Seymour R. Thaler (August 31, 1919 – February 5, 1976) was an American lawyer and politician from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. 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 served in the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature, while the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Established in 1777 by the Constitution of New York, its members are elected to two-year terms with no term l ...

from 1958 to 1971. He won a seat on the

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 ...

in 1971, but never heard a case as a result of his 1972 conviction for dealing in stolen Treasury securities.

Early life

He was born Seymour Thaler on August 31, 1919, in the

East Bronx The East Bronx is the part of the New York City borough of the Bronx which lies east of the Bronx River; this roughly corresponds to the eastern half of the borough. Neighborhoods include: Baychester, Castle Hill, City Island, Co-op City ...

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 ...

, the son of Jacob Thaler and Gussie Thaler. He added the middle initial R. to his name while still going to school. He attended Public School No. 63 and

DeWitt Clinton High School DeWitt Clinton High School is a public high school located since 1929 in the Bronx borough of New York City. Opened in 1897 in Lower Manhattan as an all-boys school, it maintained that status for 86 years before becoming co-ed in 1983. From i ...

. He graduated from

Brooklyn College Brooklyn College is a public university in Brooklyn in New York City, United States. It is part of the City University of New York system and enrolls nearly 14,000 students on a campus in the Midwood and Flatbush sections of Brooklyn as of fall ...

; and

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 ...

and

J.S.D. A Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD; ), or a Doctor of the Science of Law (JSD; ), is a research doctorate degree in law that is equivalent to a Ph.D. degree. In most countries, it is the most advanced law degree that can be earned. Australia ...

from

Brooklyn Law School Brooklyn Law School (BLS) is a Private university, private law school in New York City. Founded in 1901, it has approximately 1,100 students. Brooklyn Law School's faculty includes 60 full-time faculty, 15 emeriti faculty, and adjunct faculty. ...

. He was admitted to the bar in 1942, and practiced law in New York City.

Political career

Thaler served in the

from three different districts in the 172nd, 173rd, 174th, 175th, 176th, 177th, 178th, 179th and

180th New York State Legislature The 180th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 3, 1973, to May 30, 1974, during the fifteenth and final year of Nelson Rockefeller's governorship, and during Ma ...

s. Thaler first won election to the Senate in 1958, defeating incumbent Irwin Pakula in the 7th district from

Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

. He served that district until 1966, shifting over to the 13th district to replace Guy James Mangano who stepped down to become a judge. Later in 1966, he ran for the 10th district Senate seat to replace

Irving Mosberg Irving Mosberg (May 6, 1908 – April 25, 1973) was an American lawyer and politician from New York. Life He was born on May 6, 1908, in New York City. He attended the public schools and Morris High School in the Bronx. He attended New York Univ ...

, who ran for a judgeship on the

New York City Civil Court The Civil Court of the City of New York is a civil court of the New York State Unified Court System in New York City that decides lawsuits involving claims for damages up to $25,000 and includes a small claims part (small claims court) for case ...

. In 1962, Thaler ran as an independent candidate in a special election to replace Lester Holtzman, who had resigned to take a judgeship on the New York Supreme Court. Thaler's nominating petitions to get on the ballot were invalidated by the courts. He was a delegate to the

1964 Democratic National Convention The 1964 Democratic National Convention of the Democratic Party, took place at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, from August 24 to 27, 1964. President Lyndon B. Johnson was nominated for a full term. Senator Hubert H. Humphrey of Mi ...

. In 1969, he ran in the Democratic primary for

New York City Comptroller The Office of Comptroller of New York City, a position established in 1801, is the chief financial officer and chief auditor of the city agencies and their performance and spending. The comptroller also reviews all city contracts, handles the s ...

on a ticket with former Mayor

Robert F. Wagner Jr. Robert Ferdinand Wagner II (April 20, 1910 – February 12, 1991) was an American diplomat and politician who served three terms as the mayor of New York City from 1954 through 1965. When running for his third term, he broke with the Tammany Ha ...

who was seeking a return to City Hall after leaving office in 1965. Thaler was defeated in the Democratic primary election by

Abraham Beame Abraham David Beame (''né'' Birnbaum; March 20, 1906February 10, 2001) was an American accountant, investor, and Democratic Party politician who served from 1974 to 1977 as the 104th mayor of New York City. Beame presided over the city during ...

Conviction

In November 1971, Thaler was elected to the

. On December 21, he and three associates were indicted for selling $800,000 worth of stolen

Treasury bill United States Treasury securities, also called Treasuries or Treasurys, are government debt instruments issued by the United States Department of the Treasury to finance government spending as a supplement to taxation. Since 2012, the U.S. ...

s in 1970. On December 23, 1971, he pleaded not guilty. In February 1972, four counts of

perjury Perjury (also known as forswearing) is the intentional act of swearing a false oath or falsifying an affirmation to tell the truth, whether spoken or in writing, concerning matters material to an official proceeding."Perjury The act or an insta ...

were added to the indictment. On March 23, he was convicted of unlawfully receiving and disposing of stolen securities, and of perjury. On August 8, he was sentenced to one year in prison, and fined $10,000. On November 2, he was disbarred by the Appellate Division. On March 5, 1973, the conviction was upheld by the

United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (in case citations, 2d Cir.) is one of the thirteen United States Courts of Appeals. Its territory covers the states of Connecticut, New York (state), New York, and Vermont, and it has ap ...

. He began serving his sentence of three consecutive terms of one year and a day in November 1973. While in prison, he filed a $52.5 million Federal lawsuit against the Second National Bank Of New Haven alleging that the bank's negligent failure to inform him that the securities were stolen cost him his office, law license and resulted in public scorn. The judge

Jon O. Newman Jon Ormond Newman (born May 2, 1932) is a senior United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Early life and career Born in New York City, New York, Newman earned his Artium Baccalaureus degree fro ...

dismissed the case, comparing Thaler to a child who murdered his parents and sought pity as an orphan.

Death

Thaler died on February 5, 1976, in

, of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

and was buried at the New

Montefiore Cemetery Montefiore Cemetery, also known as Old Montefiore Cemetery, is a Jewish cemetery in Springfield Gardens, Queens, New York, established in 1908. The cemetery is called by several names, including Old Montefiore, Springfield, or less commonly, jus ...

Springfield Gardens, Queens Springfield Gardens is a neighborhood in the southeastern area of the New York City borough of Queens, bounded to the north by St. Albans, to the east by Laurelton and Rosedale, to the south by John F. Kennedy International Airport, and to th ...

. He was 56.

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thaler, Seymour R. 1919 births 1976 deaths Politicians from the Bronx Politicians from Queens, New York Democratic Party New York (state) state senators Brooklyn College alumni Brooklyn Law School alumni Disbarred New York (state) lawyers New York (state) politicians convicted of crimes DeWitt Clinton High School alumni Burials at New Montefiore Cemetery 20th-century members of the New York State Legislature