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 most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

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, th ...

) 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 ...

in 1937. He instead backed Senator Royal S. Copeland for Mayor, and sought the nomination for New York City Council 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 Yeshiva University is a private Orthodox Jewish university with four campuses in New York City."About YU
on the Yeshiva Universi ...

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 Samuel Lionel "Roxy" Rothafel (July 9, 1882 – January 13, 1936) was an American theatrical impresario and entrepreneur. He is noted for developing the lavish presentation of silent films in the deluxe movie palace theaters of the 1910s and 1 ...

. Through his granddaughter, Penny (Levy), Samuel is the great-grandfather of actress

Amanda Peet Amanda Peet (born January 11, 1972) is an American actress. She began her career with small parts on television, and made her feature film debut in '' Animal Room'' (1995). Her portrayal of Jill St. Claire in '' The Whole Nine Yards'' (2000) bro ...

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