George Alfred Arkwright (September 19, 1888 - August 25, 1972) was an American attorney and justice on the New York Supreme Court.

Biography

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Arkwright was born in Brooklyn in 1888, the son of George Alfred Arkwright and Mary Anna McKeever.[1] He attended the University of Pennsylvania, graduating in 1911, and received a law degree from Fordham University in 1917.[2] He served in the American Expeditionary Forces in France during the First World War.[3] He fought at the Battle of San Mihiel and in the Meuse–Argonne offensive.[4] Following his military service, he returned to New York where he worked as an attorney for the next 25 years.[5] He was elected as the president of the Brooklyn Bar Association three times.[6] In 1943 Arkwright was appointed to the New York Public Service Commission by Thomas Dewey.[7] He was the first member from Brooklyn to serve on the Commission in 13 years.[8] In 1945 Arkwright was the Republican‐Liberal party candidate for Borough President of Brooklyn but lost the election to the Democratic candidate John Cashmore.[9]

He was elected as a justice of the New York Supreme Court in 1950, a position he held until 1958. In 1956-58, Arkwright conducted an investigation into unethical legal actions by Brooklyn attorneys.[10] He was also the leader of the Arkwright Investigation, a probe into collaboration between doctors and lawyers to defraud insurance companies.[11] He was replaced on the New York Supreme Court by George Eilperin.[12]

Personal life

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Arkwright married Loretta Cleary and was the father of five children.[13]

References

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  1. ^ National Cyclopaedia of American Biography. Vol. 57. Clifton, New Jersey: James T. White & Company. p. 638.
  2. ^ "Arkwright, Fromberg Proposed by Republicans in 2nd A.D." Times Union. December 6, 1931. p. 38.
  3. ^ Regulation of Public Utilities in New York State: Annual Report of Public Service Commission for the Year 1950. Department of Public Service, State of New York. 1950. p. 2.
  4. ^ "Expect Dewey to Appoint Boro Man on P.S.C.". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. May 20, 1943. p. 3.
  5. ^ "Arkwright, Cashmore Had Varied Careers". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. October 28, 1945. p. 8.
  6. ^ Weinstein, Rhoda (April 23, 1956). "Know Your Public Officials: Justice George Alfred Arkwright". Brooklyn Daily. p. 4.
  7. ^ The New York Red Book. Vol. 59. Williams Press. 1950. p. 534.
  8. ^ "250 See Arkwright Take Oath as Member of State P.S.C." The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. August 6, 1943. p. 5.
  9. ^ "Justice George Arkwright, 83, Of State Supreme Court Dead". The New York Times. 1972-08-27. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  10. ^ Gibney, Frank (1960). The Operators. London: Victor Gollancz. p. 143.
  11. ^ Lewis, Howard R. (1970). The Medical Offenders. Simon and Schuster. p. 137.
  12. ^ "Crisona Given Bipartisan Support for Supreme Court". The Williamsburg News. September 5, 1958. p. 1.
  13. ^ Lips, Betty (February 6, 1949). "Head of Boro Boy Scouts Wasn't One Himself, but -". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. p. 25.