Max Raskin

Max Raskin (November 8, 1902 – August 22, 1984) was a Latvian American immigrant, lawyer, and judge. Raskin served as Milwaukee City Attorney from 1932 to 1936 and later served as a Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge in Milwaukee County from 1963 to 1973.

The Honorable

Max Raskin
Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge for the Waukesha Circuit, Branch 1
Acting
In office
August 1, 1978 – December 8, 1980
Preceded byWilliam E. Gramling (Disabled)
Succeeded byHarry G. Snyder
Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge for the 22nd Circuit, Branch 1
Acting
In office
May 1977 – July 31, 1978
Preceded byWilliam E. Gramling (Disabled)
Succeeded byCircuit abolished
Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge for the 2nd Circuit, Branch 2
In office
October 1963 – August 1973
Appointed byJohn W. Reynolds, Jr.
Preceded byMichael T. Sullivan
Succeeded byGeorge Burns
Milwaukee City Attorney
In office
1932–1936
Preceded byJohn Niven
Succeeded byWalter Mattison
Personal details
Born(1902-11-08)November 8, 1902
Latvia
DiedAugust 22, 1984(1984-08-22) (aged 81)
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Cause of deathCancer
Resting placeSpring Hill Cemetery
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Spouse(s)
  • Elaine Hilda Rosenblith
  • (died 2002)
Children
  • Bonnie Fern (Prager)
  • (b. 1935; died 2011)
EducationMarquette Law School

Life and career

Raskin was born to Jewish parents in rural Latvia and emigrated with his family at the age of nine.[1] He graduated from the Marquette University Law School in 1926 and practiced in Milwaukee as a labor law attorney.[2] Raskin ran unsuccessfully for Milwaukee County District Attorney in 1930.[3] In 1932, he was elected Milwaukee City Attorney as a Socialist, unseating nonpartisan incumbent John M. Niven.[4] After his election, Raskin appointed former judge and Socialist politician William F. Quick as his first assistant and employed Edwin Knappe, a former Socialist state Representative, as an assistant city attorney.[5] As city attorney, Raskin collaborated closely with Mayor Daniel W. Hoan, also a Socialist, and required assistant city attorneys to relinquish any employment in private practice.[6] He was harshly criticized by the conservative Milwaukee Sentinel for "his refusal to prosecute communistic rioters".[7]

Raskin was defeated in his 1936 reelection bid and reentered private practice. In 1937, he was elected as a national committeeman of the Socialist Party of America[8] but, in 1940,[9] he left the party and joined the Wisconsin Progressive Party. In 1944, he became a Democrat.[1] Raskin ran for judicial office in 1949 and 1956 but was twice defeated; in 1963, his political ally Governor John W. Reynolds, Jr., appointed him to the Milwaukee County Circuit Court.[10] Raskin served on the court until 1973 and, following his mandatory retirement at the age of 70, continued to serve the state as a reserve judge. In that capacity, he stepped in as Acting Circuit Court Judge in Waukesha County for Judge William E. Gramling during a lengthy struggle with cancer.[1] He died in 1984 at the age of 81.[1]

Raskin's nephew,[11] Marcus Raskin, was a progressive activist and social critic.

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References
  1. "Former circuit judge, Max Raskin, dies of cancer". The Milwaukee Journal. 22 August 1984. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
  2. "Max Raskin, Two Others Form Law Firm". The Milwaukee Sentinel. 27 December 1958. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
  3. "For Circuit Judge in Branch 8". The Milwaukee Journal. 26 February 1949. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
  4. "Women Voters' League Reports on Candidates". The Milwaukee Sentinel. 13 March 1932. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
  5. "Raskin Ousts Six Niven Aids". The Milwaukee Sentinel. 20 April 1932. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
  6. "Rivals Batter Raskin; All 5 See Victory". The Milwaukee Sentinel. 17 March 1936. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
  7. "Milwaukee Rebukes Radicalism". The Milwaukee Sentinel. 9 April 1936. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
  8. "Hoan Leaves Party Board". The Milwaukee Journal. 29 March 1937. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
  9. "Raskin Seeks Judge's Post, Campaign Spending Curb". The Milwaukee Sentinel. 6 November 1955. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
  10. "Raskin Is Appointed Circuit Court Judge". The Milwaukee Journal. 9 October 1963. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
  11. "Milwaukeean Raskin Has Served Presidents". The Milwaukee Journal. 6 January 1968. Retrieved 25 July 2015.


Legal offices
Preceded by
Michael T. Sullivan		 Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge for the 2nd Circuit, Branch 2
1963 – 1973		 Succeeded by
George Burns
Preceded by
William E. Gramling
(Disabled)		 Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge for the 22nd Circuit, Branch 1
(Acting)
1977 – 1978		 Succeeded by
Circuit abolished
Preceded by
William E. Gramling
(Disabled)		 Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge for the Waukesha Circuit, Branch 1
(Acting)
1978 – 1980		 Succeeded by
Harry G. Snyder
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