democrat to unseat a Republican that year, and the first Jewish congressman from Queens.
[
He defeated popular state senator ]Seymour Halpern
Seymour Halpern (November 19, 1913 – January 10, 1997) was an American politician from New York.
Life
He was born in New York City. He graduated from Richmond Hill High School and attended Seth Low College of Columbia University from 1932 to 1 ...
in 1954 by more than 10,000 votes and former justice Albert Buschmann in the 1956 election. In his career, Holtzman was generally a backbencher who supported civil rights, Israel and organized labor; but never introduced any legislation that was signed into law.[
]
Judicial career
After his re-election in 1960, Holtzman decided to run for a seat on the state Supreme Court. The 14-year term and increased salary would give him a measure of security. He secured the nomination thanks to assistance from President John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...
and his brother Robert
The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, h ...
.[
As a justice, he handled the first divorce case in New York after laws were reformed.][ In 1971, he was assigned a case that challenged New York's 1970 legalization of abortion. In Byrn v. New York City Health and Hospitals Corp., Holtzman ruled that Professor Robert Byrn of ]Fordham University
Fordham University () is a Private university, private Jesuit universities, Jesuit research university in New York City. Established in 1841 and named after the Fordham, Bronx, Fordham neighborhood of the The Bronx, Bronx in which its origina ...
could act as a guardian for the unborn, which afforded him legal standing to file suit overturn the state's abortion law. He also entered an order for the city hospitals to show cause
Show or The Show may refer to:
Competition, event, or artistic production
* Agricultural show, associated with agriculture and animal husbandry
* Animal show, a judged event in the hobby of animal fancy
** Cat show
** Dog show
** Horse show
** ...
why they should not cease abortion procedures while the law was being challenged.
In 1972, Byrn's challenge was decided by an opinion of the Appellate Division and the New York Court of Appeals
The New York Court of Appeals is the highest court in the Unified Court System of the State of New York. The Court of Appeals consists of seven judges: the Chief Judge and six Associate Judges who are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by t ...
in which fetuses were not found to have personhood.
He retired from the bench in 1973 to become the president of the Queens Savings & Loan Association.[
]
Personal life
Holtzman married the former Mae Gress in 1936. They had two children, Matthew and Joy. Holtzman died in Rockville, Maryland on November 12, 2002.[
]
See also
* List of Jewish members of the United States Congress
This is a list of Jewish members of the United States Congress. , there are 10 Jewish senators and 27 Jewish members of the House of Representatives serving in the United States Congress.
Senate
Elected to the Senate, but not seated
House ...
References
Political Graveyard
* Washington Post
Obituary, Mae Gress Holtzman
March 24, 2012
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holtzman, Lester
1913 births
2002 deaths
Jewish members of the United States House of Representatives
St. John's University School of Law alumni
New York Supreme Court Justices
New York (state) lawyers
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state)
20th-century American politicians
20th-century American judges
20th-century American lawyers
20th-century American Jews
21st-century American Jews