Robert M. Morgenthau
Robert M. Morgenthau is the current 2005 District Attorney for New York County.
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Background and Early Years
Robert Morris Morgenthau was born in 1919 in New York. After graduating from the Ethical Culture Fieldston School and Amherst College, he enlisted in the United States Navy, serving for four and a half years, during World War II. He attained the final rank of Lieutenant Commander. He saw action in both the Mediterranean and Pacific Theatres.
Professional Life as a Lawyer and US Attorney
Morgenthau graduated from Yale Law School in 1948 and joined the New York law firm of Patterson, Belknap & Webb, becoming a partner in 1954. In 1961, after twelve years of practicing corporate law, Morgenthau accepted an appointment from President John F. Kennedy as United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York. He was the Democratic Nominee for Governor of New York in 1962, but was defeated by the incumbent, Nelson Rockefeller
While U.S. Attorney, he established a special unit to investigate securities fraud and prosecuted highly publicized bribery cases against city officials and IRS attorneys and accountants.
In January of 1970, following the election of President Richard M. Nixon, Morgenthau resigned from his post as United States Attorney. He returned to private life until 1974, when he was elected to the office of District Attorney of New York County. New York County is the borough of Manhattan, in New York City.
District Attorney of New York County
His principal other civic activities are the Police Athletic League (PAL), which he has served since 1962, first as President and then Chairman, and the Museum of Jewish Heritage, of which he is Chairman.
Morgenthau announced in 2005, at the age of 85, that he would once more be a candidate for the office of District Attorney of New York County.
Personal Life
He was widowed and remarried, having five children by his first wife and two by his second.
TV Alter Ego
It is widely believed that the character of Adam Schiff, the New York District Attorney in the long running TV series Law and Order, was based on Morgenthau. However, Morgenthau had a longer run.