Irving Howard Saypol | |
|---|---|
 | |
| New York Supreme Court Justice | |
| In office 1952–1968 | |
| United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York | |
| In office 1949–1951 | |
| Preceded by | John F. X. McGohey |
| Succeeded by | Myles J. Lane |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1905-09-03)September 3, 1905 Lower East Side Manhattan, New York City |
| Died | June 30, 1977(1977-06-30) (aged 71) Manhattan, New York City |
| Spouse | Adele D. Kaplan |
| Education | St. Lawrence University Brooklyn Law School |
Irving Howard Saypol (September 3, 1905 – June 30, 1977) was aUnited States attorney for theSouthern District ofNew York and aNew York Supreme Court Justice. He directed several high-profile prosecutions ofCommunists, including the cases ofAlger Hiss,William Remington, Abraham Brothman, andJulius and Ethel Rosenberg.[1][2]
He was born on September 3, 1905, one of four sons of Louis and Michakin Saypol, anAmerican Jewish family, on theLower East Side ofManhattan.[1][2][3]
He attended night classes atBrooklyn Law School, where he met fellow student Adele B. Kaplan; they married in September 1925. She was a year ahead of him, and he graduated in 1927.[1][2] They both became attorneys;[4] he was admitted to the bar in 1928.[5][6] They had three children together, a daughter and twin sons.[2]
After working for a period for the City Corporation Counsel after law school, Irving Saypol established his own practice. In 1945 he was appointed as Chief Assistant United States Attorney, and four years later to the top position in the region as theUnited States Attorney for the Southern District of New York.[2][1] Irving Saypol led the prosecution of several members of theCommunist Party of the United States (CPUSA), includingEugene Dennis,William Z. Foster,John Gates,Robert G. Thompson,Gus Hall,William Remington, Abraham Brothman, andMiriam Moskowitz. As a result of these prosecutions,Time described Saypol as "the nation's number one legal hunter of top communists."[7]
From 1950 to 1951 Saypol served as Chief Prosecutor for thefederal government in the espionage case against Julius and Ethel Rosenberg andMorton Sobell.[8] He gained a reputation as an efficient prosecutor of Communists.
Saypol was elected in 1951 to a 14-year term on the New York Supreme Court, serving from 1952 until 1968. Saypol was one of 14 judges indicted by a controversial special prosecutor. Appointed to investigate police corruption, this prosecutor pursued the judiciary.[9] None of the prosecutions was successful. In Saypol's case the court found that the allegation of the $125 bribery, as stated in the indictment, was unsubstantiated. The opinion states: "Taken as a whole, the evidence not only does not establish a legal basis for a charge of bribery, but clearly confirms that there was no bribe." (Decision of Justice Leonard H. Sandler,People v. Sandler, Indictment No. 1875/76, 87/76, p. 9.
In 1975 Saypol ruled against the landmark designation forGrand Central Terminal in New York City. This removed legal barriers to the construction of a 59-story office tower on top of the terminal.[10] Following the demolition of historicPenn Station, this project helped catalyze the historic preservation movement in New York, and more historic buildings were protected from such intrusions.
Saypol died from cancer on June 30, 1977, at his home at 152 East 94th Street inManhattan.[1] At his funeralCharles D. Breitel, Chief Judge of the New York State Court of Appeals, said
"We on the bench knew that he would handle a case with integrity. This often made him the center of controversy, but then people who live a life without controversy are not of much value to themselves or to society." Breitel concluded "He had an outstanding career and was happily married for 52 years. What more could a person ask for?"
One of his sons,Ronald Dietz Saypol, became an attorney and businessman. He married Cynthia Otis, a granddaughter ofJoshua Lionel Cowen, co-founder ofLionel Corporation. The younger Saypol started working for Lionel as a young man, leaving in 1962 for a period. He returned to serve as CEO ofLionel Corporation from 1968 to 1982, as it adapted to major changes in the toy industry and became a large retailer.[4]
The Rosenberg case was a family affair—almost everyone involved was Jewish: the Rosenbergs and the Greenglasses, those who became government witnesses against the two couples, as well as the prosecutors,Myles Lane, Irving Saypol, andRoy Cohn, and the justice who presided at the trial,Irving Kaufman