Sidney Leviss was a Democratic

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...

 politician and judge from 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....

, New York City

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...

.

Leviss was born in Flushing, New York. He attended 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...

 and received a degree from the New York University School of Law

New York University School of Law

The New York University School of Law is the law school of New York University. Established in 1835, the school offers the J.D., LL.M., and J.S.D. degrees in law, and is located in Greenwich Village, in the New York City borough of Manhattan....

 in June 1941. Leviss was admitted to the New York State Bar in January 1942. The next day he joined the U.S. Army Air Corps to fight in World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

.

After the war he served as an assistant district attorney

District attorney

In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...

 under T. Vincent Quinn

T. Vincent Quinn

Thomas Vincent Quinn of Jackson Heights, Queens was a U.S. Representative from New York from 1949 to 1951.-Career:* Fordham University Law School, graduated 1924* Assistant District Attorney, Queens County, NY, 1931-1934....

, and later as deputy Queens borough president

Borough president

Borough President is an elective office in each of the five boroughs of New York City.-Reasons for establishment:...

 under Mario J. Cariello

Mario J. Cariello

Mario Joseph Cariello was a lawyer, Democratic politician and judge from Queens, New York City.Cariello was born in Manhattan in 1907, but lived most of his life in Queens. He was a 1924 graduate of Newtown High School in Elmhurst.Cariello served as a New York State Assemblyman from 1936 to 1941,...

. He succeeded his boss and was elected Queens borough president in 1969. Leviss left the office mid-term on September 17, 1971 to take a seat on the New York Supreme Court

New York Supreme Court

The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the trial-level court of general jurisdiction in thestate court system of New York, United States. There is a supreme court in each of New York State's 62 counties, although some smaller counties share judges with neighboring counties...

. He retired from the bench at the age of 76, but was subsequently named a judicial hearing officer, a position he held until his death.

Leviss' wife Marion died in 2006. He was survived by two daughters, Jeanne and Nancy.