This article is about the American politician from New York. For other uses, see Matthew Levy (disambiguation).
Matthew M. Levy
Office 1Justice of the New York Supreme Court
Term start 1January 1, 1951
Term end 1September 4, 1971
Office 3Judge of the New York City
Municipal Court, 1st District
Term start 3January 1, 1938
Term end 3December 31, 1938
Appointer 3Fiorello La Guardia
Predecessor 3Michael B. McHugh
Successor 3Denis R. Sheil
Birth nameMatthew Malitz Levy
Birth dateMarch 1, 1899
Birth placeBrest-Litovsk, Congress Poland, Russian Empire
Death dateSeptember 4, 1971 (aged 72)
Death placeNew York City, U.S.
PartySocialist (before 1936)
American Labor (1936–1944)
Liberal (after 1944)
Democratic (after 1950)
Other partySocial Democratic Federation (after 1936)
SpousePearl Gold Spivak (m. 1922)
Alma materUniversity of Georgia (B.S.)
Harvard Law School (LL.B.)
OccupationLawyer, politician, judge
AllegianceUnited States
Service years1918
Rank2nd Lieutenant
BattlesWorld War I

Matthew Malitz Levy[1] (March 1, 1899 – September 4, 1971) was a Polish-born Jewish American lawyer, politician and judge who served as a justice of the New York Supreme Court from 1951[2] until his death in 1971.[3] He previously served as a special assistant attorney general in 1927[4][5] and 1937,[6][7] then was appointed a judge of the New York City Municipal Court by mayor Fiorello La Guardia,[8] serving in 1938.[9]

Biography

Matthew Malitz Levy was born on March 1, 1899, in Brest-Litovsk, Congress Poland, the fourth of eight children. He emigrated with his family to the United States in 1903, settling in Savannah, Georgia. He first became interested in the law as a youth, skipping school to go to the courthouse and watch Confederate veteran and judge Peter Meldrim. After graduating high school, he enrolled in the University of Georgia, but paused his studies to enlist in the U.S. Army during World War I. Upon returning home, he earned degrees from Georgia in 1919 and Harvard Law School in 1922 before moving to New York City, where he met his wife Pearl Gold Spivak.[10]

Levy settled in the Bronx, where he worked as a labor lawyer and became law partners with former Socialist judge Jacob Panken.[3] Levy himself had been politically active since his time at Harvard, where he was a member of the university's Liberal Union. He campaigned for Progressive Senator Robert M. La Follette in the 1924 presidential election, then for Socialist Norman Thomas in the 1928 and 1932 presidential elections.[10]

Levy entered electoral politics as a Socialist, running unsuccessfully for State Supreme Court in 1934.[11] He left the party to join the Social Democratic Federation and the American Labor Party in 1936,[12] standing as the ALP candidate for New York City Municipal Court in 1938,[13] Bronx Borough President in 1941,[14] and Supreme Court in 1943.[15] He was finally elected to the Supreme Court in 1950, running on a joint Liberal-Democratic ticket. He was re-elected in 1964, serving until his death in 1971, just months before he was set to retire.[3]

During his judicial career, Levy became known for writing lengthy opinions that were rarely overturned by higher courts.[16] In 1958, the Harvard Law Record named him "Scholar on the Bench."[10]

References

  1. ^ "Georgia, U.S., World War I Service Cards, 1917-1919 for Matthew Malitz Levy". ancestry.com. United States Department of War. Retrieved 5 March 2025.
  2. ^ "Supreme Court Seats to Levy, Brady and Gold". Daily News. 8 November 1950. Retrieved 5 March 2025.
  3. ^ "MATTHEW M. LEVY, JUSTICE, 72, DEAD". The New York Times. 5 September 1971. Retrieved 5 March 2025.
  4. ^ "Say Turkish bath houses 19 voters". Brooklyn Daily Times. 2 November 1927. Retrieved 5 March 2025.
  5. ^ "Murder of jeweler and 2 new robberies spur hunt for gang". Brooklyn Daily Times. 2 May 1931. Retrieved 5 March 2025.
  6. ^ "La Guardia sends police to watch slow P.R. clerks". The Standard-Star. 8 November 1937. Retrieved 5 March 2025.
  7. ^ Who's Who In America. Chicago: A.N. Marquis Company. 1966–1967. p. 1,257. Retrieved 19 June 2025.
  8. ^ "Levy Lives in Bare Room to Keep Judgeship; Moved Hastily to District to Be Eligible". The New York Times. 4 January 1938. Retrieved 19 June 2025.
  9. ^ "The Judgeships". Daily News. 21 October 1938. Retrieved 5 March 2025.
  10. ^ "Matthew Levy, New York Judge, Known as Scholar on the Bench". Harvard Law Record. 27 (2): 2. 2 October 1958. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
  11. ^ "Some of the candidates for New York City and State offices". The Jewish Daily Forward. 28 October 1934. Retrieved 5 March 2025.
  12. ^ "SDF News". The New Leader. 23 October 1943. Retrieved 5 March 2025.
  13. ^ "Candidates for state wide offices on the American Labor Party ticket in Tuesday's election in New York". The Jewish Daily Forward. 6 November 1938. Retrieved 5 March 2025.
  14. ^ "Leading Labor Party candidates in Tuesday's election in New York". The Jewish Daily Forward. 2 November 1941. Retrieved 5 March 2025.
  15. ^ "Vote For American Labor Party Candidates!–Vote Row "C"". The Jewish Daily Forward. 31 October 1943. Retrieved 5 March 2025.
  16. ^ "Thorough Jurist; Matthew Malitz Levy". The New York Times. 16 March 1965. Retrieved 3 July 2025.