Abram Isaac Elkus (August 6, 1867 – October 15, 1947), an American ambassador, judge, and public official, was one of the most prominent Jews in American government.

Biography

Elkus was born in New York City on August 6, 1867, the son of Isaac and Julia Elkus, and brought up as an orthodox Jew. He was educated in the city's public schools as well as the College of the City of New York. He earned his law degree at

Columbia Law School Columbia Law School (Columbia Law or CLS) is the law school of Columbia University, a private Ivy League university in New York City. Columbia Law is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious law schools in the world and has always ranked i ...

and was admitted to the bar in 1888. Gertrude Elkus

In 1902, Elkus' firm ''James, Schell & Elkus'', merged with a firm headed by

Joseph M. Proskauer Joseph Meyer Proskauer (6 August 1877 – 10 September 1971) was an American lawyer, judge, philanthropist, and political activist and is the name partner of Proskauer Rose. Biography Proskauer was born in Mobile, Alabama, to a Jewish family in 18 ...

, creating the firm of ''Elkus, Gleason & Proskauer'', a predecessor of the law firm of

Proskauer Rose Proskauer Rose LLP (formerly known as Proskauer, Rose, Goetz & Mendelsohn, LLP) is an international law firm headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 1875 and currently employs more than 800 attorneys in twelve offices worldwide. P ...

. In 1910, Elkus was appointed Special Assistant to the United States Attorney for the prosecution of bankruptcy frauds. In 1911 he was Counsel for the New York State Factory Investigating Committee engaged in framing legislation dealing with child labor, working hours for women, fire protection, and similar safeguards for factory workers. Elkus was Chief Counsel for the state commission that investigated the

Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, on Saturday, March 25, 1911, was the deadliest industrial disaster in the history of the city, and one of the deadliest in U.S. history. The ...

. He also served as Chairman of the Reconstruction Commission of this State that proposed a major reorganization of state government to Governor Alfred E. Smith, and for many years he served as a member of the State Board of Regents (which oversees the New York State education system). In 1916 he was appointed by

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...

to be the

United States Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire The United States has maintained many high level contacts with Turkey since the 19th century. Ottoman Empire Chargé d'Affaires * George W. Erving (before 1831) * David Porter (September 13, 1831 – May 23, 1840) Minister Resident * David Por ...

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...

. While there he also represented the interests of

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

, and

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

which were then at war with the Ottomans. In April 1917, when the United States entered World War I against

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, he was recalled, but serious illness prevented his homecoming for many months. The U.S. never declared war against the Ottoman Empire. In

1913 Events January * January 5 – First Balkan War: Battle of Lemnos (1913), Battle of Lemnos – Greek admiral Pavlos Kountouriotis forces the Turkish fleet to retreat to its base within the Dardanelles, from which it will not ven ...

and

1920 Events January * January 1 ** Polish–Soviet War in 1920: The Russian Red Army increases its troops along the Polish border from 4 divisions to 20. ** Kauniainen, completely surrounded by the city of Espoo, secedes from Espoo as its own ma ...

, he ran for Judge of 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 ...

, but was twice defeated. On November 12, 1919, Governor Alfred E. Smith appointed him to fill the vacancy caused by the death of

William H. Cuddeback William Herman Cuddeback (March 23, 1852 – August 16, 1919) was an American lawyer and politician from New York, with his career culminating in his election to the New York Court of Appeals in 1912. Biography He was born on March 23, 1852, ...

. Elkus served on the court until December 31, 1920, and then accepted an appointment as one of the

League of Nations The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ...

Commissioners to settle the

Åland Islands Åland ( fi, Ahvenanmaa: ; ; ) is an autonomous and demilitarised region of Finland since 1920 by a decision of the League of Nations. It is the smallest region of Finland by area and population, with a size of 1,580 km2, and a populati ...

dispute between Finland and Sweden. On October 15, 1947, he died at his home in

Red Bank, New Jersey Red Bank is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. Incorporated in 1908, the community is on the Navesink River, the area's original transportation route to the ocean and other ports. Red Bank is in the New York Metropolitan A ...

."DIPLOMAT, LAWYER; U. S. Envoy to Turkey During First World War Succumbs in Red Bank, N. J., at 80 WAS PROSECUTOR, JUDGE Triangle Fire Inquiry Counsel Framed 35 Laws on Child Labor and Other Problems"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', October 16, 1947. Accessed September 21, 2015. "RED BANK, N. J., Oct. 15 - Abram I. Elkus of New York, former United States Ambassador to Turkey, died here at eight o'clock tonight in his summer home after a long illness."

Notes

References

External links

*, which served as the source for much of this article. {{DEFAULTSORT:Elkus, Abram Isaac City College of New York alumni Columbia Law School alumni Ambassadors of the United States to the Ottoman Empire Judges of the New York Court of Appeals 1867 births 1947 deaths People from Red Bank, New Jersey American Jews Proskauer Rose people 20th-century American diplomats