15 Facts About Lester Holtzman

Lester Holtzman was an American lawyer, jurist, and politician.

Lester Holtzman served four terms in the United States House of Representatives from 1953 to 1961.

Lester Holtzman was later a justice of the New York Supreme Court, serving from 1962 until 1973.

Lester Holtzman was the couple's only child born in the United States.

Lester Holtzman had an older sister Rose who was born in Poland and immigrated with her parents.

Lester Holtzman attended Newtown High School in Queens until his father bought a small grocery where Lester would work while doing Prelaw work in the evening.

Lester Holtzman was the president of his class at St John's University School of Law and graduated in 1936.

Lester Holtzman had sought political jobs for several years; once receiving an offer from the Federal Housing Administration.

Lester Holtzman ran for Congress in 1952, a year that saw Dwight Eisenhower sweep into the White House and the Republicans picked up 22 seats in the House of Representatives.

Lester Holtzman's opponent was Robert Tripp Ross, an incumbent who had won his seat in a special election a few months before.

Lester Holtzman admitted later this was a lie and was the only lie he consciously told in his career.

Lester Holtzman defeated Ross by a close 300 votes becoming the only Democrat to unseat a Republican that year, and the first Jewish congressman from Queens.

Lester Holtzman defeated popular state senator Seymour Halpern in 1954 by more than 10,000 votes and former justice Albert Buschmann in the 1956 election.

Lester Holtzman secured the nomination thanks to assistance from President John F Kennedy and his brother Robert.

Lester Holtzman entered an order for the city hospitals to show cause why they should not cease abortion procedures while the law was being challenged.