Milton Konvitz Personal Correspondence
Collection Number: /4241
Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives, Cornell University Library
Title:
Milton Konvitz Personal Correspondence, 1941-2003
Collection Number:
/4241
Creator:
Konvitz, Milton
Quantity:
2.5 linear ft.
Forms of Material:
Correspondence.
Repository:
Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives, Cornell University Library
Language:
Collection material in English
March 12, 1908-September 5, 2003 Milton Konvitz, a Cornell University faculty member and authority on constitutional and labor
law, and civil and human rights, died Sept. 5 at the age of 95. Konvitz was a founding faculty member in the School of
Industrial and Labor Relations from 1946 until his retirement in 1973. He was also a professor in Cornell's Law School.
Konvitz is perhaps best known for his American Ideals course, which he taught to more than 8,000 students over the course
of
his career, never giving the same lecture twice. "I saw the U.S. Constitution as it has been interpreted as a magnificent
depository of our ideals, both individual and social," he said. His course exposed students to the great intellectual
thinkers and philosophers throughout history whose writings had shaped those ideals. They included Sophocles, whose play
Antigone is Cornell's New Student Reading Project this year. One student he influenced was U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth
Bader Ginsburg, Cornell Class of 1954, who considers him a mentor. At Cornell Konvitz also was a founder of the university's
Department of Near Eastern Studies and Program of Jewish Studies. "I felt it was essential for a college interested in
the humanities not to leave out Hebrew language and literature," he said. "And the knowledge of Jewish history, which
began 4,000 years ago and has contributed to civilization no less than Greek, Roman or English history, is important to
today's students-Jewish and non-Jewish." He often hosted students at his Ithaca home and helped start the first Kosher
dining option at Cornell, Young Israel House. In addition, for nearly 30 years he directed the Liberian Codification Project,
which drew up the official body of statutory laws that is still in force in the Republic of Liberia today, despite the
current political upheaval there. Konvitz also edited the opinions of Liberia's Supreme Court and received the Grand Band
of
the Order of the Star of Africa, the highest award given to foreigners, as well as an honorary degree from the University
of Liberia, one of seven honorary degrees he received in his lifetime. Active as a scholar and writer until his death, he
wrote books and articles on American constitutional law that won him wide recognition and were cited in U.S. Supreme Court
opinions. Among his nine books is Fundamental Liberties of a Free People: Religion, Speech, Press, Assembly, which was
republished earlier this year with an expanded introduction by him that is strongly critical of the Rehnquist Supreme
Court. Other books include A Century of Civil Rights (1983) and Judaism and Human Rights (2nd ed. 2001). He also edited a
dozen volumes, including two on American philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson, whose thinking shaped his views. One Emersonian
idea he absorbed was that readers give life to books, which Konvitz recast as follows: "It is in their hearing that
students bring life to the words, the thoughts, the teacher." Konvitz was born in Safed, Palestine (now Israel ), in 1908,
the son of a rabbi. He immigrated to the United States in 1915 and became a naturalized citizen in 1926. He received a
bachelor's degree in 1929 and a law degree in 1930, both from New York University, and a Ph.D. in philosophy from Cornell
in 1933. Before joining Cornell's faculty, he was one of three assistant general counsels to Thurgood Marshall at the
NAACP Legal Defense Fund for three years. He is survived by his wife, Mary, of Oakhurst, N.J.; a brother, Phillip, of
Elberon, N.J.; a son and daughter-in- law, Josef and Isa, of Paris, France; and two grandsons, Eli and Ezra. Josef Konvitz,
who grew up in Ithaca, is now an official at the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Names:
Konvitz, Milton R. (Milton Ridvas), 1908-2003
New York State School of Industrial and Labor Relations
Form and Genre Terms:
Correspondence.
Access Restrictions:
Access to the collections in the Kheel Center is restricted. Please contact a reference archivist for access to these materials.
Restrictions on Use:
This collection must be used in keeping with the Kheel Center Information Sheet and Procedures for Document Use.
Cite As:
Milton Konvitz Personal Correspondence #/4241. Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives, Cornell University
Library.
Related Collections:
/4261m: "Some Aspects of Negro-Jewish Relationships in Detroit, Michigan" Manuscript
/4085: Milton R. Konvitz Additional Papers
/4039 AV: Milton R. Konvitz American Ideals Lectures Audio-Visual Materials
/4039 L: Milton R. Konvitz Liberian Codification Project
/3033: Milton R. Konvitz Liberian Project Files
/4039: Milton R. Konvitz Papers
/4039 B: Milton R. Konvitz Additional Papers
/4220m: Milton Konvitz Additional Papers
/4242 AV: Milton Konvitz Memorial Service Audio-Visual Materials
/4039 AV: Milton R. Konvitz American Ideals Lectures Audio-Visual Materials
/4315 G: ILR School Milton Konvitz Memorial Lecture Posters
/4261m: "Some Aspects of Negro-Jewish Relationships in Detroit, Michigan" Manuscript
/4085: Milton R. Konvitz Additional Papers
/4039 AV: Milton R. Konvitz American Ideals Lectures Audio-Visual Materials
/4039 L: Milton R. Konvitz Liberian Codification Project
/3033: Milton R. Konvitz Liberian Project Files
/4039: Milton R. Konvitz Papers
/4039 B: Milton R. Konvitz Additional Papers
/4220m: Milton Konvitz Additional Papers
/4242 AV: Milton Konvitz Memorial Service Audio-Visual Materials
/4039 AV: Milton R. Konvitz American Ideals Lectures Audio-Visual Materials
/4315 G: ILR School Milton Konvitz Memorial Lecture Posters
Container
|
Description
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Date
|
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Box 1 | Folder 1 | 1973-1975 | |
Box 1 | Folder 2 | 1989 | |
11/7/1989
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|||
Box 1 | Folder 3 | ||
Box 1 | Folder 4 | ||
Box 1 | Folder 5 | 1971-1974 | |
Box 1 | Folder 6 | 1997-1998 | |
7/21/97 - 9/23/98
|
|||
Box 1 | Folder 7 | 1998 | |
April - May 1998
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|||
Box 1 | Folder 8 | 1997-1998 | |
Box 1 | Folder 9 | 1946-2003 | |
6/24/46 - 4/15/03
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|||
Box 1 | Folder 10 | 1998 | |
5/18/1998
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|||
Box 1 | Folder 11 | 1996 | |
11/4/1996
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|||
Box 1 | Folder 12 | 2001-2002 | |
7/12/01 - 9/17/02
|
|||
Box 1 | Folder 13 | 1990-2003 | |
8/14/1990 - 3/20/03
|
|||
Box 1 | Folder 14 | 2003 | |
Box 1 | Folder 15 | 1991-1998 | |
Box 1 | Folder 16 | 1989 | |
1/30/1989
|
|||
Box 1 | Folder 17 | 1993-2001 | |
1/12/1993 - 3/12/2001
|
|||
Box 1 | Folder 18 | 1999-2002 | |
August 1999 - January 2002
|
|||
Box 1 | Folder 19 | 1997-2002 | |
Box 1 | Folder 20 | 1989-2001 | |
10/11/1989 - 6/18/2001
|
|||
Box 1 | Folder 21 | 1966 | |
Box 1 | Folder 22 | 1998 | |
5/9/1998 - 5/18/1998
|
|||
Box 1 | Folder 23 | 1988-1996 | |
3/24/1988 - 5/30/1996
|
|||
Box 1 | Folder 24 | 1987-2001 | |
October 1987 - April 2001
|
|||
Box 1 | Folder 25 | 1989-1997 | |
6/89 - 4 /97
|
|||
Box 1 | Folder 26 | 1990-2001 | |
11/6/1990 - 4/10/2001
|
|||
Box 1 | Folder 27 | 1984-1998 | |
10/22/1984 - 4/21/1998
|
|||
Box 1 | Folder 28 | 1999 | |
March - July 1999
|
|||
Box 1 | Folder 29 | 1989-1991 | |
October 1989 - October 1991
|
|||
Box 1 | Folder 30 | 1941-2000 | |
9/12/41 - 8/7/00
|
|||
Box 1 | Folder 31 | 1996-1998 | |
4/3/1996 - 10/5/1998
|
|||
Box 1 | Folder 32 | 1999-2000 | |
Box 1 | Folder 33 | 1999-2001 | |
Box 1 | Folder 34 | 1990-2001 | |
May 1990 - April 2001
|
|||
Box 1 | Folder 35 | 1993-1995 | |
Box 1 | Folder 36 | 1990-2000 | |
Box 1 | Folder 37 | 1997-2002 | |
5/1/1997 - 12/3/2002
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 1 | 1972-1993 | |
1/10/1972 - 5/28/1993
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 2 | 1991-2001 | |
9/29/1991 - 11/25/2001
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 3 | 1987-1998 | |
12/10/1987 - 11/5/1998
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 4 | 1990-2003 | |
9/28/1990 - 4/22/2003
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 5 | ||
Box 2 | Folder 6 | 2001-2002 | |
10/8/01 - 8/12/02
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 7 | 1990-2001 | |
1/12/1990 - 6/3/2001
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 8 | 1997 | |
Box 2 | Folder 9 | 1980-1995 | |
1/7/1980 - 12/15/1995
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 10 | 1993-1998 | |
4/93 - 5/98
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 11 | 1987-1995 | |
5/22/1987 - 6/13/1995
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 12 | 1970-1990 | |
12/31/1970 - 4/23/1990
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 13 | 2003 | |
January - April 2003
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 14 | ||
Box 2 | Folder 15 | 2001 | |
3/21/2001
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 16 | 1999-2001 | |
8/7/99 - 1/17/2001
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 17 | 1991-1996 | |
1/30/1991 - 2/11/1996
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 18 | 1989-2002 | |
11/26/1989 - 5/31/2002
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 19 | ||
Box 2 | Folder 20 | 1983-1990 | |
9/12/1983 - 3/25/1990
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 21 | 1987-1993 | |
8/6/1987 - 7/8/1993
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 22 | 1966-2000 | |
2/28/1966 - 2/9/2000
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 23 | ||
Box 2 | Folder 24 | 1945-1990 | |
3/10/1945 - 9/24/1990
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 25 | 1990-1998 | |
Box 2 | Folder 26 | 1999-2003 | |
1/22/99 - 4/9/03
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 27 | 1999-2003 | |
6/12/99 - 4/30/03
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 28 | 1950-1999 | |
11/9/50 - 8/8/99
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 29 | 1990-2003 | |
7/3/90 - 6/11/03
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 30 | 1986 | |
May-86
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 31 | 1980-1986 | |
7/17/80 - 7/30/86
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 32 | 1995-2003 | |
5/12/95 - 3/5/03
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 33 | 1990-2002 | |
6/30/90 - 10/16/02
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 34 | 1989-2001 | |
9/6/89 - 3/28/01
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 35 | 1991-2003 | |
1/9/91 - 6/4/03
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 36 | 1992-1997 | |
Box 2 | Folder 37 | 1988-2003 | |
Box 3 | Folder 1 | 1954 | |
One publication with notes to Prof. Konvitz
|
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Box 3 | Folder 2 | 1964 | |
Two publications with notes to Prof. Konvitz
|
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Box 3 | Folder 3 | 1968-1969 | |
Four publications with notes to Prof. Konvitz
|
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Box 3 | Folder 4 | 1973-1978 | |
Four publications with notes to Prof. Konvitz
|
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Box 3 | Folder 5 | 1981 | |
One publication with notes to Prof. Konvitz
|
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Box 3 | Folder 6 | 1990-1995 | |
Six publications with notes to Prof. Konvitz. One is in Hebrew.
|
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Box 3 | Folder 7 | ||
Two publications with notes to Prof. Konvitz, both are from the Berman Memorial Lecture Series, Queens College, by Emanuel
Rackman. Also includes a greeting card and circular letter.
|