Benjamin Mark Kaye (1884 – March 25, 1970) was an American lawyer known for co-founding the international law firm

Kaye Scholer Kaye Scholer was a law firm founded in 1917 by Benjamin Kaye and Jacob Scholer. The firm had more than 450 attorneys in nine offices located in the cities of Chicago, Frankfurt, London, Los Angeles, New York City (headquarters), Shanghai, Palo ...

. He was also a playwright who wrote and translated several Broadway plays.

Biography

Kaye was born in 1884 in New York City. He graduated from Columbia College in 1904 and Columbia Law School in 1907. After being admitted to the bar in 1907, Kaye received legal training at the office of the noted trial lawyer

Max Steuer Max David Steuer (16 September 1870 – 21 August 1940) was a prominent American trial lawyer in the first half of the 20th century. Personal life Steuer was born on September 16, 1870 (or 1871), in the town of Homonna, Austria-Hungary (now ...

. Kaye was trained a specialist in federal income taxation and became one of the lawyers first to try a federal income tax case under the

Revenue Act of 1913 The Revenue Act of 1913, also known as the Underwood Tariff or the Underwood-Simmons Act (ch. 16, ), re-established a federal income tax in the United States and substantially lowered tariff rates. The act was sponsored by Representative Oscar U ...

. In 1917, Kaye founded the law firm

with Jacob Scholer. The law firm merged with

Arnold & Porter Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP is an American multinational law firm. A white-shoe firm, Arnold & Porter is among the largest law firms in the world, by both revenue and by its number of lawyers. History Arnold & Porter was founded in 1946 ...

in 2016. Interested in theater since his youth, Kaye was also a prolific playwright who helped organize the Theatre Guild and served as the general counsel of the American National Theater and Academy. His writing credits included ''She Didn't Say No!'' (1926), starring

Florence Moore Florence E. Moore (November 13, 1886 – March 23, 1935) was an American vaudeville, Broadway performer, and actress in silent films. Biography Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Moore began singing in the choir of Saint Clement's Chur ...

and was adapted into the 1941 film ''She Couldn't Say No'', ''The Curtain Rises'' (1933), starring Jean Arthur, and ''On Stage'' (1935)'','' starring Osgood Perkins. He also contributed to The Garrick Gaieties by Rodgers and Hart, and was credited by '' The New York Times'' for bringing the duo together. In 1960, he received the Kelcey Allen Award for his contribution to American theater. He died on March 25, 1970, at his home in the Rockefeller Apartments.

References

1884 births {{DEFAULTSORT:Kaye, Benjamin 1970 deaths Columbia College (New York) alumni Columbia Law School alumni Kaye Scholer people American male dramatists and playwrights Lawyers from New York City Writers from New York City