Maurice Paprin
Encyclopedia
Maurice Paprin was a New York City
real estate developer and social activist.
Born in 1920, Paprin graduated from Townsend Harris High School
in 1936 and City College
in 1941. He gained an MA in history from the University of Wisconsin–Madison
and taught briefly at New York University
, but pressures arising from McCarthyism
eased him out of academia. He began to work for his father's restaurant business and became acquainted with Democratic party
officials in Queens. In the 1960s, Paprin began building low-cost real estate in Queens
and in several locations in Manhattan
, including the Lower East Side
. He also became involved in civil-rights and anti-Vietnam War
activism. With Robert Boehm
, he co-founded the Fund for New Priorities in America, which organized antiwar teach-ins and mobilized people to press for a ceasefire. He was a prominent supporter of liberal politicians such as Edward M. Kennedy, George McGovern
, and, later, Dennis Kucinich
.
Paprin remained a force on the New York real-estate and social-activist scene into the 2000s. In his later years, his foremost concerns were educating young people worldwide--he was a key backer of the organization iEARN--and campaigning for the release of Lori Berenson
, an American woman held captive in Peru. He also supported the New School
and the Council on Hemispheric Affairs
.
Paprin's sister, Eugenia, married Ewart Guinier, the prominent civil-rights activist; Harvard University
law professor Lani Guinier
is Paprin's niece.
Paprin died in November 2005 from a fall.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
real estate developer and social activist.
Born in 1920, Paprin graduated from Townsend Harris High School
Townsend Harris High School
Townsend Harris High School is a public magnet high school for the humanities in the borough of Queens in New York City. Students and alumni often refer to themselves as "Harrisites." Townsend Harris consistently ranks as among the top 100 High Schools in the United States. It currently operates as...
in 1936 and City College
City College of New York
The City College of the City University of New York is a senior college of the City University of New York , in New York City. It is also the oldest of the City University's twenty-three institutions of higher learning...
in 1941. He gained an MA in history from the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
and taught briefly at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, but pressures arising from McCarthyism
McCarthyism
McCarthyism is the practice of making accusations of disloyalty, subversion, or treason without proper regard for evidence. The term has its origins in the period in the United States known as the Second Red Scare, lasting roughly from the late 1940s to the late 1950s and characterized by...
eased him out of academia. He began to work for his father's restaurant business and became acquainted with Democratic party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
officials in Queens. In the 1960s, Paprin began building low-cost real estate in Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
and in several locations in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, including the Lower East Side
Lower East Side
The Lower East Side, LES, is a neighborhood in the southeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is roughly bounded by Allen Street, East Houston Street, Essex Street, Canal Street, Eldridge Street, East Broadway, and Grand Street....
. He also became involved in civil-rights and anti-Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
activism. With Robert Boehm
Robert Boehm
Robert Boehm was an American political activist. Boehm was a 1935 graduate of Dartmouth College and a 1939 graduate of Columbia University Law School. The son of an attorney, he married his father's secretary, Frances Rozran; Frances Boehm died on February 14, 2006...
, he co-founded the Fund for New Priorities in America, which organized antiwar teach-ins and mobilized people to press for a ceasefire. He was a prominent supporter of liberal politicians such as Edward M. Kennedy, George McGovern
George McGovern
George Stanley McGovern is an historian, author, and former U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator, and the Democratic Party nominee in the 1972 presidential election....
, and, later, Dennis Kucinich
Dennis Kucinich
Dennis John Kucinich is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1997. He was furthermore a candidate for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States in the 2004 and 2008 presidential elections....
.
Paprin remained a force on the New York real-estate and social-activist scene into the 2000s. In his later years, his foremost concerns were educating young people worldwide--he was a key backer of the organization iEARN--and campaigning for the release of Lori Berenson
Lori Berenson
Lori Helene Berenson is an American convicted in Peru of unlawful collaboration with the Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement , which the Peruvian government regarded as a terrorist organization, and which had committed numerous attacks in attempting to overthrow the government...
, an American woman held captive in Peru. He also supported the New School
The New School
The New School is a university in New York City, located mostly in Greenwich Village. From its founding in 1919 by progressive New York academics, and for most of its history, the university was known as the New School for Social Research. Between 1997 and 2005 it was known as New School University...
and the Council on Hemispheric Affairs
Council on Hemispheric Affairs
The Council on Hemispheric Affairs is a Washington, D.C.-based non-governmental organization founded in 1975. In its own words, it was established to "promote the common interests of the [Western] hemisphere, raise the visibility of regional affairs and increase the importance of the...
.
Paprin's sister, Eugenia, married Ewart Guinier, the prominent civil-rights activist; Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
law professor Lani Guinier
Lani Guinier
Lani Guinier is an American lawyer, scholar and civil rights activist. The first African-American woman tenured professor at Harvard Law School, Guinier's work includes professional responsibilities of public lawyers, the relationship between democracy and the law, the role of race and gender in...
is Paprin's niece.
Paprin died in November 2005 from a fall.