DOCSLIB.ORG

Judge Bernard S. Meyer: First Merit Appointee to the New York Court of Appeals

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Judge Bernard S. Meyer: First Merit Appointee to the New York Court of Appeals Digital Commons at St. Mary's University Faculty Articles School of Law Faculty Scholarship 2012 Judge Bernard S. Meyer: First Merit Appointee to the New York Court of Appeals Vincent R. Johnson St. Mary's University School of Law, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://commons.stmarytx.edu/facarticles Part of the Law Commons Recommended Citation Vincent R. Johnson, Judge Bernard S. Meyer: First Merit Appointee to the New York Court of Appeals, 75 Alb. L. Rev. 963 (2012). This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the School of Law Faculty Scholarship at Digital Commons at St. Mary's University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Faculty Articles by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons at St. Mary's University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 15 JOHNSON 3/14/2012 4:40 PM JUDGE BERNARD S. MEYER: FIRST MERIT APPOINTEE TO THE NEW YORK COURT OF APPEALS Vincent R. Johnson* To Bernard S. Meyer (1916–2005), Judge of the New York Court of Appeals (19791986), who, with integrity, keen intellect, and tireless effort, championed the rights of those who needed help most.1 ARTICLE CONTENTS I. THE CHALLENGE OF A LIFETIME AT AGE 63 .......................... 965 II. SELECTING LAW CLERKS ....................................................... 971 A. Treating Law Clerks as Equals ...................................... 972 B. The Best State Court in the Nation ................................ 974 C. The Learning Curve........................................................ 976 III. TAKING THE OATH IN NEW YORK CITY .................................. 977 IV. ARRIVING IN ALBANY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT ............ 979 V. PERSISTING IN THE FACE OF POLITICAL ADVERSITY ............. 980 A. The 1969 Race ................................................................ 980 * Professor of Law and Director of the Institute on Chinese Law and Business, St. Mary‘s University, San Antonio, Texas. LL.M., Yale University; J.D., University of Notre Dame; B.A., LL.D., St. Vincent College. Law Clerk to the Honorable Bernard S. Meyer, 197980. Professor Johnson is a member of the American Law Institute. He served as a Fellow at the Supreme Court of the United States and a Fulbright Scholar in China and Romania. He writes in the fields of torts, professional responsibility, legal malpractice, and ethics in government. His works have been cited by the highest courts of Arizona, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, and the Territory of Guam, and by numerous federal tribunals. Valuable historical research for this article was provided by Katy Stein, Faculty Services Librarian and Assistant Professor of Law at St. Mary‘s University. Other assistance was furnished by the following law students at St. Mary‘s University: Raven M. Bady, Ernesto C. Ballesteros, Aftan Cavanaugh, Sarah E. Fleischer, David Hyer, Christian Neumann, Luis C. deBonoPaula, Lori Gansel, Joseph King, Karen A. Oster, Brandon J. Prater, Miguel A. Sanchez, and Lee Simmons. Carol Mason (who served as Judge Meyer‘s secretary at the Court of Appeals from 1979 through 1986) and Morgan Kelly (who clerked for Judge Meyer from 1979 to 1981) reviewed a draft of this article and offered helpful comments. 1 SUSAN SAAB FORTNEY & VINCENT R. JOHNSON, LEGAL MALPRACTICE LAW: PROBLEMS AND PREVENTION iii (2008) (dedication by the author). 963 15 JOHNSON 3/14/2012 4:40 PM 964 Albany Law Review [Vol. 75.2 B. The 1972 Race ................................................................ 982 C. The 1973 and 1978 Openings ......................................... 985 VI. PROGRESSIVE REFORMER ...................................................... 986 A. Respect for the Law......................................................... 986 B. Civil Libertarian ............................................................ 988 C. Judicial Activist and Friend of Those in Need .............. 989 D. Frequent Dissenter.......................................................... 992 VII. ELOQUENT AUTHOR ............................................................... 994 A. Quotable .......................................................................... 995 B. Precise Sentences ............................................................ 996 C. Insights from the Academy ............................................. 998 D. Attention to Legislative History ...................................... 999 E. Fascinating Issues .........................................................1000 F. National Prominence .....................................................1001 VIII.CRUSHING WORKLOAD .........................................................1002 A. The Caseload of the Court .............................................1003 1. Sessions in Albany ...................................................1005 2. Dividing the Work ....................................................1006 3. The Range of Tasks ..................................................1007 4. Prompt Decisions .....................................................1008 B. Peripatetic Judging .......................................................1008 C. Before Computers ..........................................................1011 D. Constantly Moving the Office ........................................1012 E. Keeping Track of Everything .........................................1013 IX. MASTERING THE NEW JOB ....................................................1014 A. Midtown Manhattan .....................................................1014 B. Temporary Chambers with No Books ...........................1015 C. Home Chambers in the Bar Building............................1016 D. Secretarial Support .......................................................1017 E. Endless Reading ............................................................1017 F. Long Hours ....................................................................1020 G. Mystery and Majesty .....................................................1021 H. Clerks‘ Mischief .............................................................1023 I. The Pace during Intersessions .......................................1024 J. Law as Both Vocation and Avocation ...........................1024 K. The Great Arcania of Court of Appeals Practice ...........1026 X. LIFE AFTER THE BENCH ........................................................1027 A. ABA Standards on State Judicial Retirement ..............1029 B. Intellectual Historian ....................................................1031 C. Legacy ............................................................................1032 15 JOHNSON 3/14/2012 4:40 PM 2011/2012] Judge Bernard S. Meyer 965 INTRODUCTION Bernard S. Meyer‘s great professional ambition was to be a judge on the New York Court of Appeals.2 However, when he finally reached that goal, he found being a member of the state‘s highest tribunal was not quite what he expected. As he humorously explained to the Albany County Bar Association after almost eight months in office, ―notwithstanding my long-held aspiration to be on the Court, I really did not know before I got there where I was going . .‖3 This is the story of Judge Meyer‘s exhilarating, exhausting, and highly productive first year on the New York Court of Appeals. I. THE CHALLENGE OF A LIFETIME AT AGE 63 A Marylander by birth (June 7, 1916) and education, Bernard S. Meyer received his undergraduate degree at Johns Hopkins University (1936)4 and graduated ―first in his class‖5 at the University of Maryland School of Law (1938).6 As a boy, he ―caught the legal bug by hanging around his uncle‘s law office in 2 See Judith S. Kaye, Chief Judge, New York Court of Appeals, Keynote Address at the Nassau County Supreme Court: Tribute to Hon. Bernard S. Meyer 4 (Sept. 19, 2005) (―As we know, from the age of six or seven, when he abandoned his ambition to be a streetcar conductor, he wanted only to be a lawyer, ultimately a judge, and finally a Judge of the Court of Appeals.‖) (on file with Albany Law Review); see also Maurice Carroll, Bernard Meyer, Nassau Democrat, Named by Carey to Appeals Court, N.Y. TIMES, Apr. 20, 1979, at A1 (―Mr. Meyer told reporters in Albany that his only ambition had been to be a judge and that to sit on the Court of Appeals was ‗the highest honor bestowed upon a practicing lawyer.‘‖). 3 Bernard S. Meyer, Address to the Albany County Bar Association 2 (Jan. 10, 1980) (on file with Albany Law Review) [hereinafter Meyer‘s Address to Albany Cnty. Bar Ass‘n]. Meyer illustrated his point with a story, which he credited to Judge Hugh Jones, about Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, who sat with the United States Supreme Court ―until he was well on in years.‖ Id. As Meyer explained, Travel in those days was by train, and the setting of the story is with Mr. Justice Holmes on a train out of Washington during one of the Court‘s intersessions. When the conductor came by collecting tickets the good Justice, search as he would through his pockets, could not find his. As he continued to search, the conductor, who recognized the justice, said to him ―Mr. Justice, please don‘t bother. I‘m sure the railroad would be happy to have you send in the ticket when you find it or a check for the fare, if you don‘t,‖ to which Holmes rejoined ―Young man you just don‘t understand my problem. I don‘t know where I‘m going.‖ Id. 4 Sal Ferlazzo, Bernard Stern Meyer, in THE JUDGES OF THE NEW YORK COURT OF APPEALS: A BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY 785–86 (Albert M. Rosenblatt
Load more

Recommended publications
  • “From the Cracks in the Sidewalks of NYC”: The
    “From the Cracks in the Sidewalks of N.Y.C.”: The Embodied Production of Urban Decline, Survival, and Renewal in New York’s Fiscal-Crisis-Era Streets, 1977-1983 by Elizabeth Healy Matassa B.A. in Italian and French Studies, May 2003, University of Delaware M.A. in Geography, May 2006, Louisiana State University A Dissertation submitted to The Faculty of The Columbian College of Arts and Sciences of The George Washington University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy January 31, 2014 Dissertation directed by Suleiman Osman Associate Professor of American Studies The Columbian College of Arts and Sciences of the George Washington University certifies that Elizabeth Healy Matassa has passed the Final Examination for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy as of August 21, 2013. This is the final and approved form of the dissertation. “From the Cracks in the Sidewalks of N.Y.C.”: The Embodied Production of Decline, Survival, and Renewal in New York’s Fiscal-Crisis-Era Streets, 1977-1983 Elizabeth Healy Matassa Dissertation Research Committee: Suleiman Osman, Associate Professor of American Studies, Dissertation Director Elaine Peña, Associate Professor of American Studies, Committee Member Elizabeth Chacko, Associate Professor of Geography and International Affairs, Committee Member ii ©Copyright 2013 by Elizabeth Healy Matassa All rights reserved iii Dedication The author wishes to dedicate this dissertation to the five boroughs. From Woodlawn to the Rockaways: this one’s for you. iv Abstract of Dissertation “From the Cracks in the Sidewalks of N.Y.C.”: The Embodied Production of Urban Decline, Survival, and Renewal in New York’s Fiscal-Crisis-Era Streets, 1977-1983 This dissertation argues that New York City’s 1970s fiscal crisis was not only an economic crisis, but was also a spatial and embodied one.
    [Show full text]
  • A Tribute to George Bundy Smith and E. Richard Larson the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF) Mourns the Loss of the Hon
    A Tribute to George Bundy Smith and E. Richard Larson The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF) mourns the loss of the Hon. George Bundy Smith, who died Saturday August 5, 2017 and Richard Larson, who died July 22, 2017. “This month LDF lost two treasured members of our family, the Hon. George Bundy Smith, and attorney Richard Larson. Both these exceptional men represent the standard of excellence and commitment to justice that is the hallmark of LDF lawyers, and have left behind lasting contributions in the advancement of civil rights and in our profession,” said Sherrilyn Ifill, LDF’s President and Director-Counsel. Hon. George Bundy Smith George Bundy Smith was born on April 7, 1937 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Raised in a segregated neighborhood in Washington D.C., he went on to attend Yale University and Yale Law School, where he earned his law degree alongside his twin sister Inez Smith Reid. Smith followed his passion for civil rights early on, leaving law school during exams in his second year to travel to Montgomery, Alabama as a Freedom Rider. In 1961, Smith and about nine other Freedom Riders were arrested for sitting at an all-whites lunch counter. Thurgood Marshall, Lou Redding, Jack Greenberg, and Fred Gray represented Smith following his arrest, and Redding took the case all the way to the Supreme Court, where the conviction was overturned. After graduating from law school, Smith began his legal career as a staff attorney for LDF. From 1962-1964, Smith played a vital role in several prominent LDF cases.
    [Show full text]
  • ELCOCK-DISSERTATION.Pdf
    HIGH NEW YORK THE BIRTH OF A PSYCHEDELIC SUBCULTURE IN THE AMERICAN CITY A Thesis Submitted to the College of Graduate Studies and Research in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of History University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon By CHRIS ELCOCK Copyright Chris Elcock, October, 2015. All rights reserved Permission to Use In presenting this thesis in partial fulfilment of the requirements for a Postgraduate degree from the University of Saskatchewan, I agree that the Libraries of this University may make it freely available for inspection. I further agree that permission for copying of this thesis in any manner, in whole or in part, for scholarly purposes may be granted by the professor or professors who supervised my thesis work or, in their absence, by the Head of the Department or the Dean of the College in which my thesis work was done. It is understood that any copying or publication or use of this thesis or parts thereof for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. It is also understood that due recognition shall be given to me and to the University of Saskatchewan in any scholarly use which may be made of any material in my thesis. Requests for permission to copy or to make other use of material in this thesis in whole or part should be addressed to: Head of the Department of History Room 522, Arts Building 9 Campus Drive University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5A5 Canada i ABSTRACT The consumption of LSD and similar psychedelic drugs in New York City led to a great deal of cultural innovations that formed a unique psychedelic subculture from the early 1960s onwards.
    [Show full text]
  • Bombing for Justice: Urban Terrorism in New York City from the 1960S Through the 1980S
    City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works Publications and Research John Jay College of Criminal Justice 2014 Bombing for Justice: Urban Terrorism in New York City from the 1960s through the 1980s Jeffrey A. Kroessler John Jay College of Criminal Justice How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/jj_pubs/38 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: [email protected] Bombing for Justice: Urban Terrorism in New York City from the 1960s through to the 1980s Jeffrey A. Kroessler John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York ew York is no stranger to explosives. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the Black Hand, forerunners of the Mafia, planted bombs at stores and residences belonging to successful NItalians as a tactic in extortion schemes. To combat this evil, the New York Police Department (NYPD) founded the Italian Squad under Lieutenant Joseph Petrosino, who enthusiastically pursued those gangsters. Petrosino was assassinated in Palermo, Sicily, while investigating the criminal back- ground of mobsters active in New York. The Italian Squad was the gen- esis of today’s Bomb Squad. In the early decades of the twentieth century, anarchists and labor radicals planted bombs, the most devastating the 63 64 Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement noontime explosion on Wall Street in 1920. That crime was never solved.1 The city has also had its share of lunatics.
    [Show full text]
  • Understanding Organized Crime Networks: Evidence Based on Federal Bureau of Narcotics Secret Files on American Mafia
    Understanding Organized Crime Networks: Evidence Based on Federal Bureau of Narcotics Secret Files on American Mafia Giovanni Mastrobuoni Eleonora Patacchini No. 152 September 2010 www.carloalberto.org/working_papers © 2010 by Giovanni Mastrobuoni and Eleonora Patacchini. Any opinions expressed here are those of the authors and not those of the Collegio Carlo Alberto. Understanding Organized Crime Networks: Evidence Based on Federal Bureau of Narcotics Secret Files on American Mafia ∗ Giovanni Mastrobuoni†and Eleonora Patacchini.‡ September 2010§ ∗We would like to thank Theo Diasakos, Jim Heckman, Matthew Jackson, Claudio Lucifora, Franco Peracchi, Rocco Sciarrone, Serena Uccello, Aleksey Tetenov and seminar participants at the Workshop on the “Economics of Crime and Organized Crime” in Palermo, the one on “Institutions, Individual Behavior and Economic Outcomes” in Alghero, and the one in Petralia for their useful comments. Martino Bernardi, Isabella David, Filippo Maggi, and Dominic Smith have provided excellent research assistance. This research was supported by a Collegio Carlo Alberto grant. Giovanni Mastrobuoni thanks the Italian Academy at Columbia University for their hospitality. †Corresponding author. Associate Research Scholar, Italian Acedemy, Columbia University, Collegio Carlo Alberto and CeRP, Via Real Collegio 30, Moncalieri, Italy, [email protected]. ‡Department of Economic and Social Analysis, Universit`ala Sapienza, EIEF, IZA, and CEPR, P.le A. Moro 5 - 00185 Roma, Italy, [email protected] § © 2010 by Giovanni Mastrobuoni and Eleonora Patacchini. Any opinions expressed here are those of the authors and not those of the Collegio Carlo Alberto. 1 Abstract Using unique data on criminal profiles of 800 US Mafia members active in the 50s and 60s and on their connections within the Cosa Nostra network we analyze how the geometry of criminal ties between mobsters depends on family ties, community roots and ties, legal and illegal activities.
    [Show full text]
  • From Conformity to Protest: the Evolution of Latinos in American Popular Culture, 1930S-1980S
    From Conformity to Protest: The Evolution of Latinos in American Popular Culture, 1930s-1980s A dissertation submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Cincinnati in the partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of History of the College of Arts and Sciences 2017 by Vanessa de los Reyes M.A., Miami University, 2008 B.A., Northern Kentucky University, 2006 Committee Chair: Stephen R. Porter, Ph.D. Abstract “From Conformity to Protest” examines the visual representations of Latinos in American popular culture—specifically in film, television, and advertising—from the 1930s through the early 1980s. It follows the changing portrayals of Latinos in popular culture and how they reflected the larger societal phenomena of conformity, the battle for civil rights and inclusion, and the debate over identity politics and cultural authenticity. It also explores how these images affected Latinos’ sense of identity, particularly racial and ethnic identities, and their sense of belonging in American society. This dissertation traces the evolution of Latinos in popular culture through the various cultural anxieties in the United States in the middle half of the twentieth century, including immigration, citizenship, and civil rights. Those tensions profoundly transformed the politics and social dynamics of American society and affected how Americans thought of and reacted to Latinos and how Latinos thought of themselves. This work begins in the 1930s when Latin Americans largely accepted portrayals of themselves as cultural stereotypes, but longed for inclusion as “white” Americans. The narrative of conformity continues through the 1950s as the middle chapters thematically and chronologically examine how mainstream cultural producers portrayed different Latino groups—including Chicanos (or Mexican Americans), Puerto Ricans, and Cubans.
    [Show full text]
  • Download Oral History
    THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF THE NEW YORK COURTS ORAL HISTORY PROGRAM Honorable George Bundy Smith Found on exterior entrance to New York Court of Appeals THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF THE NEW YORK COURTS 140 Grand Street, Suite 701 White Plains, New York 10601 914.824.5717 [email protected] www.nycourts.gov/history ORAL HISTORY Subject: Hon. George Bundy Smith New York State Court of Appeals An Interview Conducted by: Sandra Jefferson Grannum Date of Interview: August 19, 2009 Location of interview: OCA Studio, 25 Beaver Street, New York, NY Copyright © 2012 The Historical Society of the New York Courts In 2005, The Historical Society of the New York Courts (the Society) established an oral history program to document the recollections of retired Judges of the New York State Court of Appeals (New York’s highest court), retired judges and justices from other courts in the State, and prominent New York lawyers (Subjects). Starting in 2009, all interviews were videotaped. Interviews prior to that time were either audio or video taped. Interviews were conducted by informed interviewers, familiar with both the Subject and New York jurisprudence (Interviewers). The transcripts of the record are reviewed by Subjects and Interviewers for clarity and accuracy, corrected, and deposited in the Society’s archives. An oral history transcript is not intended to present the complete, verified description of events. It is rather a spoken personal account by a Subject given in response to questions. It is intended to transmit the Subject’s thoughts, perceptions, and reflections. It is unique and irreplaceable. All uses of this transcript are covered by a signed agreement between Subject, Interviewers, and the Society.
    [Show full text]
  • HOW GEORGE PATAKI TRANSFORMED the NEW YORK STATE COURT of APPEALS Benjamin Pomerance* on N
    POMERANCE 1/23/2015 10:54 AM WHAT “TOUGH ON CRIME” LOOKS LIKE: HOW GEORGE PATAKI TRANSFORMED THE NEW YORK STATE COURT OF APPEALS Benjamin Pomerance* I. INTRODUCTION On November 1, 1995, Governor George E. Pataki fired a warning shot at the New York State Court of Appeals.1 “They are creating their own rules,” the state’s Chief Executive declared of New York’s highest judicial body.2 “The Court of Appeals has gone too far.”3 Later, he went on to pin his disgust on a specific body of the court’s caselaw: rulings that overturned criminal convictions solely because the defendant was denied one or more protections that Pataki considered mere technicalities.4 “These are just irrational, mindless, procedural safeguards—not for those who are wrongfully charged but for criminals who can get off,” the Governor announced.5 To Pataki, a court comprised of judges chosen solely by his predecessor in the Governor’s Mansion, Mario Cuomo, was simply “coddling” criminals, returning dangerous individuals to the streets of New York to prey on more innocent victims.6 Certain recent decisions drew particular ire from Pataki on that * Benjamin Pomerance, J.D., Albany Law School, B.A., State University of New York at Plattsburgh, serves in Counsel's Office for the New York State Division of Veterans' Affairs. Mr. Pomerance previously served as Executive Editor for Symposium for the Albany Law Review. He also founded and directed the Albany Law School Veteran’s Pro Bono Project, and has taught a class on the First Amendment at Union College.
    [Show full text]
  • The Strange Life of Joseph Colombo: Mobster, Anti-Discrimination Champion, Or ​ ​ Both?
    The State University of New York at Buffalo The Strange Life of Joseph Colombo: Mobster, Anti-discrimination Champion, or ​ ​ Both? Michael Anthony Repole Undergraduate Honors History Thesis Dr. Radford Spring 2017 Repole 2 Immigration and ethnic diversity have both been cornerstones of the American experience since the establishment of the nation. The heterogeneity of the population has certainly caused and continues to cause conflict, however the first modern democracy still stands. Different groups of Americans have all had unique experiences worth researching; the Italian-American experience is particularly intriguing. Similar to other new immigrants of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, Italians in the United States had gone from being perceived as ‘other’ to being labeled ‘white.’ Yet Italian-Americans also controlled some of the largest organized crime operations in the world, which led to a lasting and unfavorable stereotype. A fascinating effort to diminish the association between Italian-Americans and organized crime came in the form of the Italian-American Civil Rights League, which was led by Joe Colombo, widely known as the boss of New York’s Colombo crime family. Although other factors were probably more important in actually reducing the power of this negative stereotype, the story of Colombo’s organization illustrates the desire of the great majority of law abiding Italians to diminish association the public made between their community and criminal activity. Joe Colombo was born on June 16th, 1924 in Brooklyn, New York to Italian-American parents. His mother was born and bred in Brooklyn, while his father, Anthony Colombo was born in Brazil.1 Colombo greatly admired his parents, especially his father.
    [Show full text]
  • The Rebuilding of the South Bronx After the Fiscal Crisis
    JUHXXX10.1177/0096144217714764Journal of Urban HistoryChronopoulos 714764research-article2017 Special Section Article Journal of Urban History 2017, Vol. 43(6) 932 –959 The Rebuilding of the South Bronx © The Author(s) 2017 Reprints and permissions: after the Fiscal Crisis sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav https://doi.org/10.1177/0096144217714764DOI: 10.1177/0096144217714764 journals.sagepub.com/home/juh Themis Chronopoulos1 Abstract This article explores the rebuilding of the South Bronx since 1977. This rebuilding represents an important public policy accomplishment, since the South Bronx was one of the most physically devastated areas in the United States. In terms of economic policy, the rebuilding of the South Bronx defies linear narratives. One the one hand, public–private partnerships, which represent some of the most important features of urban neoliberalism, were used heavily in the revitalization of the South Bronx. Community organizations that had been rebuilding areas in the South Bronx in the 1970s and the 1980s were required to conform to the requirements of the market, if they were to continue participating in urban development. On the other hand, the building of housing for low- and moderate-income people is not exactly a neoliberal economic policy, since these housing units were built with public subsidies and regulated by government agencies. In its insistence to rebuild the South Bronx as well as other physically devastated areas, the city government of New York became involved in creative financing by incorporating nongovernment organizations that were ran by accomplished businesspeople but remained nonprofit. And whatever the original intentions of city administrations in building and preserving affordable housing in the South Bronx may have been, the accommodation of so many low-income people performing low-paying but essential jobs has contributed to the making of a more vibrant urban economy, even if these same people are not necessarily the ones benefitting from New York’s economic dynamism.
    [Show full text]
  • Transformation of the American Mafia, 1880-1960
    University of Mississippi eGrove Electronic Theses and Dissertations Graduate School 2015 Transformation Of The American Mafia, 1880-1960 Connor Anthony Hagan University of Mississippi Follow this and additional works at: https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd Part of the History Commons Recommended Citation Hagan, Connor Anthony, "Transformation Of The American Mafia, 1880-1960" (2015). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 637. https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd/637 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at eGrove. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of eGrove. For more information, please contact [email protected]. TRANSFORMATION OF THE AMERICAN MAFIA, 1880-1960 A Thesis presented in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in the Department of History The University of Mississippi by CONNOR ANTHONY HAGAN April 2015 Copyright Connor A. Hagan 2015 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ABSTRACT This thesis aims to discover how the American Cosa Nostra transformed in the early 20th century. The goal of this project is to show how the American mafia’s interactions with the US government evolved the mafia from a group of discriminated immigrants into consummate insiders who adapted to the American historical landscape. To explore this transformation and evolving relationship, this thesis analyzed numerous sources from US government archives and personal testimonies of American Cosa Nostra members. The American Cosa Nostra operated as a shadowy, yet powerful organization throughout much of the 20th century. During this time, the American mafia influenced politics, economics, and society through their broad and profitable activities.
    [Show full text]
  • Terrorism and the Response to Terrorism in New York City During the Long Sixties
    City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works All Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects 6-2017 Terrorism and the Response to Terrorism in New York City During the Long Sixties David C. Viola Jr. The Graduate Center, City University of New York How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/1956 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: [email protected] TERRORISM AND THE RESPONSE TO TERRORISM IN NEW YORK CITY DURING THE LONG SIXTIES BY DAVID C. VIOLA, JR. A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty in History in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, The City University of New York 2017 i © 2014 DAVID C. VIOLA, JR. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ii Terrorism and the Response to Terrorism in New York City During the Long Sixties by David C. Viola, Jr. This manuscript has been read and accepted for the Graduate Faculty in History in satisfaction of the dissertation requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy _________________ ____________________________________________ Date Chair of Examining Committee Joshua B. Freeman, Distinguished Professor of History, Queens College and The Graduate Center, CUNY _________________ ____________________________________________ Date Andrew Robertson, Professor of History and Executive Officer, PhD Program in History, The Graduate Center, CUNY SUPERVISORY COMMITTEE Joshua B. Freeman, Queens College and The Graduate Center, CUNY Beverly Gage, Yale University Thomas Kessner, The Graduate Center, CUNY David Nasaw, The Graduate Center, CUNY THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK iii ABSTRACT TERRORISM AND THE RESPONSE TO TERRORISM IN NEW YORK CITY DURING THE LONG SIXTIES By David C.
    [Show full text]