Edith I. Spivack
Edith I. Spivack | |
|---|---|
 Spivack, from the 1929 yearbook of Barnard College | |
| Born | April 19, 1910 New York, New York, U.S. |
| Died | July 26, 2005 (aged 95) Manhasset, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | Lawyer |
| Relatives | Robert Christopher (son-in-law) |
Edith I. Spivack (April 19, 1910 – July 26, 2005) was an American lawyer. She was one of the first women to graduate from Columbia Law School, and she was a lawyer for the City of New York for seventy years, specializing in tax law. She is recognized as New York City's "longest serving civil servant."[1]
Early life and education
[edit]Spivack was born and raised in New York City. She graduated from Barnard College in 1929,[2] and earned her law degree from Columbia Law School in 1932, one of the first women to earn a law degree at Columbia.[3][4][5]
Career
[edit]Spivack worked in the Law Department of the City of New York from 1934[6] to 1995,[7][8] and volunteered there after she officially retired.[9][10] She oversaw the collection of water and sewer fees from consulates and private universities in 1980, during the administration of Mayor Ed Koch.[11] In her eighties, she was fifth-ranking attorney in the Law Department, and she was considered the city's longest-serving civil servant.[12]
The Fund for the City of New York presented Spivack with an award for outstanding public service in 1975.[13] The New York State Bar Association honored her in 1997, and in 1998 the New York County Lawyers' Association named an annual prize for her.[14] She received the Lawrence A. Wein Prize in Social Responsibility in 2002.[15]
Personal life
[edit]Spivack married fellow lawyer Bernard H. Goldstein in 1933.[16] They had two daughters.[17] Her daughter Rita married journalist Robert Christopher, executive editor of Newsweek magazine.[18] Her husband died in 1998, and she died in 2005, at the age of 95, in Manhasset, New York.[3]
References
[edit]- ↑ Chung, Jen (July 28, 2005). "Lawyer Edith Spivack, NYC's Longest Serving Civil Servant". Gothamist. Retrieved June 25, 2026.
- ↑ Barnard College, Mortarboard (1929 yearbook): 139.
- 1 2 Ramirez, Anthony (July 28, 2005). "Edith I. Spivack, 95, Called 'Brains' of City's Law Office, Is Dead". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 25, 2026.
- ↑ Bagnall, Whitney S. (2001). "The Women's Oral History Project at Columbia Law School". Columbia Journal of Gender and Law. doi:10.7916/6GNC-RP61.
- ↑ Bukovsky, Rivka (July 28, 2005). "Pioneer lawyer, 95, dies". Daily News. p. 34. Retrieved June 25, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "About the Law Department". New York City Law Department. Retrieved June 25, 2026.
- ↑ "Edith Spivack Retires after 70 Years and 10 Mayors". Columbia Law School. Retrieved June 25, 2026.
- ↑ Markon, Jerry (September 10, 1995). "New York City barrister steps aside after 61 years". The Herald-Sun. p. 64. Retrieved June 25, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Siegel, Joel (July 11, 1995). "Champion city lawyer quits at 85". Daily News. p. 353. Retrieved June 25, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Topping, Robin (July 28, 2005). "Trailblazing attorney dies". Newsday (Suffolk Edition). p. 15. Retrieved June 25, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Quindlen, Anna (January 21, 1980). "New York Abolishes Free Water And Cry Is Heard Round World; New York Abolishes Free Water Koch and Educators Meet". The New York Times. pp. 1, 16. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 25, 2026.
- ↑ Siegel, Joel (July 10, 1994). "She's 84 & top legal gun". Daily News. p. 173. Retrieved June 25, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Fowler, Glenn (December 18, 1975). "Nine Honored for Climbing Municipal Ladders to Success". The New York Times. p. 43. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 25, 2026.
- ↑ "In Honor of Women's History Month: NYCLA to Present Edith I. Spivack Award on March 18 to Co-Founder and Executive Director of Equality Now". New York County Lawyers Association. Retrieved June 25, 2026.
- ↑ Hyman, Paula E. "Edith I. Spivack". Jewish Women's Archive. Retrieved June 25, 2026.
- ↑ Pérez-Peña, Richard (August 12, 1994). "At the Bar; When this lawyer for New York City recounts La Guardia stories, she means her old boss". The New York Times. p. 20. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 25, 2026.
- ↑ "Amy Goldstein Wed To Geoffrey A. Bass". The New York Times. August 30, 1968. p. 37. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 25, 2026.
- ↑ "Robert Christopher Marries Miss Rita Goldstein, a Teacher". The New York Times. May 18, 1970. p. 37. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 25, 2026.