Max Raskin
American jurist and politician
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Max Raskin (November 8, 1902 – August 22, 1984) was a Belarusian-born Jewish American lawyer and judge who served as Milwaukee City Attorney from 1932 to 1936 and later as a judge of the Wisconsin Circuit Court from 1963 to 1980.
Max Raskin | |
|---|---|
Raskin c. 1949 | |
| Acting Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge for the Waukesha Circuit, Branch 1 | |
| In office August 1, 1978 – December 8, 1980 | |
| Preceded by | William E. Gramling (Disabled) |
| Succeeded by | Harry G. Snyder |
| Acting Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge for the 22nd Circuit, Branch 1 | |
| In office May 1977 – July 31, 1978 | |
| Preceded by | William E. Gramling (Disabled) |
| Succeeded by | Circuit abolished |
| Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge for the 2nd Circuit, Branch 2 | |
| In office October 1963 – August 1973 | |
| Appointed by | John W. Reynolds, Jr. |
| Preceded by | Michael T. Sullivan |
| Succeeded by | George Burns |
| City Attorney of Milwaukee | |
| In office April 1932 – April 1936 | |
| Preceded by | John Niven |
| Succeeded by | Walter Mattison |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 8, 1902 |
| Died | August 22, 1984 (aged 81) Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Resting place | Spring Hill Cemetery Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
| Party | Socialist (before 1940) Progressive (1940–1944) Democratic (after 1944) |
| Spouse(s) | Elaine Hilda Rosenblith (died 2002) |
| Children | Bonnie Fern (Prager) (b. 1935; died 2011) |
| Relatives | Marcus Raskin (nephew) Barbara Raskin (niece in law) Jamie Raskin (grandnephew) |
| Education | Marquette Law School |
Early life
Raskin was born to Jewish parents in Vitebsk, a majority-Jewish city in the Russian Empire (in what is now Belarus), and emigrated with his family at the age of nine.[1] He graduated from the Marquette University Law School in 1926 and practiced in Milwaukee as a labor law attorney.[2]
Political career
Raskin ran unsuccessfully for Milwaukee County District Attorney in 1930.[3] In 1932, he was elected Milwaukee City Attorney as a Socialist, unseating nonpartisan incumbent John M. Niven.[4] After his election, Raskin appointed former judge and Socialist state senator William F. Quick as his first assistant and employed Edwin Knappe, a former Socialist state representative, as an assistant city attorney.[5] As city attorney, Raskin collaborated closely with Mayor Daniel W. Hoan, also a Socialist, and required assistant city attorneys to relinquish any employment in private practice.[6] He was harshly criticized by the conservative Milwaukee Sentinel for "his refusal to prosecute communistic rioters".[7]
Raskin was defeated in his 1936 reelection bid and reentered private practice. In 1937, he was elected as a national committeeman of the Socialist Party of America[8] but, in 1940,[9] he left the party and joined the Wisconsin Progressive Party. In 1944, he became a Democrat.[1] Raskin ran for judicial office in 1949 and 1956 but was twice defeated; in 1963, his political ally Governor John W. Reynolds, Jr., appointed him to the Milwaukee County Circuit Court.[10] Raskin served on the court until 1973 and, following his mandatory retirement at the age of 70, continued to serve the state as a reserve judge. In that capacity, he stepped in as Acting Circuit Court Judge in Waukesha County for Judge William E. Gramling during a lengthy struggle with cancer.[1] He died in 1984 at the age of 81.[1]
Personal life
Raskin's nephew, Marcus Raskin, was a progressive activist and social critic.[11] His grandnephew is Congressman Jamie Raskin.