TABLE OF CONTENTS
A Finding Aid to the Abraham J. Multer Papers. 1947-1967.
Manuscript Collection No. 500
Introduction |
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| Repository: | The Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives |
| Creator: | Multer, Abraham Jacob, 1900-1986. |
| Title: | Abraham J. Multer Papers. |
| Dates: | 1947-1967 |
| Quantity: | 20.85 linear feet (50 Hollinger boxes) |
| Abstract: | The Abraham J. Multer papers contain the records of Abraham Multer's congressional career, with a special focus on the records of the Small Business Committee. Multer was a lawyer who served in the Coast Guard during World War II and later served as a legal referee. |
| Collection Number: | MS-500 |
| Language: | Collection material in English. |
Biographical Sketch
Abraham J. Multer was born in Manhattan, New York on 24 December 1900 to Max and Emma Rock Multer. In 1911, his parents moved to the congressional district he was later to represent. Multer received his B.A. from the City College of New York by attending night classes. He later earned an LL.B. from Brooklyn Law School and a LL.D from Yeshiva University. Multer was admitted to the bar in 1923.
Multer entered the private practice of Rayfiel and Multer where he remained until his congressional election. Beginning in 1936, Multer was the special assistant attorney general of New York state Democratic conventions. He later became the attorney general of the Democratic national conventions. During World War II, Multer served in the United States Coast Guard Reserve and also on the Coast Guard Auxiliary. He was the Judge Advocate of the Coast Guard League. In 1947, he became the special assistant counsel to the New York City mayor.
Abraham Multer was elected to the House of Representatives as a Democrat to fill the resignation of Leo F. Rayfiel. He served in the House from 1947-1977. While in the House, Multer was extremely active in the Banking and Currency, District of Columbia and Small Business standing committees. After his retirement from Congress, Multer served from 1979-1984 as the special referee for the Brooklyn Appellate Division.
Multer was active in a number of Jewish organizations. These included: the East Midwood Jewish Center, the President's Council of Yeshiva University, Jewish National Fund, Young Men's Hebrew Association, United Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, Hebrew Institute of Long Island, Jewish Theological Seminary and the Union of American Hebrew Congregations.
Multer died on 4 November 1986 in West Hartford, Connecticut. He and his wife Bertha had two sons: Robert K. and Howard C. Multer.
Scope and Content Note
The Abraham J. Multer papers contain the records of Abraham Multer's congressional career, with a special focus on the records of the Small Business Committee. The records are primarily concentrated on the first session of the 90th Congress (1967). Records are organized into envelopes detailing the subject, dated by the month of the introduction of the legislation. Within the envelopes are pieces of legislation, relevant committee hearing reports, background reports and constituent correspondence. There is some material from earlier sessions on the banking and currency and small business committee which is primarily found in the latter part of the series. The Congressional Record series contains articles relating to Multer's speeches and activities. There is one folder relating to Multer's positions on Jewish affairs.
Multer was a lawyer who served in the Coast Guard during World War II and later served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. The papers do not contain anything relating to Multer's legal or miltary career.
Arrangement
The papers are divided into two series:
Conditions of Access and Use
Terms of Access
The collection is open for use; no restrictions apply.
Terms of Reproduction and Use
Copyright restrictions may apply. Authorization to publish, quote, or reproduce, with exceptions for fair use, may be obtained through the American Jewish Archives, Cincinnati, Ohio. Please address queries to the Executive Director of the American Jewish Archives. For more information, see the American Jewish Archives copyright information webpage.
Related Material
- Multer, Abraham. Nearprint Biographies File.
- Multer, Abraham. Oral history transcript. 1982. Small Collections.
- Multer, Abraham. Picture Collection.
- Multer, Abraham. Speech challenging anti-Semitic remarks by Congressman John E. Rankin. Washington D.C. 1948. Small Collections.
Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
Footnotes and bibliographic references should refer to the Abraham J. Multer Papers and the American Jewish Archives. A suggestion for at least the first citation is as follows:
[Description], [Date], Box #, Folder #. MS-500. Abraham J. Multer Papers. American Jewish Archives, Cincinnati, Ohio.
Provenance
The Abraham J. Multer Papers were received from Abraham J. Multer, Brooklyn, New York, in 1968 and 1970.
Processing Information
Processed by American Jewish Archives staff.
Box and Folder Listing
Search Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the AJA's online catalog.