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, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

(now Humenne,

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), 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 s ...

). 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 within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York City. Founded in 1847, Cit ...

from 1886 to 1889. He received his law degree from

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 ...

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 Aron may refer to: Characters *Aron (comics), from the Marvel Universe comic ''Aron! HyperSpace Boy!'' *Aron (Pokémon), in the ''Pokémon'' franchise * Aron Trask, from John Steinbeck's novel ''East of Eden'' *Áron or Aaron, the brother of Mos ...

, Ethel and Constance. Steuer was active in

Tammany Hall Tammany Hall, also known as the Society of St. Tammany, the Sons of St. Tammany, or the Columbian Order, was a New York City political organization founded in 1786 and incorporated on May 12, 1789 as the Tammany Society. It became the main loc ...

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 The Constitution of the State of New York establishes the structure of the government of the State of New York, and enumerates the basic rights of the citizens of New York. Like most state constitutions in the United States, New York's constituti ...

. He served as President of the

American Jewish Congress The American Jewish Congress (AJCongress or AJC) is an association of American Jews organized to defend Jewish interests at home and abroad through public policy advocacy, using diplomacy, legislation, and the courts. History The AJCongress was ...

. Steuer died in

Jackson, New Hampshire Jackson is a town in Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,028 at the 2020 census, up from 816 at the 2010 census. Jackson is a resort area in the White Mountains. Parts of the White Mountain National Forest are in ...

, 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 The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, on Saturday, March 25, 1911, was the deadliest industrial disaster in the history of the city, and one of the deadliest in U.S. history. The ...

. 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 In law, cross-examination is the interrogation of a witness called by one's opponent. It is preceded by direct examination (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, South Africa, India and Pakistan known as examination-in-chief) and m ...

and

impeachment Impeachment is the process by which a legislative body or other legally constituted tribunal initiates charges against a public official for misconduct. It may be understood as a unique process involving both political and legal elements. In ...

of one of the surviving employees. Steuer won acquittals in numerous other cases. Defendants who were acquitted included sports promoter

Tex Rickard George Lewis "Tex" Rickard (January 2, 1870 – January 6, 1929) was an American boxing promoter, founder of the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL), and builder of the third incarnation of Madison Square Garden in New York City ...

, banker

Charles E. Mitchell Charles Edwin Mitchell (October 6, 1877 – December 14, 1955) was an American banker whose incautious securities policies facilitated the speculation which led to the Crash of 1929. First National City Bank's (now Citibank) abuses under his l ...

and former Attorney General

Harry Daugherty Harry Micajah Daugherty (; January 26, 1860 – October 12, 1941) was an American politician. A key Ohio Republican political insider, he is best remembered for his service as Attorney General of the United States under Presidents Warren G. Hardin ...

. Steuer, though a skillful litigator, also saw clients convicted, such as

Maurice E. Connolly Maurice Edward Connolly (June 22, 1880 - November 24, 1935) was the borough president of Queens, New York City, from 1911 to 1928. Biography Born in Corona, Queens, New York, he was the son of Maurice Connolly and Mary Jane Connolly. He was of I ...

, 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 The Bank of United States, founded by Joseph S. Marcus in 1913 at 77 Delancey Street in New York City, was a New York City bank that failed in 1931. The bank run on its Bronx branch is said to have started the collapse of banking during the Grea ...

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