Clarence Lexow
Encyclopedia
Clarence Lexow was a member of the New York Senate from 1894 to 1898.
, New York City
. His father was Rudolph Lexow
(1823-1909) who was born in Germany
. His mother was born in England
and had died prior to 1880. His siblings include: Charles K. Lexow
(1850–1928) who was a lawyer in 1880; Allen Lexow (1855-?) who was a banker in 1880; and Rudolf Grant Lexow (1865-?).
He studied abroad and at the Columbia Law School
, where he was graduated in 1872. He was admitted to the bar and established practice in New York City, where he had many German-American clients.
In 1880 Clarence was living in Clarkstown
, Rockland County, New York
with his parents, and he was already a lawyer
. Rudolph Lexow, his father was working as an editor. Clarence and Charles also appear as living in Manhattan
in the Benedict Building at 79 Washington Place in New York City.
In 1882, he became a resident of Nyack
and was active in the Republican Party
there. In 1890 he was an unsuccessful nominee for Congress
. Though Lexow was unsuccessful, the majority for the Democratic victor was lower than had been usual.
In 1893, he was elected to the state senate where he served till 1898. Here he at once took a leadership role, and was chairman of the committee on internal affairs and introduced the bi-partisan police bill calling for an investigation of the New York City Police. This led to the appointment, in 1894, of the so-called “Lexow Committee
,” of which he was head. The committee documented how Tammany Hall
leaders and the police extorted bribes from operators of gambling and prostitution houses. He was a Senator from the 16th District from 1894 to 1895; and the 23rd District from 1896 to 1898. Lexow was also the introducer of the bill creating the city of Greater New York, was chairman of the joint legislative committee for the investigation of trusts and unlawful combinations, of the committee on primary elections reform, and of the judiciary committee.
In 1896 he was chairman of the committee on resolutions at the Republican State convention and introduced the gold standard plank in the platform; in 1900 he was a presidential elector.
He died in 1910 and was buried in Oak Hill Cemetery, Nyack, New York
.
Biography
He was born on September 16, 1852, in BrooklynBrooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, 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...
. His father was Rudolph Lexow
Rudolph Lexow
Rudolph Lexow was a German-American writer and editor.-Biography:Lexow graduated from the University of Kiel and was active in the Revolutions of 1848 in Germany...
(1823-1909) who was born in 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...
. His mother was born in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and had died prior to 1880. His siblings include: Charles K. Lexow
Charles K. Lexow
Charles K. Lexow was the Commissioner of Supreme Court Records and the oldest Republican District Leader in New York City in 1928 when he died.-Biography:...
(1850–1928) who was a lawyer in 1880; Allen Lexow (1855-?) who was a banker in 1880; and Rudolf Grant Lexow (1865-?).
He studied abroad and at the Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School, founded in 1858, is one of the oldest and most prestigious law schools in the United States. A member of the Ivy League, Columbia Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Columbia University in New York City. It offers the J.D., LL.M., and J.S.D. degrees in...
, where he was graduated in 1872. He was admitted to the bar and established practice in New York City, where he had many German-American clients.
In 1880 Clarence was living in Clarkstown
Clarkstown, New York
Clarkstown is a town in Rockland County, New York, United States. The town is on the eastern border of the county, located north of the town of Orangetown; east of the town of Ramapo; South of the town of Haverstraw and west of the Hudson River. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total...
, Rockland County, New York
Rockland County, New York
Rockland County is a suburban county 15 miles to the northwest of Manhattan and part of the New York City Metropolitan Area, in the U.S. state of New York. It is the southernmost county in New York west of the Hudson River, and the smallest county in New York outside of New York City. The...
with his parents, and he was already a lawyer
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...
. Rudolph Lexow, his father was working as an editor. Clarence and Charles also appear as living in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
in the Benedict Building at 79 Washington Place in New York City.
In 1882, he became a resident of Nyack
Nyack, New York
Nyack is a village in the towns of Orangetown and Clarkstown in Rockland County, New York, United States, located north of South Nyack; east of Central Nyack; south of Upper Nyack and west of the Hudson River, approximately 19 miles north of the Manhattan boundary, it is an inner suburb of New...
and was active in the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
there. In 1890 he was an unsuccessful nominee for Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
. Though Lexow was unsuccessful, the majority for the Democratic victor was lower than had been usual.
In 1893, he was elected to the state senate where he served till 1898. Here he at once took a leadership role, and was chairman of the committee on internal affairs and introduced the bi-partisan police bill calling for an investigation of the New York City Police. This led to the appointment, in 1894, of the so-called “Lexow Committee
Lexow Committee
Lexow Committee . The name given to a major New York State Senate probe into police corruption in New York City. The Lexow Committee inquiry, which took its name from the Committee's chairman, State Senator Clarence Lexow, was the widest-ranging of several such commissions empaneled during the...
,” of which he was head. The committee documented how Tammany Hall
Tammany Hall
Tammany Hall, also known as the Society of St. Tammany, the Sons of St. Tammany, or the Columbian Order, was a New York political organization founded in 1786 and incorporated on May 12, 1789 as the Tammany Society...
leaders and the police extorted bribes from operators of gambling and prostitution houses. He was a Senator from the 16th District from 1894 to 1895; and the 23rd District from 1896 to 1898. Lexow was also the introducer of the bill creating the city of Greater New York, was chairman of the joint legislative committee for the investigation of trusts and unlawful combinations, of the committee on primary elections reform, and of the judiciary committee.
In 1896 he was chairman of the committee on resolutions at the Republican State convention and introduced the gold standard plank in the platform; in 1900 he was a presidential elector.
He died in 1910 and was buried in Oak Hill Cemetery, Nyack, New York
Nyack, New York
Nyack is a village in the towns of Orangetown and Clarkstown in Rockland County, New York, United States, located north of South Nyack; east of Central Nyack; south of Upper Nyack and west of the Hudson River, approximately 19 miles north of the Manhattan boundary, it is an inner suburb of New...
.
Works
He is author of reports on:- Municipal Government (5 vols., 1895)
- Trusts and Unlawful Combinations (1895)
Further reading
- Clarence Lexow, Report and proceedings of the Senate Committee appointed to investigate the Police Department of the city of New York, 1895
- Isabelle Keating Savell (1905-?), Politics in the Gilded Age in New York State and Rockland County; A Biography of Senator Clarence Lexow
- Cops, Crooks, and Criminologists. An international biographical dictionary of law enforcement. By Alan Axelrod and Charles Phillips. New York: Facts on File, 1996
- Dictionary of American Biography. Volumes 1-20. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1928–1936
- The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography. Volume 5. New York: James T. White & Co., 1891. Use the Index to locate biographies
- Who Was Who in America. A component volume of Who's Who in American History. Volume 1, 1897-1942. Chicago: A.N. Marquis Co., 1943