Nathan Ross Margold facts for kids

Nathan Ross Margold (1899 – December 17, 1947) was an American lawyer. He was born in Romania. Margold became a judge in Washington, D.C..

He is known for writing the 1933 Margold Report. This report helped to promote civil rights for African Americans. He also supported the rights of Native American people.

Early Life and Education

Nathan Ross Margold was born in Iași, Romania in 1899. His parents were Wolf Margulies and Rosa Kahan. He moved to the United States when he was two years old.

He grew up in Brooklyn, New York. In 1919, he graduated from City College of New York. Margold then went to Harvard Law School. He became an editor for the school's Law Review.

A professor named Felix Frankfurter was his mentor. Frankfurter encouraged Margold to work for social changes and workers' rights. Later, many of Frankfurter's students, including Margold, worked for the U.S. government. They were sometimes called "Happy Hotdogs."

Legal Career and Public Service

After finishing law school, Margold started his own law practice in New York City in 1923. From 1925 to 1927, he worked as an assistant U.S. attorney. In 1927, Margold married Gertrude Weiner. They later had a son together.

Also in 1927, Felix Frankfurter asked Margold to teach law at Harvard Law School. However, Harvard's president did not want him there. After almost two years, Margold left Harvard and returned to his private law practice in 1928.

From 1928 to 1929, Margold worked for the New York Transit Commission. In 1930, he became a legal adviser for Native American affairs. During this time, he also wrote many articles for law journals. He helped edit a book called Cases on Criminal Law.

Working for Civil Rights

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) hired Margold in 1930. He worked as a special lawyer for them until 1933. In 1931, Margold wrote an important plan. It was called the Margold Report.

This report suggested ways to end segregation in public schools. Segregation meant keeping Black and white students separate. The NAACP used many of his ideas. These ideas helped advance civil rights for African Americans through the courts. This work led to the famous 1954 case, Brown v. Board of Education. This case made school segregation illegal.

Government Roles and Judgeships

In 1933, Margold became a lawyer for the United States Department of the Interior. He worked there until 1942. He also helped the Interior Secretary, Harold L. Ickes. Margold was put in charge of boards that managed the oil industry.

In 1940, Margold wrote the introduction to a book about federal Native American law. He believed that Native American self-governance was important. He saw it as a key part of American democracy.

In 1942, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt appointed Margold as a judge. He served on the Municipal Court for the District of Columbia until 1945. Then, he moved to the U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia. He served there until his death.

Death

Nathan Ross Margold passed away on December 17, 1947, in Washington, D.C.