Nathan D. Perlman papers
Scope and Content Note
Contains correspondence, judicial opinions, addresses and speeches, newspaper clippings, and published material relating to Perlman's legal career as a judge in various municipal courts of the city of New York (1935-1952), and political career as a New York State Assemblyman (1915-1917) and a member of the United States House of Representatives (1920-1927) and as an unsuccessful candidate for New York State office.
Also contains published material relating to his activities on behalf of the Jewish community, especially the American Jewish Congress (1942-1946), where he served as chairman of its National Executive Committee. Approximately one half of the collection consists of the official minutes, memoranda, administrative and investigatory reports and correspondence of the Mayor's Committee on Unity established by Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia in 1944, of which Perlman served as a member on the subcommittees on Housing, City Services and the Timone Investigation.
Dates
- 1915-1953
Creator
- Perlman, Nathan David, 1887-1952 (Person)
Language of Materials
The collection is in English.
Access Restrictions
The collection is open to all researchers, except items that may be restricted due to their fragility, or privacy.
Use Restrictions
No permission is required to quote, reproduce or otherwise publish manuscript materials found in this collection, as long as the usage is scholarly, educational, and non-commercial. For inquiries about other usage, please contact the Director of Collections and Engagement at mmeyers@ajhs.org.
For reference questions, please email: inquiries@cjh.org
Biographical Note
Perlman was born in Prusice, Poland in 1887, and immigrated to New York City in 1891. He attended the College of the City of New York and New York University Law School, graduated in 1907, and was admitted to the bar in 1909. He was a Special Deputy New York Attorney General from 1912 to 1914; and a member of the New York State Assembly (New York Co., 6th D.) until 1917. He was elected as a Republican to the 66th United States Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Fiorello H. La Guardia, and maintianed that position until 1927, when he returned to practicing law. He was a delegate to the New York State Convention to enact the 21st Amendment, and then became a New York City Magistrate serving from May 1, 1935, to September 1, 1936. He ran on the Republican ticket for New York Attorney General, but was defeated by the incumbent John J. Bennett, Jr. Perlman was a senior official of the American Jewish Congress and, in 1945, consulted with and provided assistance to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Robert H. Jackson, President Truman's appointee to serve as chief U.S. prosecutor of Nazi war criminals. Perlman died in New York City in 1952.
Extent
2.5 Linear Feet (5 manuscript boxes)
Abstract
Contains correspondence, judicial opinions, addresses and speeches, newspaper clippings, and published material relating to Perlman's career as a judge in various municipal courts of the city of New York (1935-1952), his political career as a New York State Assemblyman (1915-1917), member of the United States House of Representatives (1920-1927), and as an unsuccessful candidate for New York State office.
It also contains published material relating to Perlman's activities on behalf of the Jewish community, especially the American Jewish Congress (1942-1946), where he served as chairman of its National Executive Committee.
Approximately half of this collection consists of the official minutes; memoranda; administrative and investigatory reports; and correspondence of the Mayor's Committee on Unity established by Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia in 1944, of which Perlman served as a member on the subcommittees on Housing, City Services, and the Timone Investigation.
Arrangement
This collection is intellectually arranged into five series, organized by subject.
Physical Location
Located in AJHS New York, NY.
Acquisition Note
Gift of Mrs. Florence Perlman 1968
- American Jewish Congress
- Articles
- Clippings (information artifacts)
- Correspondence
- Jackson, Robert H., 1892-1954
- Jewish statesmen
- Judges
- Kohanski, Alexander S. (Alexander Sissel), 1902-1987
- La Guardia, Fiorello H. (Fiorello Henry), 1882-1947
- Lawyers
- Minorities -- United States
- Minutes (administrative records)
- New York (N.Y.)
- New York (N.Y.). Mayor's Committee on Unity
- New York (State)
- Perlman, Nathan David, 1887-1952
- Race relations
- Robinson, Jacob, 1889-1977
- Title
- Guide to the Nathan D. Perlman papers, undated, 1915-1953 P-66
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Finding aid created by marc2ead_ajhs.xsl
- Date
- © 2009
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English.
Revision Statements
- 2016-09-15: Finding aid encoding revised and PDF box list converted to dsc. by Janine Veazue.
- April, June 2020: EHyman-post-ASpace migration cleanup
Repository Details
Part of the American Jewish Historical Society Repository
