Lazarus Joseph (January 25, 1891 – May 23, 1966) was an American lawyer and politician from New York City. A member of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

, he was a

New York State Senator The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate. Partisan compo ...

from 1934 to 1945, and was the

New York City Comptroller The Office of Comptroller of New York City, a position established in 1801, is the chief financial officer and chief auditor of the city agencies and their performance and spending. The comptroller also reviews all city contracts, handles the s ...

from 1946 to 1954.

Early and personal life

Joseph 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 ...

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

in New York City, the son of Rabbi Raphael Joseph, and was Jewish."Release,"
Department of Parks, May 13, 1947. He was the grandson of Rabbi

Jacob Joseph Jacob Joseph ( he, יעקב יוסף 1840 –July 28, 1902) served as chief rabbi of New York City's Association of American Orthodox Hebrew Congregations, a federation of Eastern European Jewish synagogues. Born in Krozhe, a province of Kovn ...

(1840–1902), one of the most famous rabbis in New York at the turn of the century and for many years the Chief Rabbi of New York City. Joseph was ''

shomer Shabbat In Judaism, a person who is shomer Shabbat or shomer Shabbos (plural ''shomré Shabbat'' or ''shomrei Shabbos''; he, שומר שבת, "Sabbath observer", sometimes more specifically, "Saturday Sabbath observer") is a person who observes the mi ...

'', and as New York City Comptroller campaigned for the Kosher Meat Laws in New York City. He attended P.S. 2 on Henry Street. Joseph then attended the High School of Commerce in New York City, for which he played

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

. He graduated in 1908 from the

Educational Alliance Educational Alliance is a leading social institution that has been serving communities in New York City’s Lower Manhattan since 1889. It provides multi-generational programs and services in education, health and wellness, arts and culture, and c ...

, a

settlement house The settlement movement was a reformist social movement that began in the 1880s and peaked around the 1920s in United Kingdom and the United States. Its goal was to bring the rich and the poor of society together in both physical proximity and s ...

. Joseph graduated from

New York University School of Law New York University School of Law (NYU Law) is the law school of New York University, a private research university in New York City. Established in 1835, it is the oldest law school in New York City and the oldest surviving law school in New ...

in 1911, with an

LL.B Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

, graduating at the head of his class. While attending New York University, Joseph played basketball for two seasons and starred on the NYU Violets varsity basketball team; he also played baseball and football for the school. After graduating from NYU, Joseph continued to play basketball, leading the Mohegans (one of the top amateur teams in New York City; in 1912 the team had a record of 25–1) and helping the squad defeat some of the top teams of the era, including

Seton Hall University Seton Hall University (SHU) is a private Catholic research university in South Orange, New Jersey. Founded in 1856 by then-Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley and named after his aunt, Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Seton Hall is the oldest diocesan un ...

and

Williams College Williams College is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams, a col ...

. Joseph married Henrietta (née Haft), and lived at

1100 Grand Concourse 1100 Grand Concourse is a co-operative apartment building located in the Concourse neighborhood of the Bronx, New York City. It was built in 1928 and was originally called the John Ericsson Building; John Ericsson's name can still be found in seve ...

the Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

, and later at 240

Central Park West Eighth Avenue is a major north–south avenue on the west side of Manhattan in New York City, carrying northbound traffic below 59th Street. It is one of the original avenues of the Commissioners' Plan of 1811 to run the length of Manhattan, ...

in Manhattan. He and his wife had three children, including Robert L. Joseph (a theatrical director) and Ethel Rakitin. His son Jacob (Jack) Joseph, named after his son's famous great-grandfather, left

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

as a junior to enlist when

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

broke out. He was at 22 years of age the youngest

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

when he was killed. He served in the 3rd Battalion. He was killed in action in the

Battle of Guadalcanal The Guadalcanal campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by American forces, was a military campaign fought between 7 August 1942 and 9 February 1943 on and around the island of Guadalcanal in the ...

on October 22, 1942. New York City Mayor

William O'Dwyer William O'Dwyer (July 11, 1890November 24, 1964) was an Irish-American politician and diplomat who served as the 100th Mayor of New York City, holding that office from 1946 to 1950. Life and career O'Dwyer was born in Bohola, County Mayo, Ire ...

memorialized Captain Joseph in

New York City Hall New York City Hall is the Government of New York City, seat of New York City government, located at the center of City Hall Park in the Civic Center, Manhattan, Civic Center area of Lower Manhattan, between Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway, Park R ...

together with members of the Board of Estimate, other city officials, and 1,000 friends in presence. He was posthumously awarded the 1943 Ben David Award, awarded to Jews "for American patriotism and noteworthy achievement". A New York City playground at

Rutgers Street Essex Street is a north-south street on the Lower East Side of the New York City borough of Manhattan. North of Houston Street, the street becomes Avenue A, which goes north to 14th Street. South of Canal Street it becomes Rutgers Street, the ...

and Henry Street in Manhattan, adjacent to the Rabbi Jacob Joseph School, was named by the

New York City Council The New York City Council is the lawmaking body of New York City. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five Borough (New York City), boroughs. The council serves as a check against the Mayor of New York City, mayor in a may ...

in Captain Joseph's honor in 1947, and a bronze plaque in his honor was placed in the playground. Joseph became ill on May 19, 1966, and died of a stroke at Beth Israel Hospital at 75 years of age on May 23, 1966. His funeral was held at

Riverside Memorial Chapel The Riverside Memorial Chapel is a Jewish funeral home chain with their main facility at 180 West 76th Street on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, New York City.Mount Carmel Cemetery in

Queens, New York Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long I ...

, alongside his son.

Career

Joseph practiced law in New York City. In 1931, he was appointed a Deputy Assistant

New York Attorney General The attorney general of New York is the chief legal officer of the U.S. state of New York and head of the Department of Law of the state government. The office has been in existence in some form since 1626, under the Dutch colonial government of ...

, working in the Security Frauds Bureau; he was promoted the following year to full Assistant Attorney General. Joseph was elected on December 28, 1933, to the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate. Partisan com ...

(21st D.) in

as a Democrat by an overwhelming majority in a

special election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-larges ...

to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Henry G. Schackno, giving the Democrats control of the Senate by a 26–25 margin. He remained in the State Senate for six terms, until 1945, sitting in the 157th, 158th, 159th, 160th, 161st, 162nd, 163rd, 164th and

165th New York State Legislature The 165th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 3, 1945, to March 26, 1946, during the third and fourth years of Thomas E. Dewey's governorship, in Albany. Backg ...

s. He sponsored a home mortgage foreclosure moratorium act, the establishment of the New York State Mortgage Commission, commercial

rent control Rent regulation is a system of laws, administered by a court or a public authority, which aims to ensure the affordability of housing and tenancies on the rental market for dwellings. Generally, a system of rent regulation involves: *Price cont ...

, tenant legislation, bills protecting working women, and the setting aside of dedicated sections in theaters for children with a matron in charge. In 1934 he proposed two anti-Nazi propaganda bills which were passed by the New York State Senate without discussion. In 1945 he proposed the establishment of two New York State-financed medical colleges, as a way to overcome the quota system against Jewish students. He was elected

in 1945, becoming the city's first

Orthodox Jewish Orthodox Judaism is the collective term for the traditionalist and theologically conservative branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as revealed by God to Moses on M ...

Comptroller, and served until 1954. He campaigned saying he would work to get the city its fair share of New York State taxes, to clear out slums, to construct new schools, to ease traffic congestion, to make the transportation system more modern, and to increase city-operated health and hospital services. ''The New York Times'' praised Joseph after his election on the Democratic-

American Labor Party The American Labor Party (ALP) was a political party in the United States established in 1936 that was active almost exclusively in the state of New York. The organization was founded by labor leaders and former members of the Socialist Party of ...

ticket, stating that "In the eleven years that he served as a member of the State Senate, Lazarus Joseph earned a reputation as an expert in budgetary and financial matters and as an authority on real estate law and finance." The November 7, 1945, article goes on to note that he also earned "a wide reputation on budget matters in State Senate sponsored mortgage legislation." This opinion was echoed by former New York State Governor

Herbert H. Lehman Herbert Henry Lehman (March 28, 1878 – December 5, 1963) was an American Democratic Party politician from New York. He served from 1933 until 1942 as the 45th governor of New York and represented New York State in the U.S. Senate from 194 ...

, to whom he was a close financial advisor, who called Joseph "an industrious, conscientious and far-sighted public servant. During his terms as Comptroller, Joseph tackled budgetary issues facing the city, facing many years in which the city prospered, and others in which the city did not fare as well. New York City had a series of bond issues during the latter years of Joseph's tenure, and he traveled to Albany to request the governor's assistance in funding the city's budgetary deficits. Some of the issues affecting Joseph that were widely reported included his support for keeping

New York City transit fares New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

limited to 10 cents (fares rose to 15 cents in 1953 ($ in current dollar terms)), and the attempted closing of

WNYC WNYC is the trademark and a set of call letters shared by WNYC (AM) and WNYC-FM, a pair of nonprofit, noncommercial, public radio stations located in New York City. WNYC is owned by New York Public Radio (NYPR), a nonprofit organization that di ...

to curtail budget constraints upon the city. He prodded the city to keep expenditures down, was against borrowing to meet expenses. In September 1947 he led a parade of 15,000

Zionist Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after ''Zion'') is a nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a homeland for the Jewish people centered in the area roughly corresponding to what is known in Je ...

s and Zionist sympathizers as Grand Marshal, before 100,000 Bronxites. As New York City Comptroller, Joseph participated in the 1948 groundbreaking of the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

headquarters in New York City. During the 1950 mayoral election, Joseph declared that Acting Mayor

Vincent Impellitteri Vincent Richard Impellitteri (born Vincenzo Impellitteri; February 4, 1900 – January 29, 1987) was an American politician and judge who served as the 101st Mayor of New York City, 1950–53. He was elected as a Democrat as president of the Cit ...

– who was running for the mayoral post – "had neither the experience nor ability to be Mayor of New York City," and lacked "sufficient experience" with only two months in the post, and called Impellitteri's Estimate Board record "blank." Nonetheless, Impellitteri went on to be re-elected. Joseph was Chairman of the New York Olympic Committee in 1952. Although Joseph usually sided in the

New York City Board of Estimate The New York City Board of Estimate was a governmental body in New York City responsible for numerous areas of municipal policy and decisions, including the city budget, land-use, contracts, franchises, and water rates. Under the amendments effec ...

with Mayor Impellitteri during the latter's term in office, Joseph supported Manhattan Borough President

Robert F. Wagner Jr. Robert Ferdinand Wagner II (April 20, 1910 – February 12, 1991) was an American politician who served three terms as the mayor of New York City from 1954 through 1965. When running for his third term, he broke with the Tammany Hall leadership ...

for the Democratic nomination for mayor in the 1953 primary election. Correct in his prediction, Joseph called Wagner a "sure winner." Considered a kingpin in the New York political arena, Joseph was lobbied for support of major projects affecting the City of New York.

Eleanor Roosevelt Anna Eleanor Roosevelt () (October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the first lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945, during her husband President Franklin D. Roosevelt's four ...

mentions meeting with Joseph to advocate for the preservation of social welfare projects. Upon the close of his eight years in office as Comptroller, Joseph left the city with cautionary advice; "that it is easy to borrow, but the reckoning always must be met in the expense budget, and by the taxpayer." His warning was not heeded, as debt load led the city into bankruptcy some 20 years later, when President

Gerald Ford Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. ( ; born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; July 14, 1913December 26, 2006) was an American politician who served as the 38th president of the United States from 1974 to 1977. He was the only president never to have been elected ...

refused to assist New York with its deficit. After serving as Comptroller, he returned to the practice of law, focusing on real estate matters and trusts.

Philanthropy

Joseph was noted as a philanthropist prior to being elected to public office. He was active in and raised funds for many charities, including the

92nd Street Y 92nd Street Y, New York (92NY) is a cultural and community center located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, at the corner of East 92nd Street and Lexington Avenue. Founded in 1874 as the Young Men's Hebrew Association, the ...

United Jewish Appeal The United Jewish Appeal (UJA) was a Jewish philanthropic umbrella organization that existed from its creation in 1939 until it was folded into the United Jewish Communities, which was formed from the 1999 merger of United Jewish Appeal (UJA), Cou ...

, and the

Federation of Jewish Philanthropies UJA-Federation of New York (United Jewish Appeal⁣ – ⁣Federation of Jewish Philanthropies of New York, Inc.) is the largest local philanthropy in the world. Headquartered in New York City, the organization raises and allocates funds annually ...

of New York. He was Chairman of the Bronx Division of the Federation for the Support of Jewish Philanthropic Societies, and in 1951 was co-Chairman of the Greater New York Israel Independence Bond Drive. He was also a board member of the Hebrew Home for Chronic Invalids, later known as Maimonides Medical Center. Joseph lent his name to assist charities with which he identified, as he was a guest of honor in December 1934 at a fundraiser for the Hebrew Home. He also played an active role as a board member in the

Rabbi Jacob Joseph School The Rabbi Jacob Joseph School is an Orthodox Jewish day school located in Staten Island, New York that serves students from nursery through twelfth grade, with another branch in Edison, New Jersey. The school was founded in 1903 by Rabbi Shmuel Y ...

, a

yeshiva A yeshiva (; he, ישיבה, , sitting; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy are s ...

co-founded by his father in 1900, named after his grandfather, New York City's first and only chief rabbi. After

Joseph championed the rehabilitation of 1,500,000 Jewish survivors of

Nazism Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...

and

the Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...

, calling it in 1946 "the duty of every American citizen, Christian or Jew, black or white." He also noted at the same time that: "The seed of racial bias that that monster itlerplanted in Europe is growing in every part of the world, even in countries Americans died to liberate". His attendance was recorded in news reports covering fundraisers in support of the new

State of Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

during the years following its 1948

Declaration of Independence A declaration of independence or declaration of statehood or proclamation of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the ...

Other

He was a member of the Hall of Fame of the

. According to the website politicalgraveyard.com, Joseph was a member of the

Elks The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE; also often known as the Elks Lodge or simply The Elks) is an American fraternal order founded in 1868, originally as a social club in New York City. History The Elks began in 1868 as a soci ...

Freemasons Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

, and

Knights of Pythias The Knights of Pythias is a fraternal organization and secret society founded in Washington, D.C., on . The Knights of Pythias is the first fraternal organization to receive a charter under an act of the United States Congress. It was founded ...

References

External links

"Captain Jacob Joseph Playground"
nycgovparks.org.

by Dr. Marvin Schick, President of RJJ School, December 9, 2005.
"Jews in Sports" website"Lakewood is Slobodka"
December 24, 2012, yutorah.org.
"Letter by R. Jacob Joseph, Chief Rabbi of New York"
virtualjudaica.com. {{DEFAULTSORT:Joseph, Lazarus 1891 births 1966 deaths 20th-century American politicians American Orthodox Jews American people of Lithuanian-Jewish descent American people of Polish-Jewish descent American Zionists District attorneys Jewish American attorneys Jewish American state legislators in New York (state) Jewish American government officials Lawyers from New York City New York City Comptrollers Democratic Party New York (state) state senators New York University School of Law alumni NYU Violets men's basketball players People from the Lower East Side People from the Upper West Side Politicians from the Bronx 20th-century American Jews