Leon Sanders

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Leon Sanders

| birth_date = {{birth date|1867|05|25|mf=y}}

| birth_place = Odessa, Russian Empire

| death_date = {{death date and age|1937|08|18|1867|05|25|mf=y}}

| death_place = California, U.S.

| occupation = Lawyer, politician, judge

| office = Member of the New York State Assembly from the 12th District, New York County

| term_start = 1899

| term_end = 1902

| predecessor = Joseph Schulum

| successor = Edward Rosenstein

| party = Democratic

| spouse = Bertha Fischer

| children = Frances Van Pragg
Theresa Penner
Nathan N.

}}

Leon Sanders (May 25, 1867 – August 18, 1937) was a Jewish-American lawyer, politician, and judge from New York.

Early life and education

Leon Sanders was born on May 25, 1867, in Odessa, Russian Empire, to Nathan Sanders and Elka Green.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uWrXAAAAMAAJ|title=Who's Who in American Jewry|publisher=The Jewish Biographical Bureau, Inc.|year=1926|location=New York, N.Y.|pages=537|language=en}} He immigrated to America with his parents as a child.{{Cite news|date=20 August 1937|title=Sanders Inquest Ordered on Coast|volume=LXXXVI|page=17|work=The New York Times|issue=29063|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1937/08/20/118988082.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0}} Sanders attended New York Law School while working as a clerk for the Commissioner of Jurors in New York City. He was admitted to the bar in 1895.

Career

Sanders began his career working as a clerk for Drake, Mastin & Company, and later as a bookkeeper for the Baumann Brothers and Edison General Electric Company. He eventually specialized in legal matters related to distilleries and wholesale liquor houses, establishing himself as a prominent business lawyer.

A leader in Tammany Hall, Sanders was known for his oratory and debating skills. He was elected to the New York State Assembly in 1898 as a Democrat, representing New York County's 12th District. He served from 1899 to 1902.{{Cite book|last=Murlin|first=Edgar L.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5yM0AQAAMAAJ|title=The New York Red Book|publisher=James B. Lyon|year=1899|location=Albany, N.Y.|pages=228|language=en}} In 1903, Sanders was elected as a Justice of the New York City Municipal Court, serving until 1913 when he resigned to return to private law practice.

In the 1916 United States congressional election, Sanders ran as the Democratic candidate for New York's 12th congressional district but lost to Socialist Meyer London.{{Cite book|last=Malcolm|first=James|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l3FIAAAAYAAJ|title=The New York Red Book|publisher=J. B. Lyon Company|year=1917|location=Albany, N.Y.|pages=495|language=en}}

Community Involvement

Sanders was deeply involved in Jewish causes and fraternal organizations. He served as president of the Hebrew Sheltering and Immigrant Aid Society and chaired the Committee on Immigration of the American Jewish Congress. Sanders also held leadership roles as Grand Master of the Independent Order of B'rith Abraham and president of the Jewish Fraternal Congress. He was a member of the board of governors of the Jewish Maternity Hospital and a founder and president of Temple Beth-El in Cedarhurst.

Personal life

In 1896, Sanders married Bertha Fischer.{{Cite book|last=Mowbray|first=Jay Henry|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7No-AAAAYAAJ|title=Representative Men of New York: A Record of Their Achievements|publisher=The New York Press|year=1898|volume=II|location=New York City, N.Y.|pages=133–135|language=en}} They had three children: Frances Van Pragg, Theresa Penner, and Nathan N.{{Cite news|date=23 August 1937|title=Deaths-Sanders|volume=LXXXVI|page=19|work=The New York Times|issue=29066|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1937/08/23/118989197.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0}}

Death

Leon Sanders was killed in a car accident in California on August 18, 1937. He was buried in Mount Lebanon Cemetery.{{Cite news|date=23 August 1937|title=Sanders Rites Tomorrow|volume=LXXXVI|page=19|work=The New York Times|issue=29066|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1937/08/23/118989177.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0}}