Collection inventory

Overview of the Collection
Creator:	Weissberg, Franklin R.
Title:	Franklin R. Weissberg Papers
Inclusive Dates:	1966-1967
Quantity:	5.0 linear feet
Abstract:	Papers of the New York attorney, relating to the 1967 New York State Constitutional Convention. Weissberg was a delegate to the convention from the 26th senatorial district, New York County. Collection includes correspondence, memorabilia, writings, New York State Constitutional committee papers and miscellany.
Language:	English
Repository:	Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries 222 Waverly Avenue Syracuse, NY 13244-2010 https://library.syracuse.edu/special-collections-research-center

Biographical History

Franklin R. Weissberg (1931- ) is a New York attorney, litigator, and judge.

Born in New York City, Weissberg attended Bronx High School of Science and graduated from Syracuse University with an A.B. degree in 1952. In 1954-1955 he was on active duty as a corporal with the U.S. Army Artillery in Germany. He received an LLB degree from Harvard Law School in 1957, and from 1960 to 1961 served as law secretary to Supreme Court Justice Edgar J. Nathan, Jr. of New York County.

Early in his career Weissberg practiced law in New York City with the firm of Colton, Fernbach and Weissberg; later he was a member of the Temporary State Commission on the Cultural Resources of the State (1972-1973), President of the Association of Court of Claims Judges of the State of New York (1992-1999), Acting Justice of the Supreme Court, New York County (1986-2001), and Judge for the New York State Court of Claims (1986-2001). He is presently (2009) of counsel for the firm of Lowenstein Sandler PC.

Weissberg's activities in the Republican Party include serving as district leader of the 66th Assembly District of the New York Republican organization and as Mayor John V. Lindsay's Special Consultant for the Performing Arts. He was an elected delegate to the 1967 New York State Constitutional Convention from the 26th District, and served on the Committee on the Executive Branch and the Committee on the Legislature.

He is a member of the New York State Bar Association, the New York County Lawyers Association, and the Association of Court of Claims Judges of the State of New York. He has also lectured on litigation matters at numerous seminars and law institutes.

[Portions of this biographical sketch obtained from Weissberg's profile on the Lowenstein Sandler PC website, http://www.lowenstein.com/fweissberg/.

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Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Franklin R. Weissberg Papers consist of correspondence, memorabilia, writings, New York State Constitutional Convention issues and committee materials, and miscellaneous printed material.

The Correspondence is with constituents, Constitutional Convention delegates, lawyers, statesmen, politicians and friends, and relates to convention and convention committee business. Issues discussed include taxes (especially real estate taxes and their possible effects in New York City), natural resources, judicial appointments, the Blaine Amendment, welfare, the grand jury system, and education. Outgoing letters contain definite and positive opinions. Significant correspondents include Vincent J. Albano, the American Bar Association, Earl W. Brydges, James F. Carroll, Paul Fino, S. William Green, Roswell B. Perkins, J. Irwin Shapiro and Robert Sweet.

Memorabilia consists of biographical material.

Writings include letters to the editor, a speech, statements and a television interview.

New York State Constitutional Convention issues and committee material consist of committee minutes, reproduced typescripts and printed copies of propositions, reports, statements, reproductions of typescript memoranda, position papers and a small number of holograph notes. The Bill of Rights folder contains typescript notes of a telephone conversation between Weissberg and Arnold G. Fraiman on wire tapping.

Miscellaneous printed material includes reports, periodicals and pamphlets on subjects of interest to the 1967 New York State Constitutional Convention. It is arranged alphabetically by author or originating agency.

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Arrangement of the Collection

Correspondence is arranged chronologically. Writings are arramged alphabetically by type. Constitutional convention material is arranged alphabetically by topic. Printed material is arranged alphabetically by author.

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.

Use Restrictions

Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

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Related Material

For additional material relating to the 1967 New York State Constitutional Convention, see also the Erastus Corning II Papers and the Leonard B. Sand Papers

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Subject Headings

Persons

Corporate Bodies

Subjects

Places

Genres and Forms

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Franklin R. Weissberg Papers
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Gift of Franklin R. Weissberg, 1968.

Finding Aid Information

Created by: -
Date: circa 1968
Revision history: 7 Dec 2009 - converted to EAD (MRC)

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Inventory

	Correspondence
Box 1		December 1966-November 1967 (4 folders)

	Memorabilia
Box 1		Biographical material

	Writings
		Letters to the editor, New York Times
			See correspondence, Aug. 31 and Sept. 18, 1967.
Box 1		Speech to 1967 New York State Constitutional Convention May 22, 1967 - original typescript revised
Box 1		Statement, "In Support of Resolution Barring Judges as Delegates to Future Constitutional Conventions" June 6, 1967 - original typescript, including background material
Box 1		Statement for New York City Mayor John V. Lindsay, "Progress of the Constitutional Convention," by Franklin R. Weissberg Aug. 15, 1967 - includes cover letter
Box 1		Television broadcast, Franklin R. Weissberg, guest Aug. 13, 1967 - reproduction of typescript

	1967 New York State Constitutional Convention
Box 1		Bibliography
Box 2		Bill of Rights - includes typescript notes of a telephone conversation With Arnold G. Fraiman
Box 2		Blaine Amendment
Box 2		Civil Service
Box 2		Committee on Economic Development
		Committee on the Executive Branch
Box 2			Typescript minutes of meetings, memoranda
Box 2			Propositions - typescript, reproduction, reprints
Box 2			Propositions - printed
Box 3			Public hearings - includes holograph notes
Box 3			Sub-committee on Administrative Rules and Procedures - includes holograph notes
Box 3		Committee on Intergovernmental Relations
		Committee on the Legislature
Box 3			Typescript minutes, propositions, reports - includes holograph notes
Box 3			Propositions - printed
Box 3			Public hearings - includes holograph notes
Box 3			Voting of F.R. Weissberg
			Sub-committee on Local Apportionment
Box 3				Minutes of meetings, holograph notes, reports, position papers
Box 4				Miscellaneous
Box 4		Committee on Rules
Box 4		Committee on State Finances
Box 4		Committee on Style and Arrangement, third reading of propositions
Box 4		Delegates
Box 4		Education
Box 5		Ethics and lobbying
Box 5		Finances, taxation and expenditures
Box 5		Health, housing and social services
Box 5		The Judiciary - memoranda, reproduction of typescripts and miscellaneous articles, statements, speeches
Box 6		Lindsay, Mayor John V.
Box 6		Local government and home rule
Box 6		Natural resources
Box 6		New York State Constitution and government
Box 6		Position papers and polls
Box 6		Position papers, Citizens Union
Box 7		Press releases from Anthony J. Travia
Box 7		Procedures
		Proposed constitution
Box 7			Reproduction of typescript - including holograph notes
Box 7			Printed copies, annotated
Box 7		Propositions and typescript reports on propositions
Box 7		Roll Call
Box 7		Rules, including holograph notes

	Miscellaneous printed material
Box 8		American Bar Association, Canons of Professional Ethics, Canons of Judicial Ethics 1957
		American Bar Association, Reports of the Special Committee on the Constitutional Convention
Box 8			Court Structure and Management
Box 8			Removal of Judges
Box 8			Selection of Judges
Box 8			Constitutional Simplification
Box 8			Local Government and Finance
Box 8			State Finance, Taxation and Housing and Community Development
		Association of the Bar of the City of New York
Box 8			The Record Jan. 1967
Box 8			The Record March 1967
Box 8		Association of the Judges of the Family Court of the State of New York, Inc., Memorandum April 15, 1967
		Citizens Tax Council
Box 8			Constitutional Limitations on the Debt
Box 8			Incurring and Real Property Taxing Powers of Municipalities Must be Retained
Box 8		Committee for Economic Development, Modernizing State Government
Box 8		County Officers Association, The County Finance Study Committee Report 1967
Box 8		Harriss, C. Lowell, Constitutional Restrictions on Property Taxing and Borrowing Powers in New York
Box 8		Hart, Walter R., Long Live the American Jury 1964
Box 8		Keyserling, Leon H., No Increase in Property Taxes in New York City
		Levitt, Arthur, State Comptroller
Box 8			Annual Report of the Comptroller 1966
Box 8			Basic Data on the Local Government and State-Local Relationships Jan. 1967
Box 8			Constitutional Limitations on Municipal Dept., June 1967
Box 8			Financial Data for School Districts 1966
Box 8			History of the Comptroller's Office
Box 8			New York State Fiscal Affairs and Debt Structure 1967
Box 8			State Aid to Local Government 1966
Box 8			Tax Limits of School Districts in Cities Feb. 1967
Box 9			Tax Limits of Counties, Cities and Villages Oct. 1966
Box 9		Lindenbaum, Abraham M., Constitutional Provisions of Article VIII New York State Constitution Must Be Retained
Box 9		Lowell, C. Stanley, The Hidden Wealth
Box 9		Morris, James S. and O'Connor, Robert F., A Study of the Local Courts in Westchester County 1967
		New York State Department of Taxation and Finance
Box 9			Bulletin
Box 9			The New York State and Local Tax System 1964
Box 9		State of New York Division for Youth, Data on Youth 1967
Box 9		State of New York Court of Claims, Annual Report Jan. 18, 1967
Box 9		State of New York Joint Legislative Committee on Higher Education, Interim Report 1967
Box 9		State of New York Department of Commerce, This is New York
Box 9		State University Construction Fund, Annual Report 1966
Box 9		State University of New York, Campus Plans
Box 9		State of New York, Message to the Legislature and Inaugural Address, Nelson A. Rockefeller, governor Jan. 2 and 4, 1967
		Temporary State Commission on the Constitutional Convention
Box 9			1. 1967 Convention Issues Dec. 22, 1966
Box 9			2. Toward an Effective Convention Jan. 3, 1967
Box 9			3. Local Finance Jan. 27, 1967
Box 9			4. The Right to Vote Feb. 10, 1967
Box 9			5. For Effective Constitutional Review March 3, 1967
Box 9			6. Education March 3, 1967
Box 9			7. Individual Liberties March 16, 1967
Box 9			8. State Finances March 24, 1967
Box 9			9. Housing, Labor, Natural Resources March 24, 1967
Box 9			10. Individual Freedoms March 31, 1967
Box 9			11. Welfare, Health and Mental Health March 31, 1967
Box 9			12. The Judiciary March 31, 1967
Box 9			13. State Government March 31, 1967
Box 9			14. Revision and Simplification March 31, 1967
Box 9			15. Subject Index March 31, 1967
Box 9		Wirth, Conrad L. and others, Adirondack Mountains National Park 1967

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