Bethuel M. Webster
Encyclopedia
Bethuel M. Webster was a prominent lawyer
in New York City
, a president of the New York City Bar Association, and an adviser to Mayor John Lindsay
.
on June 13, 1900. He attended the University of Colorado
and Harvard Law School
.
for the Southern District of New York
from 1926 to 1927, and as special assistant to the United States Attorney General
in the antitrust
division of the Department of Justice
from 1927 to 1929.
From 1929 to 1930, Webster was general counsel for the Federal Radio Commission
, predecessor to the Federal Communications Commission
, where he played an important role in upholding the licensing power of the federal government for radio airwaves, decisions later upheld for television airwaves as well.
In 1934, Webster founded the now defunct law firm of Webster, Sheffield, Fleischman, Hitchcock & Chrystie with Frederick Sheffield. With Webster & Sheffield, Webster represented a number of high-profile clients including Goldman Sachs
, Consolidated Edison
, the Ford Foundation
, the New York City Public Library, and Carnegie Hall
.
, Webster served as special assistant to the High Commissioner of Germany
, specializing in the decartelization
of the German steel
and coal
industries and the enforcement of anti-trust regulations.
From 1959 to 1965, he served as a member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration
in The Hague
, and from 1965 to 1968 he mediated the international territorial dispute between Great Britain
and Guatemala
over British Honduras
.
’s Committee for the Preservation of Structures of Historic and Esthetic Importance, and presided over Mayor John Lindsay
’s transitional team in 1965.
Under Lindsay, who was also a partner at Webster & Sheffield, Webster served as head of the New York City Cultural Council and was a key adviser in the administration. In a New York Times obituary of Webster, Lindsay recalled:
“He was always my guiding light, beginning with the law. Both as a Congressman and as Mayor, I turned to him in tough ones, on relations with people and arts programs. He was a constant adviser on arts programs, of particular concern because of the creation of Lincoln Center.”
Webster also served as a member of the city’s Drug Abuse Council, as a member of the city’s Art Commission, and as a trustee of the Ford Foundation
. He was president of the Harvard Law School Association, and the Public Education Association, and, from 1952 to 1954, president of the New York City Bar Association.
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, a president of the New York City Bar Association, and an adviser to Mayor John Lindsay
John Lindsay
John Vliet Lindsay was an American politician, lawyer and broadcaster who was a U.S. Congressman, Mayor of New York City, candidate for U.S...
.
Early life and education
Webster was born in Denver, ColoradoDenver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
on June 13, 1900. He attended the University of Colorado
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
and Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
.
Early career
After graduating from Harvard, Webster served as assistant United States AttorneyUnited States Attorney
United States Attorneys represent the United States federal government in United States district court and United States court of appeals. There are 93 U.S. Attorneys stationed throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands...
for the Southern District of New York
United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York is a federal district court. Appeals from the Southern District of New York are taken to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (in case...
from 1926 to 1927, and as special assistant to the United States Attorney General
United States Attorney General
The United States Attorney General is the head of the United States Department of Justice concerned with legal affairs and is the chief law enforcement officer of the United States government. The attorney general is considered to be the chief lawyer of the U.S. government...
in the antitrust
Antitrust
The United States antitrust law is a body of laws that prohibits anti-competitive behavior and unfair business practices. Antitrust laws are intended to encourage competition in the marketplace. These competition laws make illegal certain practices deemed to hurt businesses or consumers or both,...
division of the Department of Justice
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
from 1927 to 1929.
From 1929 to 1930, Webster was general counsel for the Federal Radio Commission
Federal Radio Commission
The Federal Radio Commission was a government body that regulated radio use in the United States from its creation in 1926 until its replacement by the Federal Communications Commission in 1934...
, predecessor to the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
, where he played an important role in upholding the licensing power of the federal government for radio airwaves, decisions later upheld for television airwaves as well.
In 1934, Webster founded the now defunct law firm of Webster, Sheffield, Fleischman, Hitchcock & Chrystie with Frederick Sheffield. With Webster & Sheffield, Webster represented a number of high-profile clients including Goldman Sachs
Goldman Sachs
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. is an American multinational bulge bracket investment banking and securities firm that engages in global investment banking, securities, investment management, and other financial services primarily with institutional clients...
, Consolidated Edison
Consolidated Edison
Consolidated Edison, Inc. is one of the largest investor-owned energy companies in the United States, with approximately $14 billion in annual revenues and $36 billion in assets...
, the Ford Foundation
Ford Foundation
The Ford Foundation is a private foundation incorporated in Michigan and based in New York City created to fund programs that were chartered in 1936 by Edsel Ford and Henry Ford....
, the New York City Public Library, and Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
.
Later career
After World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Webster served as special assistant to the High Commissioner of Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, specializing in the decartelization
Decartelization
Decartelization is the transition of a national economy from monopoly control by groups of large businesses, known as cartels, to a free market economy...
of the German steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
and coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
industries and the enforcement of anti-trust regulations.
From 1959 to 1965, he served as a member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration
Permanent Court of Arbitration
The Permanent Court of Arbitration , is an international organization based in The Hague in the Netherlands.-History:The court was established in 1899 as one of the acts of the first Hague Peace Conference, which makes it the oldest institution for international dispute resolution.The creation of...
in The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
, and from 1965 to 1968 he mediated the international territorial dispute between Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
and Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
over British Honduras
British Honduras
British Honduras was a British colony that is now the independent nation of Belize.First colonised by Spaniards in the 17th century, the territory on the east coast of Central America, south of Mexico, became a British crown colony from 1862 until 1964, when it became self-governing. Belize became...
.
New York City Politics
Webster was a member of Mayor Robert F. WagnerRobert F. Wagner
Robert Ferdinand Wagner I was an American politician. He was a Democratic U.S. Senator from New York from 1927 to 1949.-Origin and early life:...
’s Committee for the Preservation of Structures of Historic and Esthetic Importance, and presided over Mayor John Lindsay
John Lindsay
John Vliet Lindsay was an American politician, lawyer and broadcaster who was a U.S. Congressman, Mayor of New York City, candidate for U.S...
’s transitional team in 1965.
Under Lindsay, who was also a partner at Webster & Sheffield, Webster served as head of the New York City Cultural Council and was a key adviser in the administration. In a New York Times obituary of Webster, Lindsay recalled:
“He was always my guiding light, beginning with the law. Both as a Congressman and as Mayor, I turned to him in tough ones, on relations with people and arts programs. He was a constant adviser on arts programs, of particular concern because of the creation of Lincoln Center.”
Webster also served as a member of the city’s Drug Abuse Council, as a member of the city’s Art Commission, and as a trustee of the Ford Foundation
Ford Foundation
The Ford Foundation is a private foundation incorporated in Michigan and based in New York City created to fund programs that were chartered in 1936 by Edsel Ford and Henry Ford....
. He was president of the Harvard Law School Association, and the Public Education Association, and, from 1952 to 1954, president of the New York City Bar Association.