Samuel Levy (March 17, 1876 – March 15, 1953) was an American lawyer, businessman, and public official, who served as Manhattan Borough President.

Life and career

Levy was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

on March 17, 1876, to a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

family. He graduated from the University of the City of New York (now

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

) in 1894 and received a law degree from

New York Law School New York Law School (NYLS) is a private law school in Tribeca, New York City. NYLS has a full-time day program and a part-time evening program. NYLS's faculty includes 54 full-time and 59 adjunct professors. Notable faculty members include E ...

in 1896. In addition to maintaining a law practice, Levy was a successful businessman, with his primary interests being real estate investment and development. A

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, he served on the New York Board of Education from 1929 to 1931. In 1931, Levy was appointed to complete an unexpired term as Manhattan Borough President. He won election to a full four-year term in 1933. Levy considered a run for

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

in 1937. He instead backed

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

Royal S. Copeland Royal Samuel Copeland (November 7, 1868June 17, 1938), a United States Senator from New York from 1923 until 1938, was an academic, homeopathic physician, and politician. He held elected offices in both Michigan (as a Republican) and New York ...

for Mayor, and sought the nomination for

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 ...

President in the Democratic and Republican primaries. He was defeated by

Newbold Morris Augustus Newbold Morris or Newbold Morris (February 2, 1902 – March 30, 1966) was an American politician, lawyer, president of the New York City Council, and two-time candidate for mayor of New York City. Early life Morris, who never used ...

in the Republican primary and also lost his bid for the Democratic nomination. After leaving office, Levy returned to his legal and business interests. Levy was also involved in several educational and civic causes, including serving as Chairman of the Yeshiva University Board of Trustees. Levy died in New York City on March 15, 1953, two days before his seventy-seventh birthday. He was married to Sadie (Vesell). His son, Lawrence, married Beta Rothafel, the daughter of theatrical impresario and entrepreneur Samuel Roxy Rothafel. Through his granddaughter, Penny (Levy), Samuel is the great-grandfather of actress Amanda Peet.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Levy, Samuel 1876 births 1953 deaths American Jews People from Manhattan New York University alumni New York Law School alumni New York (state) lawyers New York (state) Democrats Manhattan borough presidents