Irving H. Saypol

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Irving Howard Saypol
Irving Howard Saypol circa 1950.jpg
New York Supreme Court Justice
In office
1952–1968
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York
In office
1949–1951
Preceded byJohn F. X. McGohey
Succeeded byMyles J. Lane
Personal details
Born(1905-09-03)September 3, 1905
Lower East Side
Manhattan, New York City
DiedJune 30, 1977(1977-06-30) (aged 71)
Manhattan, New York City
Spouse(s)Adele D. Kaplan
EducationSt. Lawrence University
Brooklyn Law School

Irving Howard Saypol (September 3, 1905 – June 30, 1977) was a United States attorney for the Southern District of New York and New York Supreme Court Justice. He was involved in several high-profile Communist prosecutions, including the Alger Hiss, William Remington, , and Julius and Ethel Rosenberg cases.[1][2]

Biography[]

He was born to a Jewish family on September 3, 1905, on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York City to Louis and Michakin Saypol.[1][2][3]

While attending night classes at Brooklyn Law School, from which he graduated in 1927, he married Adele B. Kaplan in September 1925.[1][2] Their son, , served as CEO of Lionel Corporation from 1968 to 1982.[4] He was admitted to the bar in 1928.[5][6]

Saypol quickly advanced in the United States Attorney's Office. He became the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York.[7] Irving Saypol led the prosecution of several members of the Communist Party of the United States (CPUSA) including Eugene Dennis, William Z. Foster, John Gates, Robert G. Thompson, Gus Hall, William Remington, Abraham Brothman and Miriam Moskowitz. As a result of these prosecutions Saypol was described by Time as "the nation's number one legal hunter of top communists."[8]

From 1950 to 1951 he was Chief Prosecutor for the federal government in the espionage case against Julius and Ethel Rosenberg and Morton Sobell.[9] He gained a reputation as an efficient prosecutor of Communists.

Saypol served on the New York Supreme Court from 1952 until 1968. Saypol was one of 14 judges indicted by a controversial special prosecutor who was appointed to investigate police corruption but instead pursued the judiciary. Anthony Lewis, The Zeal of Maurice Nadjari, New York Times, March 28, 1976. None of the prosecutions were successful. In Saypol's case the court found that the allegation of the $125 bribery alleged in the indictment was unsubstantiated. The opinion states: "Taken as a whole, the evidence not only does not establish a legal basis for a charge of bribery, but clearly confirms that there was no bribe." (Decision of Justice Leonard H. Sandler, People v. Sandler, Indictment No. 1875/76, 87/76, p. 9.

In 1975 Saypol ruled against the landmark designation for Grand Central Terminal in New York City removing legal barriers to the construction of a 59-story office tower on top of the terminal.[10]

Saypol died from cancer on June 30, 1977 at his home at 152 East 94th Street in Manhattan, New York City.[1]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d . At his funeral Charles D. Breitel, Chief Judge of the New York State Court of Appeals, said "We on the bench knew that he would handle a case with integrity. This often made him the center of controversy, but then people who live a life without controversy are not of much value to themselves or to society." Breitel concluded "He had an outstanding career and was happily married for 52 years. What more could a person ask for?"Tom Goldstein (July 1, 1977). "Justice Irving H. Saypol, 71, Dies; Rosenberg Spy‐Trial Prosecutor". New York Times.
  2. ^ a b c "A Stickler for Decorum – Irving Howard Saypol". New York Times. January 7, 1965. p. 23. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
  3. ^ Radosh, Ronald (March 29, 2011). "Cold Case: Ethel and Julius Rosenberg". The Tablet. The Rosenberg case was a family affair—almost everyone involved was Jewish: the Rosenbergs and the Greenglasses, those who became government witnesses against the two couples, as well as the prosecutors, Myles Lane, Irving Saypol, and Roy Cohn, and the justice who presided at the trial, Irving Kaufman
  4. ^ "Ronald Saypol dies at 85; led model-train maker Lionel into retailing". Los Angeles Times. December 8, 2014.
  5. ^ [1]
  6. ^ "Issue 1". Brief. 62: 1.
  7. ^ Goldstein, Tom (July 1977). "Justice Irving H. Saypol, 7 1 , Dies; Rosenberg Spy‐Trial Prosecutor". The New York Times.
  8. ^ Caute, David (1978). The Great Fear: Anti-Communist Purge under Truman and Eisenhower. New York: Simon & Schuster. p. 63. ISBN 0-671-22682-7.
  9. ^ "Saypol Appointed U.S. Attorney Here". New York Times. Associated Press. January 7, 1950.
  10. ^ Gildberger, Paul (1975-01-22). "Grand Central Landmark Status Voided". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-07-05.

Sources[]

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