Israel Ruby was an American attorney and politician who served on the Boston City Council from 1926 to 1934 and was a Judge of the Williamstown District Court from 1937 to 1952.

Early life

Ruby attended Boston public schools, The English High School, and

Northeastern University Northeastern University (NU) is a private university, private research university with its main campus in Boston. Established in 1898, the university offers undergraduate and graduate programs on its main campus as well as satellite campuses in ...

. He was admitted to the Massachusetts bar in 1913. During World War I, Ruby was denied enlistment to the United States Army and Navy and instead was active in the Liberty bond program and the

American Red Cross The American Red Cross (ARC), also known as the American National Red Cross, is a non-profit humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. It is the desi ...

. He was also a longtime basketball and football referee and served as secretary-treasurer of the New England Basketball Officials' Association. A Zionist, Ruby raised funds for the reconstruction of Jewish settlements destroyed in the

1929 Palestine riots The 1929 Palestine riots, Buraq Uprising ( ar, ثورة البراق, ) or the Events of 1929 ( he, מאורעות תרפ"ט, , ''lit.'' Events of 5689 Anno Mundi), was a series of demonstrations and riots in late August 1929 in which a longst ...

Politics

In 1925, the first year the Boston City Council switched from at-large to district representation, Ruby was elected to represent Ward 14. In 1933, Ruby, then the most senior member of the council not to have served as president, ran for council president. The first vote was taken on January 3. Ruby led on the first ballot, receiving seven votes. On the second ballot, Joseph McGrath took the lead with 8 votes to Ruby's 6, with 8 councilors voting for other candidates. The council remained deadlocked for weeks and Ruby threw his support behind Joseph Cox. Ruby believed that his candidacy had failed because of

Antisemitism Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...

. In the 1933 election, Ruby finished third behind Maurice M. Goldman and Bernard Finkelstein. He was one of 8 councilors to lose reelection that year.

Judiciary

In 1937, outgoing Governor James Michael Curley appointed Ruby to be a special justice of the Williamstown District Court. In 1938, Governor Charles F. Hurley promoted him to presiding justice. In 1950, Ruby was accused of unethical conduct and

W. Arthur Garrity Jr. Wendell Arthur Garrity Jr. (June 20, 1920 – September 16, 1999) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts notable for issuing the 1974 order in ''Morgan v. Hennigan'' which mandated ...

was appointed as a special prosecutor. On January 8, 1951,

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) is the court of last resort, highest court in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Although the claim is disputed by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, the SJC claims the di ...

justice Edward A. Counihan sustained three of the charges against Ruby and disbarred him. The sustained charges were that Ruby had asked for $25 from a defendant in a gambling case, had solicited divorce business from the bench, and offered to "cinch" an eviction case for a landlord if he loaned him $200 or $300. Although he was disbarred, Ruby was allowed to remain on the bench, as Massachusetts law does not require a judge to be a member of the bar. On April 2, 1952, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court upheld Ruby's disbarment. On April 30, 1952, the Massachusetts Bar Association filed a request for Ruby's impeachment with the Massachusetts General Court. The following day, Ruby resigned. Ruby died on September 7, 1983, in

Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States, and the seat of Hampden County. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ...

. He was 95 years old. At the time of his death, Ruby was a resident of Longmeadow, Massachusetts.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ruby, Israel 1983 deaths American Zionists Boston City Council members Disbarred Massachusetts lawyers Jewish American people in Massachusetts politics Massachusetts Republicans Massachusetts District Court judges Northeastern University alumni Politicians from Boston Lawyers from Boston People from Dorchester, Boston People from Longmeadow, Massachusetts