Robert Abrams (born July 4, 1938) is an American attorney and politician. He served as the
attorney general of New York
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 ...
from 1979 to 1993 and was the Democratic nominee for the
1992 United States Senate election in New York
The 1992 United States Senate election in New York took place on November 3, 1992, alongside other elections to the United States Senate in other states, as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and loca ...
.
Early life and education
Abrams was born in The Bronx, New York, in a Jewish family, the son of Benjamin and Dorothy Abrams. He has one sister, Marlene (Abrams) Kitrosser. He graduated from
Columbia College and the
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 ...
.
Career
New York State Assembly
Abrams launched his political career as a 27-year-old insurgent challenging his local assemblyman and the Bronx Democratic machine in a Democratic primary in September 1965. Abrams was a member of the
New York State Assembly
The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits.
The Ass ...
from 1966 to 1969, sitting in the
176th,
177th and
178th New York State Legislature
The 178th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 8, 1969, to April 20, 1970, during the eleventh and twelfth years of Nelson Rockefeller's governorship, in Albany.
...
s.
Bronx Borough President
From 1970 to 1978, he was
borough president of the Bronx and a member of 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 ...
, having been elected in 1969 and overwhelmingly re-elected in 1973 and 1977.
He was a delegate to the
1972,
1976
Events January
* January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force.
* January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea.
* January 11 – The 1976 ...
,
1980
Events January
* January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission.
* January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC.
* January 9 – In ...
and
1984 Democratic National Convention
The 1984 Democratic National Convention was held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, California from July 16 to July 19, 1984, to select candidates for the 1984 United States presidential election. Former Vice President Walter Mondale was nom ...
s. At the 1972 Democratic National Convention, he was the co-chair of the New York delegation and was at the microphone to cast New York's 267 votes for George McGovern. In 1980, he was the chairman of Senator Edward M. Kennedy's primary campaign for president in New York and led a strong victory over incumbent President Jimmy Carter. In
1988
File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Bicenten ...
, he was a
presidential elector
The United States Electoral College is the group of presidential electors required by the Constitution to form every four years for the sole purpose of appointing the president and vice president. Each state and the District of Columbia app ...
, voting for
Michael Dukakis
Michael Stanley Dukakis (; born November 3, 1933) is an American retired lawyer and politician who served as governor of Massachusetts from 1975 to 1979 and again from 1983 to 1991. He is the longest-serving governor in Massachusetts history ...
Lloyd Bentsen
Lloyd Millard Bentsen Jr. (February 11, 1921 – May 23, 2006) was an American politician who was a four-term United States Senator (1971–1993) from Texas and the Democratic Party nominee for vice president in 1988 on the Michael Dukakis t ...
ticket.
New York Attorney General
Abrams was elected New York Attorney General in 1978, the first time in forty years a Democrat was elected to that post and was subsequently re-elected three times, in 1982, 1986 and 1990. He defeated future Republican Rep Peter King in his 1986 re-election campaign for Attorney General. Abrams built a reputation as an activist and consumer advocate, taking on environmental polluters, charity frauds, discrimination in housing and various activities in the marketplace. He is also well-known for the manner in which he sensitively and professionally handled an extremely difficult assignment, that of Special Prosecutor investigating the claims of Tawana Brawley. Governor Mario Cuomo directed him in 1988 to investigate the claims of Brawley, a black teenager, that she had been abducted and raped in upstate Dutchess County by a gang of whites. A lengthy grand jury inquiry supervised by Abrams' office later concluded that she had fabricated her story.
During his tenure as attorney general, Abrams received numerous awards and honors and earned national prominence rarely achieved by a state-level official. He was elected president of the
National Association of Attorneys General
The National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization of state and territory attorneys general in the United States.
NAAG is governed by member attorneys general, with a president and executive committee se ...
after serving as chairman of its Environment, Civil Rights and Anti-Trust Committees and was selected by his colleagues to receive the coveted Wyman Award as Outstanding Attorney General in the Nation. He was awarded honorary Doctor of Law degrees from
Yeshiva University
Yeshiva University is a private Orthodox Jewish university with four campuses in New York City.["About YU]
on the Yeshiva Universi ...
,
Hofstra University
Hofstra University is a private university in Hempstead, New York. It is Long Island's largest private university. Hofstra originated in 1935 as an extension of New York University (NYU) under the name Nassau College – Hofstra Memorial of New ...
,
Long Island University
Long Island University (LIU) is a private university with two main campuses, LIU Post and LIU Brooklyn, in the U.S. state of New York. It offers more than 500 academic programs at its main campuses, online, and at multiple non-residential. LIU ...
and
Pace University
Pace University is a private university with its main campus in New York City and secondary campuses in Westchester County, New York. It was established in 1906 by the brothers Homer St. Clair Pace and Charles A. Pace as a business school. Pace ...
.
1992 U.S. Senate election
In 1992, he sought election to the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and po ...
, to challenge Republican Senator
Al D'Amato
Alfonse Marcello D'Amato (born August 1, 1937) is an American politician born in Brooklyn, Kings County, New York. He served as United States Senator for New York between 1981 and 1999. He subsequently founded a lobbying firm, Park Strategies.
...
. He won the Democratic Primary, defeating former Congresswoman
Geraldine Ferraro
Geraldine Anne Ferraro (August 26, 1935 March 26, 2011) was an American politician, diplomat, and attorney. She served in the United States House of Representatives from 1979 to 1985, and was the Democratic Party's vice presidential nominee ...
, Rev.
Al Sharpton
Alfred Charles Sharpton Jr. (born October 3, 1954) is an American civil rights activist, Baptist minister, talk show host and politician. Sharpton is the founder of the National Action Network. In 2004, he was a candidate for the Democrati ...
, and
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 ...
Elizabeth Holtzman. Abrams was initially the front-runner but by the end of the summer he was running second to Ferraro in polls. The nomination battle then took a bitter turn, particularly Holtzman and Abrams' attack on Ferraro's questionable business dealings including links with organized crime members including
Gambino crime family
The Gambino crime family (pronounced ) is an Italian-American Mafia crime family and one of the " Five Families" that dominate organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as th ...
soldier
Robert DiBernardo, which Ferraro interpreted as anti-Italian slurs. After Abrams emerged as the nominee, the Democrats remained divided and he was unable to secure Ferraro's endorsement until the last days of the campaign. Abrams was also criticized for calling D'Amato a
Fascist
Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy and the ...
, and he narrowly lost the general election as a result of these controversies.
After narrowly losing the Senate race, despite making plans to run for re-election as state attorney general, Abrams announced his resignation from the office of attorney general on September 8, 1993, to take effect on December 31. He had a year left in his term.
Later career
Upon leaving government, Abrams joined
Stroock & Stroock & Lavan
Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP (known as Stroock) is an American law firm based in New York City, with offices also in Los Angeles, Miami, and Washington, DC.
Stroock provides transactional and litigation guidance to multinational corporation ...
as a partner. He has remained active in civic affairs in New York.
[Attorney General Abrams to Quit To Join a Law Firm in Manhattan](_blank)
New York Times. September 9, 1993. In 1996, the New York University School of Law established an annual lecture program, the Attorney General Robert Abrams Public Service Lecture whereby each year a prominent public figure who has performed exemplary public service addresses the students, faculty and alumni of the law school to urge students to consider all or a portion of their career to be dedicated to public service. During the ensuing 25 years, United States senators, governors, attorneys general and judges have appeared as guests, including United States Senators
Joe Lieberman
Joseph Isadore Lieberman (; born February 24, 1942) is an American politician, lobbyist, and attorney who served as a United States senator from Connecticut from 1989 to 2013. A former member of the Democratic Party, he was its nominee for ...
from Connecticut,
Heidi Heitkamp from North Dakota,
Tom Udall
Thomas Stewart Udall ( ; born May 18, 1948) is an American diplomat, lawyer and politician serving as the United States Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa since 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a United States senator fro ...
from New Mexico, Vermont Chief Justice
Jeffrey Amestoy, Governors
Jim Doyle
James Edward Doyle, Jr., (born November 23, 1945) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 44th governor of Wisconsin, serving from January 6, 2003 to January 3, 2011. In his first election to the governorship, he defeated incum ...
of Wisconsin,
Mike Easley
Michael Francis Easley (born March 23, 1950) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 72nd governor of North Carolina from 2001 to 2009. He is the first
governor of North Carolina to have been convicted of a felony.
A member of ...
of North Carolina,
Ted Kulongoski
Theodore Ralph Kulongoski ( ; born November 5, 1940) is an American politician, judge, and lawyer who served as the 36th Governor of Oregon from 2003 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he served in both houses of the Oregon Legislative As ...
of Oregon, and attorneys general
Karl Racine
Karl Anthony Racine (born December 14, 1962) is a Haitian-American lawyer and politician. He is the first independently elected Attorney General of the District of Columbia, a position he has held since January 2015. Before that, he was the mana ...
of Washington, D.C.,
Josh Shapiro
Joshua David Shapiro (born June 20, 1973) is an American politician and attorney who has served as the Pennsylvania Attorney General since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he is the governor-elect of Pennsylvania.
Raised in Montgomery ...
of Pennsylvania, and
Letitia James
Letitia Ann James (born October 18, 1958) is an American lawyer and politician. She is a member of the Democratic Party and the current Attorney General of New York, having won the 2018 election to succeed appointed Attorney General Barbara U ...
of New York.
New York City Mayor
Michael Bloomberg
Michael Rubens Bloomberg (born February 14, 1942) is an American businessman, politician, philanthropist, and author. He is the majority owner, co-founder and CEO of Bloomberg L.P. He was Mayor of New York City from 2002 to 2013, and was a c ...
appointed Abrams in 2005 to serve on the
New York City Charter Revision Commission. In 2006, New York Governor-Elect Eliot Spitzer appointed Abrams to serve as co-chair of his Policy Advisory Committee on Governmental Reform for his Transition, and New York Attorney General-Elect Andrew Cuomo appointed him Executive Chair of his Transition Committee. In 2008, New York Governor David Paterson appointed Abrams to serve on the Board of the United Nations Development Corporation. On May 9, 2009, New York Governor
David Paterson
David Alexander Paterson (born May 20, 1954) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 55th governor of New York, succeeding Eliot Spitzer and serving out nearly three years of Spitzer's term from March 2008 to December 2010. ...
renamed the Justice Building at the
Empire State Plaza in Albany the Robert Abrams Building for Law and Justice. Also in 2009, Attorney General elect Eric Schneiderman appointed Abrams to serve as Honorary Co-chair of his Transition Committee. In 2010, New York's chief judge,
Jonathan Lippman
Jonathan Lippman (born May 19, 1945) is an American jurist who served as Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals from 2009 through 2015. He is currently Of Counsel in the Litigation & Trial Department of Latham & Watkins’ New York office ...
, appointed him to be a member of the Advisory Council for the Retired Attorney Pro Bono Program.
In 2012, Governor Andrew Cuomo appointed Abrams as co-chairman of a
Moreland Commission to investigate the preparedness and response of the utilities in New York State to Superstorm Sandy which took the lives of numerous New Yorkers and caused billions of dollars of damage. At the conclusion of its hearings and deliberations, the Commission released a report which resulted in changes to New York State law and practices by utilities.
He also served on numerous boards of community not for profit organizations: Fund for the City of New York, Citizens Union Board Member and President of the Citizens Union Foundation, America Israel Friendship League, and Council for a Secure America.
Abrams was a leader of the Soviet Jewry Movement in the United States. Serving as chairman of the
Greater New York Conference on Soviet Jewry, he attended several international conferences, in Paris where delegates met to plan strategy for the movement; in Bruss els where
Golda Meir
Golda Meir, ; ar, جولدا مائير, Jūldā Māʾīr., group=nb (born Golda Mabovitch; 3 May 1898 – 8 December 1978) was an Israeli politician, teacher, and '' kibbutznikit'' who served as the fourth prime minister of Israel from 1969 to ...
, U.S. Senator
Frank Church, Nobel laureate
Elie Wiesel, and civil rights leader
Bayard Rustin
Bayard Rustin (; March 17, 1912 – August 24, 1987) was an African American leader in social movements for civil rights, socialism, nonviolence, and gay rights.
Rustin worked with A. Philip Randolph on the March on Washington Movement, ...
addressed the convocation; and in Jerusalem at a world plenum which addressed Soviet Jewish absorption issues in Israel. In 1991, Abrams delivered the
Raoul Wallenberg
Raoul Gustaf Wallenberg (4 August 1912 – disappeared 17 January 1945)He is presumed to have died in 1947, although the circumstances of his death are not clear and this date has been disputed. Some reports claim he was alive years later. 31 J ...
Lecture in Moscow before several hundred leaders of Jewish communities from each of the fifteen republics of the USSR.
He also served on the corporate boards of Sterling Bancorp and Sterling National Bank for 18 years.
On October 16, 2018, Abrams and Public Advocate
Letitia James
Letitia Ann James (born October 18, 1958) is an American lawyer and politician. She is a member of the Democratic Party and the current Attorney General of New York, having won the 2018 election to succeed appointed Attorney General Barbara U ...
(running for New York State Attorney General) were at the steps of New York City Hall for a press conference where he announced his endorsement of James in the race. James became the first woman and the first African American to be elected to the position of New York State Attorney General and appointed Abrams as co-chair of her transition team.
Abrams resolved a controversy between the Jewish community and the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The c ...
(LDS Church) concerning the church's proxy baptism practice. He established joint programs between the two communities, including initiating a joint Jewish-LDS delegation to visit Israel in 2016 to commemorate the 175th anniversary of LDS Apostle Orson Hyde's dedicatory prayer at the Mount of Olives declaring Jerusalem and its environs to be the land of the Jewish people. Abrams was presented with the Thomas L. Kane award by the J.Reuben Clark Law Society of the LDS Church on June 9, 2022, in Salt Lake City in recognition of his leadership efforts.
In March 2021, Abrams' memoir, ''The Luckiest Guy in the World: My Journey in Politics'', was published by
Skyhorse Publishing
Skyhorse Publishing, Inc. is an American independent book publishing company founded in 2006 and headquartered in New York City, with a satellite office in Brattleboro, Vermont.
History
The current president and publisher is founder Tony Ly ...
.
Personal life
On September 15, 1974, he married the daughter of Jacob and Hilda Schulder, Diane Schulder Abrams, an attorney who created and taught the first "Women and the Law" course in an American law school. Robert and Diane have two daughters, Rachel and Becky, and eight grandchildren.
Robert and Diane's second child Becky was born to them when Diane was 49 years old. They attribute her birth to a blessing they received from the
Lubavitcher Rebbe
Chabad, also known as Lubavitch, Habad and Chabad-Lubavitch (), is an Orthodox Jewish Hasidic dynasty. Chabad is one of the world's best-known Hasidic movements, particularly for its outreach activities. It is one of the largest Hasidic groups ...
.
References
External links
Robert Abrams - Partner: Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP* NYU Law School Attorney General Robert Abrams Public Service Lecture series
.S.Senator Tom Udall https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTcxGkXiK9U&t=29s* NYU Law School Attorney General Robert Abrams Public Service Lecture series
.S. Senator Heidi Heitkam
* NYU Law School Attorney General Robert Abrams Public Service Lecture series
ttorney General Karl Racine https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MPqHLrpwSo&t=28s* NYU Law School Attorney General Robert Abrams Public Service Lecture series
ttorney General Josh Shapir
* NYU Law School Attorney General Robert Abrams Public Service Lecture series
ttorney General Phil Weiser
* NYU Law School Attorney General Robert Abrams Public Service Lecture series
ttorney General Michael Turpen
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abrams, Robert
1938 births
Living people
Bronx borough presidents
Jewish American state legislators in New York (state)
New York State Attorneys General
Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly
Columbia College (New York) alumni
New York University School of Law alumni
1988 United States presidential electors
Politicians from the Bronx
21st-century American Jews