Letter from Supreme Court Justice Louis D. Brandeis to His Second Cousins in Vienna, Betty Brandeis and Louise Brandeis
Washington , D. C. Supreme Court of the United States, 1938. Original document. Loose leaf. Octavo (7 3/4 x 5"). 1 leaf. Original letter on Supreme Court stationary to his second cousins in Vienna, Betty Brandeis (1892-1973) and Louise Brandeis (1903-...), marked personal in upper left corner, with postmarked envelope.
May 13, 1938: "As requested in your letter of April 15th I have sent the affidavits through the Washington Bureau of the Hebrew Sheltering and Immigrant Aid Society of America; and the Society advises me that it has delivered them to the Department of State for transmission through the diplomatic pouch to the American Consul General of Vienna, together with a covering letter stating that we hope the Consul General will be able to grant the visas for permanent admission to the Unite State within his official duties and as speedily as possible. My best wishes,. Cordially Louis D. Brandeis."
A handwritten letter by the Jewish Supreme Court Justice Louis D. Brandeis to his cousins Betty and Louise Brandeis in Vienna two months after the "Anschluss," the annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany. The letter informs his cousins in detail of his efforts to obtain American visas for both of them to be admitted to the United States. "Brandeis swore out an affidavit in May 1938 that he had ample resources and would be willing to sponsor them in the United States so they would not become public charges. The two women arrived in New York in July, where officials of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society met them and secured temporary lodgings for them. Brandeis also made contributions to a group organized by his former law clerk David Riesman to rescue academic and find them positions in American Universities." (Lewis D. Brandeis: A Life, by Melvin Urofsky).
Louis D. Brandeis served as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1916 to 1939. Brandeis was instrumental in developing the "right to privacy" concept, was a leading figure in the antitrust movement, laying the foundation to what was later deemed the "New Brandeis Movement." Brandeis made a name for himself defending workplace and labor laws, helping to create e the Federal Reserve and submitting case brief relying on expert testimony, which was later called the "Brandeis Brief," thereby setting new standards for evidence presentation. His confirmations as a Supreme Court justice was achieved by a 47 to 22 vote in the U.S. Senate, thereby making him the first Jewish Supreme Court Justice.
Beyond his many accomplishments as a Supreme Court Justice Brandeis became a prominent figure in the Zionist movement. With the outbreak of World War One the European Zionist movement was divided making room for American Zionists to step to the forefront. The Provisional Executive Committee for Zionists was established in New York in August of 1914 and Brandeis was elected president of the organization and thereby became the lead and spokesperson of American Zionism. Brandeis was a proponent of a Jewish National homeland, in contrast to the majority of American Zionists, seeing it as a way to reinvigorate the Jewish spirit. By 1917 the American Zionist movement increased its membership tenfold to 200,00 members and in his capacity as a chairman of the Provisional Executive Committee he raised millions to relieve Jews suffering throughout war-torn Europe. Excellent condition. Item #56054
'Immigration to the USA was regulated by the Immigration Act of 1924, also known as the Johnson-Reed Act or the National Origins Act. It set quotas, a specific number of visas available each year for each country. Inspired in part by American proponents of eugenics it was designed to privilege "desirable" immigrants from Northern and Western Europe as opposed to less "racially desirable," including Jews from Southern and Eastern Europe. Immigrants had to apply for the visa designated to their country of birth, not citizenship. Germany with its nearly 26,000 visas was the second highest allocation of visas after Great Britain. Following the "Anschluss" of Austria by Hitler, Roosevelt merged the Austrian and German visas totaling 27,370. The some 153,000 visas allocated per year was not a target number and unused quota slots did not carry over into the next year. US Immigration laws was not revised or adjusted between 1933 and 1941. The Johnson-Reed act remained in place until 1965.' (Holocaust Encyclopedia).
Price: $1,500.00