Morton Witkin (April 25, 1895 – April 20, 1973) was a Jewish-American lawyer and politician from Pennsylvania.

Life

Witkin was born on April 25, 1895, in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, the son of Myer Witkin and Ray Schmerling. Witkin attended public schools and graduated from the Central High School in 1913. He entered the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

later that year, spent a year in the

Wharton School The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania ( ; also known as Wharton Business School, the Wharton School, Penn Wharton, and Wharton) is the business school of the University of Pennsylvania, a private Ivy League research university in P ...

, and graduated from the

Law School A law school (also known as a law centre or college of law) is an institution specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for becoming a lawyer within a given jurisdiction. Law degrees Argentina In Argentina, ...

in 1917. Later that year, during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, he enlisted 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 ...

as a private in the

Quartermaster Corps Following is a list of Quartermaster Corps, military units, active and defunct, with logistics duties: * Egyptian Army Quartermaster Corps - see Structure of the Egyptian Army * Hellenic Army Quartermaster Corps (''Σώμα Φροντιστών ...

at Fort Monroe, Virginia. After his military service he worked as a lawyer in Philadelphia. In 1924, he was elected to the

Pennsylvania House of Representatives The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts. It ...

as a Republican. He served in the House for five consecutive terms, from 1925 to 1936. From 1935 to 1936, he was Minority Floor Leader of the House. He didn't run for re-election in 1936. While in the House, he sponsored the Witkin Fire Arms Act, which passed the House in 1931. Witkin was a delegate to the

1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...

1940 A calendar from 1940 according to the Gregorian calendar, factoring in the dates of Easter and related holidays, cannot be used again until the year 5280. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January *January ...

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch ...

, and

1972 Republican National Convention The 1972 Republican National Convention was held from August 21 to August 23, 1972 at the Miami Beach Convention Center in Miami Beach, Florida. It nominated President Richard M. Nixon and Vice President Spiro T. Agnew for reelection. The convent ...

s. He was elected a Philadelphia County Commissioner in 1935, and was re-elected to the office in 1939, 1943, and 1947. He served as chairman of the three-person board from 1935 to 1951. He was a member of the Republican City Committee from the 13th Ward from 1931 to 1957. He practiced law with City Council member L. Wallace Egan under the firm name Witkin and Egan. The firm kept the name even after Egan's death in 1948. Witkin had an extensive practice on domestic relations and divorce matters, especially for the last fifteen years of his life, and practiced widely in the criminal courts. In the 1952 United States House of Representatives election, he was the Republican candidate in

Pennsylvania's 3rd congressional district Pennsylvania's third congressional district includes several areas of the city of Philadelphia, including West Philadelphia, most of Center City, and parts of North Philadelphia. It has been represented by Democrat Dwight Evans since 2019. With ...

. He lost the election to Democratic candidate

James A. Byrne James Aloysius Byrne (June 22, 1906 – August 27, 1980) was an American politician who served as a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives for Pennsylvania's 3rd congressional district from 1953 to 1973. Jim Byrne was born in ...

. Witkin was a member of the Philadelphia Bar Association, the

Pennsylvania Bar Association The Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students in Pennsylvania, United States. The association offers membership benefits, including publications, practice support, networking, and continuing ed ...

, the

American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Founded in 1878, the ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of acad ...

B'nai B'rith B'nai B'rith International (, from he, בְּנֵי בְּרִית, translit=b'né brit, lit=Children of the Covenant) is a Jewish service organization. B'nai B'rith states that it is committed to the security and continuity of the Jewish peopl ...

, and

B'rith Sholom The Independent Order ''Brith Sholom'' (Hebrew: "Covenant of Peace") is a Jewish fraternal organization, founded in 1905 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. According to the ''Jewish Communal Register of New York City, 1917-1918'', in ...

. He was president of the Northern Liberties Hospital in 1935 and the Golden Slipper Square Club in 1936. He was also a member of the

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 ...

. He attended Congregation Rodeph Shalom. In 1919, he married Beatrice Ehrlich. They had a daughter, Majorie E. By the time Witkin died, he was married to Gale Brodnick. Witkin died of heart failure at the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital on April 20, 1973.

References

External links

*
The Political Graveyard
' {{DEFAULTSORT:Witkin, Morton 1895 births 1973 deaths Lawyers from Philadelphia Politicians from Philadelphia Central High School (Philadelphia) alumni Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania alumni University of Pennsylvania Law School alumni 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century American Jews American lawyers Jewish American state legislators in Pennsylvania 20th-century American legislators Republican Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives American Freemasons 20th-century Pennsylvania politicians