Charles Wittenstein
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Charles Frederick Wittenstein | |
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| Born | January 16, 1928 Brooklyn, New York, United States |
| Died | February 4, 2013 Atlanta, Georgia |
| Occupation | Lawyer, Civil Rights Activist |
| Spouse(s) | Elinor Heyman Wittenstein |
| Children | David Wittenstein, Robert Wittenstein, Ruth (Wittenstein) Musicante |
| Parent(s) | Martin Wittenstein, Esther (Katz) Wittenstein |
Charles Frederick Wittenstein (January 16, 1928 – February 4, 2013) was an American lawyer and activist. As the State of Georgia’s lead expert witness in State v. Miller, he successfully defended Georgia’s Anti-Mask law in 1990, which prohibited the Ku Klux Klan from hiding their identity with hoods or masks. This dramatically reduced the Klan as a domestic white terror group in the United States. As the lead applicant (along with Attorney Dale Schwartz) seeking the successful posthumous pardon of Leo Frank, Wittenstein helped provide a measure of justice for the infamous antisemitic trial that rocked the Jewish Community in 1913.
As Southern Counsel and Southern Civil Rights Director for the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) from 1973 to 1994, he worked to advance the cause of civil rights, promote numerous social justice causes, and protect Jews and other minorities throughout the United States, especially in the southeastern United States.
Biography
Early life
Wittenstein was born in Brooklyn, New York, the younger of two sons of Martin and Esther (Katz) Wittenstein. After attending public school in Brooklyn at PS 161 and Boys High, Wittenstein received a B.A. from Columbia University and a J.D. degree from Columbia Law School.
Marriage and children
Wittenstein married Elinor Heyman in 1952. They had three children, David, Robert, and Ruth (Musicante).
Career
After graduating from law school, Wittenstein moved to Atlanta in 1953, where he began to practice law with the firm of Heyman, Abram, and Young. He soon joined the American Jewish Committee (AJC), where he worked to desegregate public accommodations, schools, and private and public hospitals in Atlanta. He performed evaluations for the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare throughout the American South to ensure hospitals qualified for Medicare by complying with the Civil Rights Act of 1964. During that same time, he also worked to change the employment policy at Agnes Scott College, a private women’s college under the auspices of the Presbyterian Church, in reaction to its anti-Jewish faculty hiring policies. After leaving the American Jewish Committee, Wittenstein served as Executive Director of the Atlanta Charter Commission, which revised and replaced the city's 100-year-old charter. He also served as as Chairman of the DeKalb Community Relations Commission in 1974.
In 1973, Wittenstein joined the ADL as its Southern Counsel. His responsibilities included serving as legal advisor to ADL’s eight offices covering twelve southern states on matters pertaining to legislation, litigation, and fact-finding on right- and left-wing extremist groups. At both the ADL and AJC, Wittenstein served as an ally to leaders of other civil rights organizations, including working as an informal liaison between Black civil rights leaders and portions of the White and Jewish communities in Atlanta and the South. He was a sponsor of the dinner held in Atlanta honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. following his acceptance of the Nobel Peace Prize.
At ADL, Wittenstein worked closely with law enforcement agencies in Georgia, including the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. He was appointed by the governor of Georgia to the Georgia Committee on Civil Rights Under Color of Law. This commission established and published guidelines for law enforcement agencies on protecting the civil rights of Georgia residents. He frequently consulted with law enforcement and was a guest instructor at law enforcement training centers on issues dealing with hate groups and hate crimes. Wittenstein also appeared periodically on local and national media to discuss issues relating to racism and Antisemitism.
Pardon of Leo Frank
Wittenstein, along with Atlanta attorney Dale Schwartz, led the successful effort to obtain a posthumous pardon, granted on March 11, 1986, for Leo Frank, an Atlanta Jewish businessman who had been convicted of murder in 1913 in a courtroom atmosphere dominated by antisemitic rhetoric. Leo Frank was subsequently lynched by a mob in Cobb County, Georgia. Wittenstein also helped successfully defend the constitutionality of Georgia's anti-mask law, which helped greatly diminish the power of the Ku Klux Klan in the state.
Recognition
In 1984, Wittenstein received the ADL Milton Senn award, ADL's highest honor for professional excellence. Following his death in 2013, the Georgia House of Representatives passed a resolution honoring the life and work of Charles Wittenstein.
References
External links
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