Miriam Friedlander | |
|---|---|
| Member of theNew York City Council from the2nd district | |
| In office January 1, 1975 – December 31, 1991 | |
| Preceded by | Carol Greitzer |
| Succeeded by | Antonio Pagán |
| Member of theNew York City Council from the3rd district | |
| In office January 1, 1974 – December 31, 1974 | |
| Preceded by | Theodore S. Weiss |
| Succeeded by | Carol Greitzer |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1914-04-08)April 8, 1914 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | October 4, 2009(2009-10-04) (aged 95) Manhattan, New York, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
Miriam Friedlander (April 8, 1914,Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania – October 4, 2009,Manhattan) was an American politician from theBronx who represented New York City'sLower East Side andChinatown in theNew York City Council from 1974 to 1991.
Friedlander was born to aJewish family[1] inPittsburgh,Pennsylvania, in 1914. Her father, David Sigel (Sigelovytch), was an office worker, insurance salesman, and political activist in the immigrant foreign language clubs. Her mother Hannah Lipman (Goldotsky) was fluent in Russian, Hebrew, Yiddish, and English.[1] Miriam moved with her family toThe Bronx as at the age of five in 1919. She graduated fromEvander Childs High School in 1931 andNew York University's College of Education in 1935. In 1939, she married Mark Friedlander, and their son Paul was born in New York City in 1943. The marriage ended in divorce in 1954.[2] Her brother Paul died in 1938fighting for the Republican side during the Spanish Civil War, according to a 2008 profile published inThe Villager, a community newspaper on theLower East Side.[2] In 1962, Friedlander was one of ten U.S.Communist Party officials told by Attorney GeneralRobert F. Kennedy to register with theSubversive Activities Control Board. Friedlander was identified as a member of the New York party committee.
In 1973, Friedlander won the Democratic primary for the2nd district of the City Council, which then included SoHo, Chinatown, the East Village and the Lower East Side, by a mere 48 votes, defeating four opponents. She had to defend her seat the following year, due to a court-ordered legislative reapportionment. In theDemocratic Party primary election she defeated a then-little known lawyer namedSheldon Silver, by just 95 votes.[2]
In 1985, she ran against another Chinatown candidate,Virginia Kee.[3]
William K. Dobbs, a longtime gay activist who got to know Ms. Friedlander in the 1970s and 1980s, described her as a strong, and early, advocate of gay rights.
"When she made a point, it was a physical action," he said in a phone interview. "She'd pull her arm back and crook her elbow. She was a real brawler as a politician, and she fought fiercely in what she believed in."[2]
Friedlander died on October 4, 2009, aged 95.[2] Prior to her death, Friedlander supported the candidacies ofJohn Liu andMark Green.[3]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theNew York City Council from the3rd district 1974–1974 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of theNew York City Council from the2nd district 1975–1991 | Succeeded by |
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