Benjamin Gladstone (December 14, 1896 – December 13, 1935) was a representative in the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Assem ...

, serving in the 157th and 158th State Legislatures in 1934 and 1935, respectively.

Early life

Gladstone was born 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 an im ...

of Manhattan, to Samuel Gladstone and the former Minnie Klein, in a house on Cherry Street. His family moved to Harlem, where he started his schooling at P.S. 83 on East 110th Street near Second Avenue, and later graduated from Harlem Evening High School and

Fordham University School of Law Fordham University School of Law is the law school of Fordham University. The school is located in Manhattan in New York City, and is one of eight ABA-approved law schools in that city. In 2013, 91% of the law school's first-time test take ...

. He then enlisted in the U.S. Army and was assigned to the Engineer Corps, but World War I ended before he was sent overseas.

Career

Gladstone set up a private law practice in Manhattan and was active in the Bronx County Democratic organization, serving as secretary of his district's county committee, as a delegate to judicial conventions, and on the law and speakers' committees. Gladstone was also active in a variety of fraternal, civic, religious, and political circles. He was chairman of the board of directors of the Hunts Point Hebrew Association, President of the Onward Lodge of the Independent Order of Brith Abraham, and a member the

American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is a non-profit organization of U.S. war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militi ...

, the Elks, and the Bronx County Bar Association. He was elected to the Assembly on the Democratic Party and Recovery Party lines in November 1933 and re-elected November 1934. He devoted his legislative career to improving educational standards and conditions in the public schools. He was also chairman of the 1934 Emergency Unemployment Relief drive in the Bronx. On April 2, 1935, Gladstone collapsed from a heart attack in the Assembly and rushed by ambulance to Albany Hospital. He had appeared to recover and was in apparent good health when he was re-elected to a third term in November 1935. However, on December 13, 1935, after leaving a meeting at the local Democratic club in the Bronx and returning home, he suddenly collapsed and died. He was succeeded by

Julius J. Gans Julius J. Gans (January 21, 1896 – April 24, 1973) was a Jewish-American lawyer, politician, and judge from New York. Life Gans was born on January 21, 1896, in New York City, New York, the son of Nathan Gans and Ida Lowenthal. Gans attended P ...

, who won a special election held on January 22, 1936.

Legacy

Gladstone was survived by his wife, Florence, and three-year-old daughter, Mildred. Benjamin Gladstone Square, surrounded by Westchester Avenue, Hoe Avenue, and West Farms Road, a block away from Gladstone's residence at 1106 West Farms Road and previously called Fox Square, was named after him in 1937.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gladstone, Benjamin Jewish American military personnel People from Harlem Jewish American state legislators in New York (state) Fordham University School of Law alumni Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly 1896 births 1935 deaths 20th-century American politicians Politicians from the Bronx People from the Lower East Side Politicians from Manhattan 20th-century American Jews