Louis S. Weiss
Encyclopedia
Louis Stix Weiss was a name partner of the international law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison
, a firm that traces its roots to one founded by Louis's father Samuel W. Weiss in 1875. He was best known as one of banker Marshall Field III's
lawyers and for his work towards civil rights
.
and was graduated from Yale University
in 1915. He began studies at the Columbia Law School
, which were interrupted by the First World War. Rejected on medical grounds for military service, he spent the war years working for War Industries Board
headed by Bernard Baruch. At war's end, he returned to Columbia Law School, where he became Editor-in-Chief of the Columbia Law Review
and graduated in 1920.
, he formed his own partnership with his law school classmate and friend, John F. Wharton. In 1927, this two-person firm merged into the successor of the firm his father had founded, which was renamed Cohen, Cole, Weiss & Wharton. That firm and its successors became famous for breaking down the barriers of Jews practicing with Gentiles, as well as its commitment to civil
and human rights.
In the late 1930s, Weiss met Marshall Field III through their common interest in psychoanalysis, and Weiss became Field's lawyer, as well as counsel to Field Enterprises and assorted other Field interests, including the Chicago Sun and the ill-fated PM
newspaper edited by Ralph Ingersoll
. In 1946, Weiss recruited former Treasury Department General Randolph E. Paul
and former War Labor Board chairman Lloyd K. Garrison
to his firm, which was renamed Paul, Weiss, Wharton & Garrison.
In 1950, Weiss persuaded U.S. District Judge Simon H. Rifkind
to join the firm, which then adopted its current name of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison.
Weiss was a longtime member of the National Legal Committee of the NAACP, and was elected to succeed Howard Law School Dean Charles H. Houston as its chair. He was a director of the American Council on Race Relations, a founder with Eleanor Roosevelt
of the U.S. Committee for the Care of European Children at the outset of World War II, a longtime trustee and eventually chair of the New School for Social Research, and a trustee of, among other organizations, the Field Foundation, the National Opinion Research Center, and the American Psychoanalytic Association.
Louis Weiss died suddenly of a heart attack on November 13, 1950. The following week, Eleanor Roosevelt dedicated her syndicated column to Weiss, which she entitled "A Radiant Life." In the Chicago Defender longtime NAACP Executive Secretary Walter White called Weiss "one of a select group to whom whatever freedom Negro Americans and other minorites have won during recent years was due."
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP is a law firm headquartered on Sixth Avenue in New York City. The firm has well-noted expertise in its corporate, personal representation, entertainment law and litigation practices, having long been a leader among national litigation firms...
, a firm that traces its roots to one founded by Louis's father Samuel W. Weiss in 1875. He was best known as one of banker Marshall Field III's
Marshall Field III
Marshall Field III was an American investment banker, publisher, racehorse owner/breeder, philanthropist, heir to the Marshall Field department store fortune and a leading financial supporter and founding board member of Saul Alinsky's community organizing network Industrial Areas Foundation.Born...
lawyers and for his work towards civil rights
Civil rights movement
The civil rights movement was a worldwide political movement for equality before the law occurring between approximately 1950 and 1980. In many situations it took the form of campaigns of civil resistance aimed at achieving change by nonviolent forms of resistance. In some situations it was...
.
Early life and education
Louis Weiss was born on February 7, 1894 in New York City, the second son of Samuel and Carrie Stix Weiss. He attended the Horace Mann SchoolHorace Mann School
Horace Mann School is an independent college preparatory school in New York City, New York, United States founded in 1887 known for its rigorous course of studies. Horace Mann is a member of the Ivy Preparatory School League, educating students from all across the New York tri-state area from...
and was graduated from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
in 1915. He began studies at the Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School, founded in 1858, is one of the oldest and most prestigious law schools in the United States. A member of the Ivy League, Columbia Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Columbia University in New York City. It offers the J.D., LL.M., and J.S.D. degrees in...
, which were interrupted by the First World War. Rejected on medical grounds for military service, he spent the war years working for War Industries Board
War Industries Board
The War Industries Board was a United States government agency established on July 28, 1917, during World War I, to coordinate the purchase of war supplies. The organization encouraged companies to use mass-production techniques to increase efficiency and urged them to eliminate waste by...
headed by Bernard Baruch. At war's end, he returned to Columbia Law School, where he became Editor-in-Chief of the Columbia Law Review
Columbia Law Review
The Columbia Law Review is a law review edited and published by students at Columbia Law School. In addition to articles, the journal regularly publishes scholarly essays and student notes. It was founded in 1901 by Joseph E. Corrigan and John M. Woolsey, who served as the review's first...
and graduated in 1920.
Career
After a brief association with the law firm of Simpson Thacher & BartlettSimpson Thacher & Bartlett
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP is a law firm headquartered in New York City which employs over 800 attorneys in ten offices worldwide. The firm is highly regarded for its litigation and corporate practices, with special attention focused on its mergers and acquisitions specialty...
, he formed his own partnership with his law school classmate and friend, John F. Wharton. In 1927, this two-person firm merged into the successor of the firm his father had founded, which was renamed Cohen, Cole, Weiss & Wharton. That firm and its successors became famous for breaking down the barriers of Jews practicing with Gentiles, as well as its commitment to civil
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
and human rights.
In the late 1930s, Weiss met Marshall Field III through their common interest in psychoanalysis, and Weiss became Field's lawyer, as well as counsel to Field Enterprises and assorted other Field interests, including the Chicago Sun and the ill-fated PM
PM (newspaper)
PM was a leftist New York City daily newspaper published by Ralph Ingersoll from June 1940 to June 1948 and bankrolled by the eccentric Chicago millionaire Marshall Field III....
newspaper edited by Ralph Ingersoll
Ralph Ingersoll (PM publisher)
Ralph McAllister Ingersoll was an American writer, editor, and publisher...
. In 1946, Weiss recruited former Treasury Department General Randolph E. Paul
Randolph E. Paul
Randolph Evernghim Paul was a lawyer specializing in tax law. His is credited as "an architect of the modern tax system."-Biography:...
and former War Labor Board chairman Lloyd K. Garrison
Lloyd K. Garrison
Lloyd Kirkham Garrison was an American lawyer. He was Dean of the University of Wisconsin Law School, but also served as chairman of the "first" National Labor Relations Board, chairman of the National War Labor Board, and chair of the New York City Board of Education...
to his firm, which was renamed Paul, Weiss, Wharton & Garrison.
In 1950, Weiss persuaded U.S. District Judge Simon H. Rifkind
Simon H. Rifkind
Simon Hirsch Rifkind was a prominent United States federal judge and trial lawyer.- Biography :Born in Lithuania, Rifkind emigrated to the United States in 1910. He attended DeWitt Clinton High School, and received a B.S. from City College of New York in 1922 and an LL.B...
to join the firm, which then adopted its current name of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison.
Weiss was a longtime member of the National Legal Committee of the NAACP, and was elected to succeed Howard Law School Dean Charles H. Houston as its chair. He was a director of the American Council on Race Relations, a founder with Eleanor Roosevelt
Eleanor Roosevelt
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was the First Lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945. She supported the New Deal policies of her husband, distant cousin Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and became an advocate for civil rights. After her husband's death in 1945, Roosevelt continued to be an international...
of the U.S. Committee for the Care of European Children at the outset of World War II, a longtime trustee and eventually chair of the New School for Social Research, and a trustee of, among other organizations, the Field Foundation, the National Opinion Research Center, and the American Psychoanalytic Association.
Louis Weiss died suddenly of a heart attack on November 13, 1950. The following week, Eleanor Roosevelt dedicated her syndicated column to Weiss, which she entitled "A Radiant Life." In the Chicago Defender longtime NAACP Executive Secretary Walter White called Weiss "one of a select group to whom whatever freedom Negro Americans and other minorites have won during recent years was due."