Manfred Ohrenstein was an American lawyer and politician.
20 Facts About Manfred Ohrenstein
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The son of a furniture merchant, Ohrenstein was born in Mannheim, Germany, on August 5,1925, to Polish-born Jewish parents.
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Manfred Ohrenstein thereafter attended Columbia Law School from 1948 to 1951, where he was designated as a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar and graduated with the degree of Juris Doctor.
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From 1952 to 1954, Manfred Ohrenstein served in the US Army as a first lieutenant, Judge Advocate General Corps.
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Manfred Ohrenstein became active in New York politics and in 1960 was elected to the New York State Senate representing the West Side of Manhattan.
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Manfred Ohrenstein left the New York Senate at the end of 1994 to resume the practice of law.
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Manfred Ohrenstein was the vice chairman and a co-founder of the Museum of Jewish Heritage, and vice president of the New York Insurance Federation.
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Manfred Ohrenstein was a member of the board of the New York City chapter of the American Jewish Committee and the advisory board of the Baruch School of Public Affairs.
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Manfred Ohrenstein died at his home in Manhattan on November 18,2024, at the age of 99.
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In 1960, Manfred Ohrenstein emerged as one of the major leaders of the New York City Democratic reform movement.
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Manfred Ohrenstein joined forces with Eleanor Roosevelt and former governor and US Senator Herbert H Lehman to organize the Committee for Democratic Voters.
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Manfred Ohrenstein then won the general election with about 57 percent of the vote.
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Manfred Ohrenstein briefly represented the 29th District after a special election in 1965, but the following year was elected to represent the 25th district again.
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Manfred Ohrenstein sat in the 173rd, 174th, 175th, 176th, 177th, 178th, 179th, 180th, 181st, 182nd, 183rd, 184th, 185th, 186th, 187th, 188th, 189th and state legislatures.
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In 1975, Manfred Ohrenstein was elected Senate minority leader by his Democratic colleagues.
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Manfred Ohrenstein was opposed in this election by the Democratic Governor Hugh Carey and by the Chairman of the New York State Democratic Committee, Patrick J Cunningham.
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Manfred Ohrenstein was a major advocate of legislation to abolish the death penalty in New York.
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Manfred Ohrenstein became the chairman of the Senate Committee on Mental Health in 1965.
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Manfred Ohrenstein was chairman of the Joint Legislative Committee on Higher Education.
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In 1994, Manfred Ohrenstein was honored in the Congressional Record by US Representative Carolyn Maloney.