Louis Melville Loeb (July 12, 1898 – March 16, 1979) was a New York City lawyer,

general counsel A general counsel, also known as chief counsel or chief legal officer (CLO), is the chief in-house lawyer for a company or a governmental department. In a company, the person holding the position typically reports directly to the CEO, and their ...

for ''

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 ...

'', and a president of the

New York City Bar Association The New York City Bar Association (City Bar), founded in 1870, is a voluntary association of lawyers and law students. Since 1896, the organization, formally known as the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, has been headquartered in a ...

Early life and education

Louis Loeb was born in New York City on July 12, 1898 to Emil and Blanche(Pulaski). He was educated at

Phillips Exeter Academy (not for oneself) la, Finis Origine Pendet (The End Depends Upon the Beginning) gr, Χάριτι Θεοῦ (By the Grace of God) , location = 20 Main Street , city = Exeter, New Hampshire , zipcode ...

, graduating in 1915,

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

1915-1919, and

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 ...

1919-1922. His education was interrupted by the outbreak of World War I, in which Loeb served as a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

of field artillery in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

. At Yale, he was a champion swimmer and an actor. In 1926 he married Janet Cook and raised a son, Robert Louis Loeb, and daughter, Suzanne(Mrs. Sue L. Bianco).

Career

Loeb began his career in 1923 with the law firm of Cook, Nathan, & Lehman, partner 1927-1947, until becoming a partner at the firm of

Lord Day & Lord Lord Day & Lord was an American large, blue-chip New York City law firm. It was established in 1845 by Daniel Lord, his son Daniel DeForest Lord, and his son-in-law Henry Day. History The firm had retained the same name until 1988 when it merg ...

1948-1972. While at Lord Day, Loeb's most prominent client was the

New York Times Company The New York Times Company is an American mass media company that publishes ''The New York Times''. Its headquarters are in Manhattan, New York City. History The company was founded by Henry Jarvis Raymond and George Jones in New York City. T ...

, which he represented as general counsel from 1948 to 1967. Most famously, Loeb successfully represented the ''Times'' in the 1964 case ''

New York Times Co. v. Sullivan ''New York Times Co. v. Sullivan'', 376 U.S. 254 (1964), was a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision ruling that the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution's freedom of speech protections limit the ability of American public officials to sue for ...

'' before the

United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

. The court's ruling held that news publications could not be sued for

libel Defamation is the act of communicating to a third party false statements about a person, place or thing that results in damage to its reputation. It can be spoken (slander) or written (libel). It constitutes a tort or a crime. The legal defini ...

by public figures unless the plaintiffs were able to establish

actual malice Actual malice in United States law is a legal requirement imposed upon public officials or public figures when they file suit for libel (defamatory printed communications). Compared to other individuals who are less well known to the general publi ...

in the false reporting of a news story. The case, which had been brought against the ''Times'' by

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Montgomery County. Named for the Irish soldier Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River, on the coastal Plain of the Gulf of Mexico. In the 202 ...

public safety commissioner L.B. Sullivan, allowed newspapers to report on the widespread chaos and police abuse accompanying the

Civil Rights Movement The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional Racial segregation in the United States, racial segregation, Racial discrimination ...

. Loeb later called the libel cases he argued for ''The New York Times'' "the heaviest responsibility I've ever had since I began practicing law." Former executive board of the NYC Board of Health; Vice-Chairman of the New York Temporary Commission on Courts from 1960-1972; past President and Honorary Director of the YM/YWHA (Young Men's/Women's Hebrew Association); Life Trustee of the Federation of Jewish Philanthropies of New York; former Board of Directors of the Walter E. Meyer Research Institute of Law for the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation; past President of the San Diego Center for Children In addition to private practice, Loeb held many civic posts. He served as president of the

from 1956 to 1958. In 1970 presided over the Bar's Committee on Congressional Ethics, which recommended that legislators divest themselves of holdings in companies relevant to legislation they were drafting. He was also on the

New York City Board of Health The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is the department of the government of New York City responsible for public health along with issuing birth certificates, dog licenses, and conducting restaurant inspection and enforcem ...

and life governor of the Society for New York Hospitals. He and wife, Janet Cook Loeb, also made financial contributions to the expansion of Scripps Hospital in

La Jolla, California La Jolla ( , ) is a hilly, seaside neighborhood within the city of San Diego, California, United States, occupying of curving coastline along the Pacific Ocean. The population reported in the 2010 census was 46,781. La Jolla is surrounded on ...

, and bequeathed one million dollars to the San Diego Zoological Society. Loeb was also a longtime member of the

Yale Club Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

and Century Club in New York City and San Diego.Who's Who in America 1978-1979

Death

Loeb died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

on March 16, 1979 in

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

. He was 80 years old.

References

Sources

“Louis M. Loeb, 80; Was Times Counsel.” ''The New York Times''. March 17, 1979.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Loeb, Louis 1898 births 1979 deaths The New York Times corporate staff New York (state) lawyers Phillips Exeter Academy alumni Columbia Law School alumni United States Army personnel of World War I Presidents of the New York City Bar Association 20th-century American lawyers

Early life and education

Career

Death

See also

References

Sources