- unitid
-
{"value"=>"3202", "type"=>"local_mss"}
{"value"=>"MssCol 3202", "type"=>"local_call"}
- unitdate
-
{"value"=>"1917-1971", "type"=>"inclusive", "normal"=>"1917/1971"}
{"value"=>"1935-1960", "type"=>"bulk", "normal"=>"1935/1960"}
- date_inclusive_start
-
1917
- date_inclusive_end
-
1971
- keydate
-
1917
- date_start
-
1917
- date_end
-
1971
- unittitle
-
{"value"=>"Louis Waldman papers"}
- physdesc
-
{"format"=>"structured", "physdesc_components"=>[{"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"34 linear feet (34 boxes)"}], "supress_display"=>true}
{"format"=>"structured", "physdesc_components"=>[{"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"7 microfilm reels"}], "supress_display"=>true}
- repository
-
{"value"=>"<span class=\"corpname\">The New York Public Library. Manuscripts and Archives Division.</span> <div class=\"address\"> <span class=\"addressline\">Stephen A. Schwarzman Building</span> <span class=\"addressline\">Fifth Avenue at 42nd Street, New York, NY 10018-2788</span></div>"}
- abstract
-
{"value"=>"Louis Waldman (1892-1982), a prominent labor lawyer of New York City, was born in the Ukraine. Following his emigration to America in 1909 he became a garment cutter, attended evening school and earned a civil engineering degree from Cooper Union and a law degree from New York Law School. Elected as a Socialist to the New York State Assembly, he was illegally expelled (1920) by a Republican majority. While in the Assembly he sponsored a social insurance bill which foreshadowed the social welfare legislation of the 1930s. He served as state chairman (1930-1936) of the Socialist Party and was three times (1928, 1930, 1932) its candidate for governor. In 1936 he broke with the Party over the issue of communist infiltration and became state chairman of its right-wing offshoot, the Social Democratic Federation, and founder of the American Labor Party. During this period Waldman became known as an indomitable fighter for social welfare legislation and civic reform. As a lawyer in private practice he acquired great distinction as counsel for many powerful trade unions including the Amalgamated Clothing Workers, the United Hatters, Cap and Millinery International, and the International Longshoremen's Association. He was also known as an able defense attorney in criminal cases. In what was characterized as the \"American Dreyfus case\" he secured the acquittal of Cpl. Robert Osman. Waldman's autobiography, Labor Lawyer, was published in 1944. Papers reflect Waldman's career as labor lawyer, politician, civic reformer, lecturer and author. Approximately one-third of the collection consists of correspondence and collateral papers relating to Waldman's civic, political, and professional interests including municipal reform, city charter revision, labor relations, and city and state politics. Included is his correspondnce as state chairman of the Socialist Party and as chairman of the Social Democratic Federation, and papers reflecting the gubernatorial campaigns of 1928, 1930, and 1932. Included are addresses and speeches made before bar associations, union conventions, and legislative committees, and papers reflecting his membership in bar associations including his chairmanship of the committee on American citizenship of the American Bar Association. Records of legal cases include correspondence and court papers, papers relating to U.S. v. Osman and other cases involving civil liberties and immigration matters including the case of Walter G. Krivitsky, a former official of Soviet military intelligence who was allegedly assassinated by Stalin's secret police. Also, scrapbooks of press clippings providing extensive documentation of his career."}
- langmaterial
-
{"value"=>"Materials in English"}
- prefercite
-
{"value"=>"<p>Louis Waldman papers, Manuscripts and Archives Division, The New York Public Library</p>"}
- origination
-
{"value"=>"Waldman, Louis, b. 1892", "type"=>"persname"}
- bioghist
-
{"value"=>"<p>Louis Waldman (1892-1982), prominent labor lawyer of New York City, was born in the Ukraine into a Jewish family of modest means. In 1909 he emigrated to America, settled on the Lower East Side and found employment as a garment cutter. Attending evening school he earned a degree (1916) in civil engineering from the Cooper Union Institute. In 1922 he graduated from the New York Law School and was admitted to the bar the following year. As a socialist he was twice elected (1917 and 1919) to the New York State Assembly, but his career as a legislator was cut short when, in 1920, he and four other socialists were expelled from the State Assembly by the Republican majority. This wholly illegal expulsion brought Waldman considerable public exposure and notoriety. While in the Assembly Waldman introduced a social insurance bill which had the distinction of being the first of its kind to be proposed in the Assembly and which foreshadowed the old age and unemployment insurance legislation of the 1930s. Continuing his affiliation with the Socialist Party Waldman served as its state chairman (1930-36) and was three times (1928, 1930, 1932) its candidate for governor. In 1936 he broke with the party over the issue of communist infiltration, became state chairman of its right-wing offshoot the Social Democratic Federation and a founder of the American Labor Party. During this period Waldman became known as an indomitable fighter for social welfare legislation, civic reform, honest government, and the elimination of graft and corruption from city government. As a lawyer in private practice he acquired great distinction in the practice of labor law, representing many powerful New York City unions including the Amalgamated Clothing Workers, the United Hatters, Cap and Millinery International, the Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, the International Longshoremen's Association, and the Newspapers and Mail Deliverers Union of New York and Vicinity. He also achieved a reputation as a defender of civil liberties and as an able defense attorney in criminal cases.</p> <p>In what was characterized as 'the American Dreyfus case' Waldman in a dramatic demonstration of legal skill secured the acquittal of Corporal Robert Osman who had been convicted of espionage by a court martial in the Panama Canal Zone. In another case involving freedom of the press and which attracted great publicity Waldman defended Nelson Rounsevell, a newspaper editor in the Canal Zone against the charge of criminal libel brought against him by high-ranking military officers. Waldman was a member an officer of the American Bar Association, the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, the Brooklyn Bar Association, the New York County Lawyers' Association, and the New York State Bar Association. He was the author of Labor lawyer (N. Y., E. P. Dutton, 1944), an autobiography, lectured widely and published numerous articles on the law, social, political and civic affairs. At his death he was survived by his wife, Bella Bernstein Waldman, a lawyer, and his sons Seymour Waldman and Paul Waldman also lawyers who were associated with him in the firm of Waldman and Waldman.</p>"}
- scopecontent
-
{"value"=>"<p>Approximately one-third of the collection consists of correspondence followed by Socialist Party papers, addresses, speeches and press releases, bar associations, legal cases, writings, personal miscellany and ephemera, and scrapbooks of clippings. There is also one carton of papers (mainly legal and bar association papers) which have been damaged by mildew.</p>"}
{"value"=>"<p class='list-head'>The Louis Waldman papers are arranged in eight series:</p>\n<ul class='arrangement series-descriptions'>\n<li><div class='series-title'><a href='/mss/3202#c1188677'>Correspondence</a></div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>The correspondence (incoming and outgoing) consists of a name/subject file, a chronological file, and a file of family and personal correspondence. The name/subject file consists of correspondence and collateral/papers (including minutes, reports, memoranda, press releases, and printed ephemera) relating especially to Waldman's civic, political and professional interests including municipal reform, city charter revision, labor relations and city and state politics. There is also a file of correspondence relating to his book Labor Lawyer. The chronological file consists of incoming and outgoing correspondence relating especially to invitations and speaking engagements, club memberships, personal recommendations, and also to political matters including his resignation from the American Labor Party, the 1940 presidential campaign, local politics, and the issues of fascism and communism. The family and personal correspondence consists of correspondence with his son Seymour while the latter was on active duty in the U. S. Navy; and copies of correspondence to his son Paul while the latter was attending college. There is also correspondence (1948-1952) of Waldman during his trips abroad and while he was ill (1953-1954).</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/mss/3202#c1188690'>Socialist Party / Social Democratic Federation</a></div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>The Socialist Party / Social Democratic Federation papers include correspondence of LW as state chairman of the Socialist Party, copies of his speeches and writings, campaign flyers and other printed ephemera relating especially to the gubernatorial campaigns of 1928, 1930 and 1932 during which he was a candidate for governor; and correspondence, minutes and press releases while he was state chairman of the SDF.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/mss/3202#c1188691'>Addresses, Speeches, Press Releases</a></div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>The addresses and speeches are arranged chronologically and consist mainly of copies of the texts of addresses, speeches and radio broadcasts. Included are speeches during political campaigns, as member of the Charter Committee of the City Affairs Committee, as state chairman of the Social Democratic Federation, and speeches made before bar associations and union conventions.</p> <p>Some of the texts are duplicated in content (if not in form) in the Socialist Party and press release files. There is some collateral correspondence and papers present in the later period. There is also present copies of statements made by LW before legislative committees including a copy of his statement (1948) before the sub-committee on legislation of the House Committee on Un-American Activities together with collateral correspondence with Richard M. Nixon and others relating in part to the Mundt-Nixon Bill (H. R. 5852). The press releases (1936-1969) which are arranged in chronological order include typescript and mimeograph copies of releases issued by LW personally and by organization with which he was associated.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/mss/3202#c1188692'>Bar Associations</a></div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>The bar association papers reflect LW's membership in the American Bar Foundation, the American College of Trial Lawyers, the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, the Brooklyn Bar Association, the New York County Lawyers' Association, and the New York State Bar Association. The American Bar Association papers (1947-1969) include correspondence of LW as chairman of its committee on American citizenship, papers relative to annual meetings, and the 3rd National Conference on Citizenship (1948). Included also is correspondence relative to the case of Girouard vs. U. S. which nullified the law that an applicant for citizenship must be willing to bear arms. The Association of the Bar... papers (1940-1970) include correspondence, minutes, reports and other papers of LW as member of various committees including bill of rights, grievances, international law, judiciary, and military training.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/mss/3202#c1188698'>Legal Cases</a></div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>The legal cases are arranged by case title followed by miscellaneous papers in chronological order. The papers include correspondence with clients, attorneys, government and union officials and others, and court papers including printed briefs, transcripts of pre-trial examinations, trial books, court orders and opinions, affidavits, summonses and notices. Included are records of Canal Zone vs. Rounsevell and U. S. vs. Osman involving respectively criminal libel and espionage in which LW served as defense counsel, and records of Davis vs. Curtis Publishing Co. and Benjamin Stolberg reflecting an action for libel against Stolberg for his article on \"Communist Wreckers in American Labor\" published in the Saturday Evening Post. Included in the correspondence relating to this case is a letter (May 18, 1943) by John Dewey to LW. Among other cases which achieved a large publicity are two immigration cases, that of U. S. ex rel. Kleczkowski vs. Watkins concerning the attempt of Dr. Karl Kleczkowski and his wife, who were espionage agents in Turkey during W. W. II, to avoid deportation, and the case of Walter G. Krivitsky, a former official of Soviet military intelligence who sought to remain in the U. S. and who was found dead in a hotel room allegedly the victim of Stalin's secret police.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/mss/3202#c1188701'>Writings</a></div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>The writings include a final typescript draft of LW's autobiography together with rough drafts and notes and unsorted scripts of monographs, articles and reviews including some in printed form.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/mss/3202#c1188702'>Personal miscellany; unsorted ephemera</a></div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>The personal miscellany includes biographical notes, a photograph of LW and other miscellany including insurance papers. There is also a \"Microflex\" (plastic disc) recording dated 2/10/50 of a radio debate regarding publicity during court trials over station WEVD in which LW participated.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/mss/3202#c1188704'>Scrapbooks of clippings</a></div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>The scrapbooks of press clippings are arranged into 'general' and subject categories in chronological order (with some overlap). They provide extensive documentation of Waldman's career as lawyer, defense attorney, politician, socialist and civic reformer.</p></div></li></ul>\n", "type"=>"arrangement"}
- arrangement
-
{"value"=>"<p>Eight series: I. Correspondence; II. Socialist Party/Social Democratic Federation; III. Addresses, Speeches, Press Releases; IV. Bar Associations; V. Legal Cases; VI. Writings; VII. Personal Miscellany; VIII. Scrapbooks of Clippings</p>", "supress_display"=>true}
- acqinfo
-
{"value"=>"<p>Mar. 11, 1970; July 6, 1972, Received from Louis Waldman May 13, 1971; May 14, 1971</p>"}
- processinfo
-
{"type"=>"processing", "value"=>"<p>Accessioned by John Stinson, 3/25/88</p>"}
- altformavail
-
{"value"=>"<p>Scrapbooks available only on microfilm; New York Public Library</p>"}
- extent_statement
-
34 linear feet (34 boxes); 7 microfilm reels
- date_bulk_start
-
1935
- date_bulk_end
-
1960