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 Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

(now Humenne,

Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...

). In 1876 he arrived in the United States with his father and his mother. He attended the

City College of New York The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a Public university, public research university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York ...

from 1886 to 1889. He received his law degree from

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

in 1893 and was admitted to the New York state bar the same year. Steuer married Bertha Popkin in 1897. The couple had three children: Aron, Ethel and Constance. Steuer was active in Tammany Hall for many years, especially during the leadership of John F. Curry in the late 1920s and the early 1930s. In 1938, he served as a delegate to the New York state constitutional convention. He served as President of the American Jewish Congress. Steuer died in Jackson, New Hampshire, on August 21, 1940.

Legal career

Steuer represented some plaintiffs and in some cases, served as a special prosecutor, but he made his name as counsel for the defense. His first trial that gave him a reputation was the defense of actor Raymond Hitchcock in 1908. Steuer is best known for his successful defense of the factory owners after the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire. In March 1911 a fire broke out on the eighth floor of the factory, and quickly spread to the ninth and tenth floors. The escape routes were locked or overcome by the fire. One hundred forty-six women, adolescent girls, and men lost their lives. Steuer defended the owners, Max Blanck and Isaac Harris, against criminal charges arising from the fire and its circumstances. The two were acquitted. The acquittal is attributed to Steuer's cross-examination and impeachment of one of the surviving employees. Steuer won acquittals in numerous other cases. Defendants who were acquitted included sports promoter Tex Rickard, banker Charles E. Mitchell and former Attorney General Harry Daugherty. Steuer, though a skillful litigator, also saw clients convicted, such as Maurice E. Connolly, or saw the loss of divorce cases, as the one for W.E.D. Stokes. Working for the employers, Steuer negotiated significant collective bargaining agreements in the women's clothing industry. Working as a prosecutor, Steuer won convictions against Bernard K. Marcus and Saul Singer for their roles in the failure of the Bank of United States.

References

*"Steuer, Max David". Dictionary of American Biography, Vol XI, Supplements One and Two (Harris Starr and Robert Schuyler, eds. Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York) *"Steuer, Max David". Who Was Who in America, Vol. IV (Marquis-Who’s Who, Inc, Chicago, IL) *Steuer, Aron. ''Max D. Steuer: Trial Lawyer'' (Random House, New York 1950)

Personal life

Legal career

References

Further reading