William M. Feigenbaum
{{Short description|American politician (1886–1949)}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = William M. Feigenbaum
| image = Portrait of William M. Feigenbaum Crop.jpg
| caption = Feigenbaum {{circa}} 1917
| state_assembly = New York
| district = 6th Kings
| term_start = January 1, 1918
| term_end = December 31, 1918
| predecessor = Nathan D. Shapiro
| successor = Martin Solomon
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1886|12|25}}
| birth_place = Antwerp, Belgium
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1949|04|23|1886|12|25}}
| death_place = New York City, U.S.
| nationality =
| party = Socialist {{small|(before 1936)}}
American Labor {{small|(after 1936)}}
| otherparty = Social Democratic Federation {{small|(after 1936)}}
| occupation = Statistician, journalist, politician
| father = Benjamin Feigenbaum
| organization =
| alma_mater = Columbia University (A.M.)
| education =
| known_for =
| spouse =
| children =
}}
William Morris Feigenbaum (December 25, 1886 – April 23, 1949) was a Belgian-born Jewish-American statistician, journalist and politician from New York. He served as a Socialist member of the New York State Assembly in 1918.
Life
Feigenbaum was born on Christmas Day 1886, in Antwerp, Belgium, the son of Benjamin Feigenbaum[https://www.newspapers.com/image/59986299/ Feigenbaum Dies; Pioneer Socialist; Had Been Long Ill] in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle on November 10, 1932{{Cite web|url=https://www.jta.org/1932/11/11/archive/funeral-services-sunday-for-feigenbaum-socialist-leader|title=Funeral Services Sunday for Feigenbaum, Socialist Leader {{!}} Jewish Telegraphic Agency|website=www.jta.org|date=20 March 2015 |language=en-US|access-date=2018-07-27}} and Matilda (Kaminsky) Feigenbaum, both originally from Warsaw. The family emigrated to the United States and settled in Brooklyn where he attended the public schools and Boys High School. He graduated A.B. from Columbia College in 1907, and A.M. from Columbia University in 1908. He also took courses at Dartmouth College, Wisconsin University and National University School of Law. From 1909 to 1912, he worked in the Bureau of Statistics and Accounts of the Interstate Commerce Commission in Washington, D.C. In 1912, he returned to New York and worked for the New York Public Service Commission (1st D.).[https://books.google.com/books?id=IDg_AQAAMAAJ&q=feigenbaum+antwerp New York Red Book] (1918; pg. 148)
Like his father, Feigenbaum was a member of the Socialist Party of America. In November 1916, he ran for Congress in the 10th District, but was defeated by the incumbent Republican Reuben L. Haskell.[https://www.newspapers.com/image/57093363/ BROOKLYN VETERANS WILL BE MISSED AT ALBANY THIS WINTER; Three Socialists from Brooklyn] in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle on December 23, 1917
File:Socialists elected in New York City, 1917.jpg, Barnet Wolff, Alexander Braunstein, Algernon Lee, Baruch Charney Vladeck, Adolph Held, and Maurice Calman.
Seated: August Claessens, William Feigenbaum, Elmer Rosenberg, Louis Waldman, Joseph Whitehorn, Jacob Panken, Abraham Shiplacoff, William Karlin, Samuel Orr, Charles B. Garfinkel, Benjamin Gitlow, and Joseph A. Weil.]]
In November 1917, he was elected to the New York State Assembly (Kings County, 6th District), defeating the incumbent Republican Nathan D. Shapiro. Feigenbaum polled 3,694 votes, Shapiro polled 3,184 votes, and Democrat Martin Solomon polled 2,217.[https://archive.org/stream/brooklyndailyeag00unse#page/473/mode/1up The Brooklyn Daily Eagle Almanac] (1918; pg. 473) Feigenbaum was one of ten Socialist members of the 141st New York State Legislature in 1918.
After losing reelection in 1918,{{cite web |title=Feigenbaum, William M. |url=https://www.ourcampaigns.com/CandidateDetail.html?CandidateID=126447 |website=ourcampaigns.com |access-date=14 June 2025}} Feigenbaum became the associated editor of The New Leader, and wrote for several newspapers and political magazines. He was again an unsuccessful candidate for the Assembly in 1919, 1922 and 1923, as well as for Congress in 1924, 1926, and 1928, and for State Senate in 1930, 1932[https://www.nytimes.com/1930/08/16/archives/socialists-to-push-state-senate-race-candidates-named-in-23-city.html SOCIALISTS TO PUSH STATE SENATE RACE] in the New York Times on August 16, 1933 (subscription required) and 1934.
After the Old Guard faction of the Socialist Party broke away in 1936, Feigenbaum joined them in forming the Social Democratic Federation.{{cite news |title=Left Wing of Socialists achieves sweeping victory |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/977005590/?terms=%22William%20M.%20Feigenbaum%22&match=1 |access-date=14 June 2025 |work=Buffalo Courier-Express |date=18 April 1936 |location=Buffalo}} He was later involved with the American Labor Party.{{cite news |title=Dubinsky to Address Rally Of Labor Party Branch Here |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/543787957/?terms=%22William%20Feigenbaum%22&match=1 |access-date=14 June 2025 |work=Brooklyn Citizen |date=30 October 1936 |location=Brooklyn}}
Feigenbaum died on April 23, 1949, at the Montgomery Nursing Home in Brooklyn.[https://www.newspapers.com/image/53711849/ W. Feigenbaum, Newsman, Politico] in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle on April 24, 1949
References
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{{succession box | before = Nathan D. Shapiro | title = New York State Assembly
Kings County, 6th District | years = 1918 | after = Martin Solomon}}
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Category:American people of Belgian-Jewish descent
Category:Politicians from Brooklyn
Category:Members of the New York State Assembly
Category:Socialist Party of America politicians from New York (state)
Category:Belgian emigrants to the United States
Category:Belgian people of Polish-Jewish descent
Category:Columbia College (New York) alumni
Category:20th-century American newspaper editors
Category:Boys High School (Brooklyn) alumni
Category:20th-century members of the New York State Legislature