William Karlin (March 29, 1882 – December 1944) was an American politician and labor leader from

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Life

He was born in the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

, the son of Samuel Karlin and Rose Karlin. The family emigrated to the

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, and settled in

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. He attended the public schools and was licensed as a

pharmacist A pharmacist, also known as a chemist (Commonwealth English) or a druggist (North American and, archaically, Commonwealth English), is a healthcare professional who prepares, controls and distributes medicines and provides advice and instructi ...

in 1901. He studied law at

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 New ...

from 1906 to 1908, was admitted to the bar, and practiced in New York City. On November 10, 1917, he married Ida Beck (died 1972). He was a

Socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...

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 ...

(New York Co., 4th D.) in

1918 This year is noted for the end of the First World War, on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, as well as for the Spanish flu pandemic that killed 50–100 million people worldwide. Events Below, the events ...

. In 1920, he appeared as counsel for the five suspended Socialist members of the

143rd New York State Legislature The 143rd New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 7 to September 1920, during the second year of Al Smith's governorship, in Albany. Background Under the provisions ...

during their trial for fitness to take their seats, which ended with their expulsion. In 1922, Karlin ran in the 20th District for Congress, but was defeated by Republican

Fiorello La Guardia Fiorello Henry LaGuardia (; born Fiorello Enrico LaGuardia, ; December 11, 1882September 20, 1947) was an American attorney and politician who represented New York in the House of Representatives and served as the 99th Mayor of New York City fro ...

. Karlin ran unsuccessfully on the Socialist ticket for

New York Attorney General 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 of ...

at the state elections in

1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhanov, J ...

1930 Events January * January 15 – The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. This is the closest moon distance at in recent history, and the next one will be ...

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 ...

and

1934 Events January–February * January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established. * January 15 – The 8.0 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake, Nepal–Bihar earthquake strik ...

. In 1936, he left the Socialist Party and joined the

Social Democratic Federation The Social Democratic Federation (SDF) was established as Britain's first organised socialist political party by H. M. Hyndman, and had its first meeting on 7 June 1881. Those joining the SDF included William Morris, George Lansbury, James Con ...

Sources

''NAME KARLIN FOR CONGRESS''
in NYT on August 11, 1922
''Who's Who in New York City and State''
(Vol. 10; 1938; pg. 599)

in NYT on December 7, 1944 (subscription required) * ttps://www.nytimes.com/1972/09/15/archives/mrs-william-karlin.html ''MRS. WILLIAM KARLIN''in NYT on September 15, 1972 (subscription required) {{DEFAULTSORT:Karlin, William 1882 births 1944 deaths American labor lawyers New York (state) lawyers Socialist Party of America politicians from New York (state) Members of the New York State Assembly Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United States 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American lawyers Pharmacists from New York City