Walter William Law (July 15, 1871 in Westchester County, New York – August 26, 1958) was an American lawyer and politician from Briarcliff Manor, New York. He was President of Briarcliff Manor from 1905 to 1918; he later served in the New York State Legislature and then as President of the New York State Tax Commission.

Life

He was the son of Walter W. Law (1837–1924), the founder of Briarcliff Manor. He engaged in the real estate business. On April 10, 1901, he married Helen Renfrew Kingman (1880–1949), and they had several children. Law 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 Assem ...

(Westchester Co., 3rd D.) in

1914 This year saw the beginning of what became known as World War I, after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austrian throne was Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip. It als ...

1915 Events Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix. January * January – British physicist Sir Joseph Larmor publishes his observations on "The Influence of Local Atmospheric Cooling on Astronomical Refraction". *January 1 ...

1916 Events Below, the events of the First World War have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 1 – The British Royal Army Medical Corps carries out the first successful blood transfusion, using blood that had been stored and cooled. * ...

and

1917 Events Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 9 – WWI – Battle of Rafa: The last substantial Ottoman Army garrison on the Sinai Peninsula is captured by the Egyptian Expeditionary Force's ...

; and was Chairman of the Committee on Penal Institutions in 1915. He was a member of the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate. Partisan com ...

(26th D.) in

1919 Events January * January 1 ** The Czechoslovak Legions occupy much of the self-proclaimed "free city" of Pressburg (now Bratislava), enforcing its incorporation into the new republic of Czechoslovakia. ** HMY ''Iolaire'' sinks off the c ...

and

1920 Events January * January 1 ** Polish–Soviet War in 1920: The Russian Red Army increases its troops along the Polish border from 4 divisions to 20. ** Kauniainen, completely surrounded by the city of Espoo, secedes from Espoo as its own ma ...

. In 1921, he was appointed by Gov. Nathan L. Miller as President of the New York State Tax Commission. He was removed from office by Gov.

Al Smith Alfred Emanuel Smith (December 30, 1873 – October 4, 1944) was an American politician who served four terms as Governor of New York and was the Democratic Party's candidate for president in 1928. The son of an Irish-American mother and a C ...

in January 1923, for misfeasance in office and neglect of duty. According to the charges brought against Law, he did not re-organize the Tax Department, as mandated when he was appointed by Miller; and he spent more money than appropriated by the State Legislature for running the Tax Department. He died on August 26, 1958, and was buried at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in

Sleepy Hollow, New York Sleepy Hollow is a village in the town of Mount Pleasant, in Westchester County, New York, United States. The village is located on the east bank of the Hudson River, about north of New York City, and is served by the Philipse Manor stop on ...

Sources

''LAW—KINGMAN''
his wedding, in NYT on April 11, 1901

in NYT on January 31, 1923 (subscription required)

his father's obit, in NYT on January 19, 1924 (subscription required)

his brother's obit, in NYT on November 19, 1936 (subscription required)

his wife's obit, in NYT on August 19, 1949 (subscription required)

in NYT on August 28, 1958 (subscription required)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Law, Walter W Jr 1871 births 1958 deaths Republican Party New York (state) state senators People from Briarcliff Manor, New York Republican Party members of the New York State Assembly Burials at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery