Howard Metzenbaum
Encyclopedia
Howard Morton Metzenbaum (June 4, 1917 March 12, 2008) was an American politician who served for almost 20 years as a Democratic
member of the U.S. Senate
from Ohio
(1974, 1976–1995). He also served in the Ohio House of Representatives and Senate from 1943 to 1951.
, to a poor Jewish family, the son of Anna (née
Klafter) and Charles I. Metzenbaum. He graduated from Ohio State University
, receiving a bachelor
's degree in 1939 and a law degree
in 1941. During the 1940s, he practiced law in Cleveland, mostly for large labor unions, first the Communications Workers of America
and then the International Association of Machinists
.
from 1943 to 1947. He then served in the Ohio Senate
from 1947 to 1951. In 1958, he was the campaign manager for U.S. Senator Stephen M. Young
, who narrowly unseated Republican Senator John Bricker, the Republican Party's nominee for Vice President in 1944, in a major upset.
Metzenbaum became independently wealthy through investments, particularly in real estate near what became the Cleveland Hopkins International Airport
, which Metzenbaum and his partner, Alva "Ted" Bonda, correctly envisioned would make for extremely profitable, 24-hour, well-lit parking lots. The business expanded to become APCOA, the world's largest parking lot company. By 1970 he had sold his interest in his airport parking lot company for $20 million. In the early 1970s, Metzenbaum co-owned the Sun Newspapers
chain of weeklies in the Cleveland suburbs. Bonda and Metzenbaum also started one of the country's first car-rental companies, now Avis
.
In 1970, Metzenbaum ran for the Senate seat of his former employer, Young, defeating John Glenn
, the first American astronaut
to orbit the earth, in the Democratic primary
by a 51% to 49% margin. But Metzenbaum narrowly lost to Robert Taft, Jr.
in the general election
. Metzenbaum then ran a group of weekly newspapers in the Cleveland area. In 1974, when Senator William B. Saxbe
(R
-OH) resigned from his seat to accept the nomination as U.S. attorney general, Governor Jack Gilligan
appointed Metzenbaum to fill out the remainder of Saxbe's term. Metzenbaum ran for election to the seat, but in a bitter Democratic primary, Metzenbaum lost to Glenn, who subsequently won the general election by a landslide.
In the 1974 Senate primary race, Metzenbaum contrasted his strong business background with Glenn's military and astronaut credentials, saying his opponent had "never worked for a living." Glenn's reply came to be known as the "Gold Star Mothers" speech. He told Metzenbaum to go to a veterans' hospital and "look those men with mangled bodies in the eyes and tell them they didn't hold a job. You go with me to any Gold Star mother and you look her in the eye and tell her that her son did not hold a job." Many felt the "Gold Star Mothers" speech won the primary for Glenn. Glenn won the primary by 54 to 46%.
In 1976, however, Metzenbaum sought a rematch against Taft. The race was close again, but this time he won, riding on Jimmy Carter
's coattails. Taft resigned the seat a few days before his term ended, allowing Metzenbaum to be sworn in a few days early and hence have a small edge in seniority over other senators newly elected in 1976. He was reelected in 1982, comfortably defeating Republican state Senator Paul Pfeifer
. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Glenn and Metzenbaum had strained relations. There was a thaw in 1983 when Metzenbaum endorsed Glenn for president. In 1981, Metzenbaum was insulted on the floor of the Senate when Senator Ernest Hollings
of South Carolina
called him the "senator from B'nai Brith". Some interpreted this as a slur on Metzenbaum's Jewish faith. Hollings later apologized to Metzenbaum and the remarks were stricken from the record.
Metzenbaum showed skepticism to corporations and agencies in trying to protect consumers from aspartame. An allegation was that the G. D. Searle & Company
was trying to bring aspartame to market and get aspartame approved by submitting false data to the FDA. Senator Metzenbaum berated Searle's flawed and fabricated tests and also faulted the AMA whose journal (JAMA) reported, with some significant disclaimers, that aspartame (Equal, NutraSweet) was safe for most people.
Senator Metzenbaum, referring to the report said, " I wish that this (JAMA) report could ease my concerns. It does not. It merely restates the FDA position, which relies solely on the Searle tests. As I have indicated these tests are under a cloud. In addition, the concerns raised recently by the scientists... were not even included in the report." In 1985, the U.S. Senate heard testimony relating to an amendment by Senator Howard Metzenbaum which would require the quantity of aspartame in a product to be labeled.
In 1988, Metzenbaum was opposed by Cleveland mayor George Voinovich
. Voinovich accused Metzenbaum of being soft on child pornography
. Voinovich's charges were criticized by many, including Glenn, Metzenbaum's old-time rival in the Democratic party and then Senate colleague who now came to Metzenbaum's aid, recording a statement for television refuting Voinovich's charges. Metzenbaum won the election by 57 to 43%, even as George H. W. Bush
won Ohio's electoral votes by 11 percent.
Metzenbaum did not run for reelection in 1994. His son-in-law, Joel Hyatt
, was nominated by the Democrats to replace him, but Hyatt lost to Lieutenant Governor
Mike DeWine
, who had been elected as Voinovich's running mate in 1990.
While in the Senate, Metzenbaum was a powerful liberal. He was known as "Senator No" (a nickname shared by Republican Jesse Helms
of North Carolina
) and "Headline Howard" because the Senate Democrats knew that almost nothing would get through if Metzenbaum opposed it even though he never held an official party leadership post or chaired a committee. Metzenbaum took a particular interest in antitrust
and consumer protection
issues, often threatening to repeal antitrust law exemption given to Major League Baseball
. Since his retirement, however, the issue has gone largely unaddressed. Metzenbaum became well-known for his service on the Senate Judiciary Committee
, particularly because of his dedicated efforts to keep stringent antitrust laws and his pro-choice stance on abortion
.
Metzenbaum devised a different method for filibustering in the Senate by offering scores of amendments to bills in place of talking one bill to death like his Southern colleagues did during the debate for Civil Rights in the 1950s and 1960s.
Metzenbaum was behind several important pieces of legislation, including the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act
, which required warning periods for large factory closures; the Brady Law, which established a waiting period for handgun purchases; and the Howard M. Metzenbaum Multiethnic Placement Act of 1994 (MEPA) (U.S. Public Law 103-82), which prohibits federally subsidized adoption agencies from delaying or denying child placement on grounds of race or ethnicity.
After leaving the Senate in 1995, Metzenbaum served as the chairman of the Consumer Federation of America
. He died at his home in Fort Lauderdale
, Florida
on March 12, 2008. He was buried at Mayfield Cemetery in Cleveland Heights, Ohio
Rebutting urban legend
s to the contrary, Metzenbaum asserted that he never represented the Communist Party
. When the National Republican Senatorial Committee
suggested in 1987 that he had "Communist sympathies", Chairman Rudy Boschwitz
apologized for the insulting smear.
Metzenbaum's cousin, James Metzenbaum
, was a prominent Ohio attorney
who wrote a noted text on zoning
law and once ran for a seat on the Ohio Supreme Court.
episode "Switcheroo". Space Ghost mentioned him as a guest, but his staff had forgotten to book him.
Metzenbaum had a cameo in the 1993 film Dave
. He was also referenced in numerous Cleveland-area advertisements.
In 1998, the Howard M. Metzenbaum United States Courthouse
in Cleveland was named in his honor.
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
member of the U.S. Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
from Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
(1974, 1976–1995). He also served in the Ohio House of Representatives and Senate from 1943 to 1951.
Early life
Metzenbaum was born in ClevelandCleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
, to a poor Jewish family, the son of Anna (née
Married and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....
Klafter) and Charles I. Metzenbaum. He graduated from Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
, receiving a bachelor
Bachelor
A bachelor is a man above the age of majority who has never been married . Unlike his female counterpart, the spinster, a bachelor may have had children...
's degree in 1939 and a law degree
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
in 1941. During the 1940s, he practiced law in Cleveland, mostly for large labor unions, first the Communications Workers of America
Communications Workers of America
Communications Workers of America is the largest communications and media labor union in the United States representing about 550,000 members in both the private and public sectors. The union has 27 locals in Canada via CWA-SCA Canada representing about 8,000 members...
and then the International Association of Machinists
International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers is an AFL-CIO/CLC trade union representing approx. 646,933 workers as of 2006 in more than 200 industries.-Formation and early history:...
.
Political & business career
Metzenbaum served in the Ohio House of RepresentativesOhio House of Representatives
The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate....
from 1943 to 1947. He then served in the Ohio Senate
Ohio Senate
The Ohio State Senate is the upper house of the Ohio General Assembly, the legislative body for the U.S. state of Ohio. There are 33 State Senators. The state legislature meets in the state capital, Columbus. The President of the Senate presides over the body when in session, and is currently Tom...
from 1947 to 1951. In 1958, he was the campaign manager for U.S. Senator Stephen M. Young
Stephen M. Young
Stephen Marvin Young was an American politician of the Democratic Party from Ohio. He was a United States Senator from Ohio from 1958 until 1971....
, who narrowly unseated Republican Senator John Bricker, the Republican Party's nominee for Vice President in 1944, in a major upset.
Metzenbaum became independently wealthy through investments, particularly in real estate near what became the Cleveland Hopkins International Airport
Cleveland Hopkins International Airport
Cleveland Hopkins International Airport is a public airport located nine miles southwest of the central business district of Cleveland, a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. The airport lies just within the city limits of Cleveland...
, which Metzenbaum and his partner, Alva "Ted" Bonda, correctly envisioned would make for extremely profitable, 24-hour, well-lit parking lots. The business expanded to become APCOA, the world's largest parking lot company. By 1970 he had sold his interest in his airport parking lot company for $20 million. In the early 1970s, Metzenbaum co-owned the Sun Newspapers
Sun Newspapers
Sun Newspapers is a chain of 11 weekly newspapers serving 49 different communities in Greater Cleveland. The papers are focused on suburbs and exurbs in Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lorain and Medina counties...
chain of weeklies in the Cleveland suburbs. Bonda and Metzenbaum also started one of the country's first car-rental companies, now Avis
Avis Rent A Car System
Avis Rent a Car System, LLC is a car rental company headquartered in Parsippany-Troy Hills Township, New Jersey, United States. Avis, Budget Rent a Car and Budget Truck Rental are all units of Avis Budget Group....
.
In 1970, Metzenbaum ran for the Senate seat of his former employer, Young, defeating John Glenn
John Glenn
John Herschel Glenn, Jr. is a former United States Marine Corps pilot, astronaut, and United States senator who was the first American to orbit the Earth and the third American in space. Glenn was a Marine Corps fighter pilot before joining NASA's Mercury program as a member of NASA's original...
, the first American astronaut
Astronaut
An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
to orbit the earth, in the Democratic primary
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
by a 51% to 49% margin. But Metzenbaum narrowly lost to Robert Taft, Jr.
Robert Taft, Jr.
Robert Taft Jr. was a member of the Taft political family who served as a Republican Congressman from Ohio between 1963 and 1965, as well as between 1967 and 1971. He also served as a U.S. Senator between 1971 and 1976....
in the general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
. Metzenbaum then ran a group of weekly newspapers in the Cleveland area. In 1974, when Senator William B. Saxbe
William B. Saxbe
William Bart "Bill" Saxbe was an American politician affiliated with the Republican Party, who served as a U.S. Senator from Ohio, as U.S. Attorney General under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald R. Ford, and as United States Ambassador to India.At the time of his death, Saxbe was the...
(R
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...
-OH) resigned from his seat to accept the nomination as U.S. attorney general, Governor Jack Gilligan
John J. Gilligan
John Joyce Gilligan is a American Democratic politician from the state of Ohio who served as a U.S. Representative and the 62nd Governor of Ohio. He is the father of Kathleen Sebelius...
appointed Metzenbaum to fill out the remainder of Saxbe's term. Metzenbaum ran for election to the seat, but in a bitter Democratic primary, Metzenbaum lost to Glenn, who subsequently won the general election by a landslide.
In the 1974 Senate primary race, Metzenbaum contrasted his strong business background with Glenn's military and astronaut credentials, saying his opponent had "never worked for a living." Glenn's reply came to be known as the "Gold Star Mothers" speech. He told Metzenbaum to go to a veterans' hospital and "look those men with mangled bodies in the eyes and tell them they didn't hold a job. You go with me to any Gold Star mother and you look her in the eye and tell her that her son did not hold a job." Many felt the "Gold Star Mothers" speech won the primary for Glenn. Glenn won the primary by 54 to 46%.
In 1976, however, Metzenbaum sought a rematch against Taft. The race was close again, but this time he won, riding on Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
's coattails. Taft resigned the seat a few days before his term ended, allowing Metzenbaum to be sworn in a few days early and hence have a small edge in seniority over other senators newly elected in 1976. He was reelected in 1982, comfortably defeating Republican state Senator Paul Pfeifer
Paul Pfeifer
Paul E. Pfeifer is an American politician of the Ohio Republican party. He served in both houses of the Ohio General Assembly and is currently an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Ohio....
. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Glenn and Metzenbaum had strained relations. There was a thaw in 1983 when Metzenbaum endorsed Glenn for president. In 1981, Metzenbaum was insulted on the floor of the Senate when Senator Ernest Hollings
Ernest Hollings
Ernest Frederick "Fritz" Hollings served as a Democratic United States Senator from South Carolina from 1966 to 2005, as well as the 106th Governor of South Carolina and Lt. Governor . He served 38 years and 55 days in the Senate, which makes him the 8th-longest-serving Senator in history...
of South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
called him the "senator from B'nai Brith". Some interpreted this as a slur on Metzenbaum's Jewish faith. Hollings later apologized to Metzenbaum and the remarks were stricken from the record.
Metzenbaum showed skepticism to corporations and agencies in trying to protect consumers from aspartame. An allegation was that the G. D. Searle & Company
G. D. Searle & Company
G.D. Searle & Company or just Searle was a company focusing on life sciences, specifically pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and animal health. It is now part of Pfizer.- History :...
was trying to bring aspartame to market and get aspartame approved by submitting false data to the FDA. Senator Metzenbaum berated Searle's flawed and fabricated tests and also faulted the AMA whose journal (JAMA) reported, with some significant disclaimers, that aspartame (Equal, NutraSweet) was safe for most people.
Senator Metzenbaum, referring to the report said, " I wish that this (JAMA) report could ease my concerns. It does not. It merely restates the FDA position, which relies solely on the Searle tests. As I have indicated these tests are under a cloud. In addition, the concerns raised recently by the scientists... were not even included in the report." In 1985, the U.S. Senate heard testimony relating to an amendment by Senator Howard Metzenbaum which would require the quantity of aspartame in a product to be labeled.
In 1988, Metzenbaum was opposed by Cleveland mayor George Voinovich
George Voinovich
George Victor Voinovich is a former United States Senator from the state of Ohio, and a member of the Republican Party. Previously, he served as the 65th Governor of Ohio from 1991 to 1998, and as the 54th mayor of Cleveland from 1980 to 1989.-Personal life:Born in Cleveland, Ohio, his father was...
. Voinovich accused Metzenbaum of being soft on child pornography
Child pornography
Child pornography refers to images or films and, in some cases, writings depicting sexually explicit activities involving a child...
. Voinovich's charges were criticized by many, including Glenn, Metzenbaum's old-time rival in the Democratic party and then Senate colleague who now came to Metzenbaum's aid, recording a statement for television refuting Voinovich's charges. Metzenbaum won the election by 57 to 43%, even as George H. W. Bush
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
won Ohio's electoral votes by 11 percent.
Metzenbaum did not run for reelection in 1994. His son-in-law, Joel Hyatt
Joel Hyatt
Joel Z. Hyatt is a prominent businessman and former attorney and American politician of the Democratic party. He is the founder of Hyatt Legal Services, and was featured in the law firm's television commercials speaking the slogan, "I'm Joel Hyatt and you have my word on it."Hyatt graduated from...
, was nominated by the Democrats to replace him, but Hyatt lost to Lieutenant Governor
Lieutenant Governor of Ohio
The position of lieutenant governor of Ohio was established in 1852. The lieutenant governor becomes governor if the governor resigns, dies in office or is removed by impeachment. Before 1852, the president of the Ohio State Senate would serve as acting governor if a vacancy in the governorship...
Mike DeWine
Mike DeWine
Richard Michael "Mike" DeWine is the Attorney General for the state of Ohio. He has held numerous offices on the state and federal level, including Ohio State Senator, four terms as a U.S. Congressman, Ohio Lt. Governor, and was a two-term U.S. Senator, serving from 1995 to 2007.- Biography :Born...
, who had been elected as Voinovich's running mate in 1990.
While in the Senate, Metzenbaum was a powerful liberal. He was known as "Senator No" (a nickname shared by Republican Jesse Helms
Jesse Helms
Jesse Alexander Helms, Jr. was a five-term Republican United States Senator from North Carolina who served as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee from 1995 to 2001...
of North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
) and "Headline Howard" because the Senate Democrats knew that almost nothing would get through if Metzenbaum opposed it even though he never held an official party leadership post or chaired a committee. Metzenbaum took a particular interest in 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,...
and consumer protection
Consumer protection
Consumer protection laws designed to ensure fair trade competition and the free flow of truthful information in the marketplace. The laws are designed to prevent businesses that engage in fraud or specified unfair practices from gaining an advantage over competitors and may provide additional...
issues, often threatening to repeal antitrust law exemption given to Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
. Since his retirement, however, the issue has gone largely unaddressed. Metzenbaum became well-known for his service on the Senate Judiciary Committee
United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary
The United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary is a standing committee of the United States Senate, of the United States Congress. The Judiciary Committee, with 18 members, is charged with conducting hearings prior to the Senate votes on confirmation of federal judges nominated by the...
, particularly because of his dedicated efforts to keep stringent antitrust laws and his pro-choice stance on abortion
Abortion debate
The abortion debate refers to discussion and controversy surrounding the moral and legal status of abortion. The two main groups involved in the abortion debate are the self-described "pro-choice" movement and the "pro-life" movement...
.
Metzenbaum devised a different method for filibustering in the Senate by offering scores of amendments to bills in place of talking one bill to death like his Southern colleagues did during the debate for Civil Rights in the 1950s and 1960s.
Metzenbaum was behind several important pieces of legislation, including the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act
Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act
The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act of 1988 is a United States labor law which protects employees, their families, and communities by requiring most employers with 100 or more employees to provide sixty- calendar-day advance notification of plant closings and mass layoffs of...
, which required warning periods for large factory closures; the Brady Law, which established a waiting period for handgun purchases; and the Howard M. Metzenbaum Multiethnic Placement Act of 1994 (MEPA) (U.S. Public Law 103-82), which prohibits federally subsidized adoption agencies from delaying or denying child placement on grounds of race or ethnicity.
After leaving the Senate in 1995, Metzenbaum served as the chairman of the Consumer Federation of America
Consumer Federation of America
The Consumer Federation of America is a non-profit organization founded in 1968 to advance consumer interests through research, education and advocacy....
. He died at his home in Fort Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale is a city in the U.S. state of Florida, on the Atlantic coast. It is the county seat of Broward County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 165,521. It is a principal city of the South Florida metropolitan area, which was home to 5,564,635 people at the 2010...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
on March 12, 2008. He was buried at Mayfield Cemetery in Cleveland Heights, Ohio
Rebutting urban legend
Urban legend
An urban legend, urban myth, urban tale, or contemporary legend, is a form of modern folklore consisting of stories that may or may not have been believed by their tellers to be true...
s to the contrary, Metzenbaum asserted that he never represented the Communist Party
Communist Party USA
The Communist Party USA is a Marxist political party in the United States, established in 1919. It has a long, complex history that is closely related to the histories of similar communist parties worldwide and the U.S. labor movement....
. When the National Republican Senatorial Committee
National Republican Senatorial Committee
The National Republican Senatorial Committee is the Republican Hill committee for the United States Senate, working to elect Republicans to that body. The NRSC was founded in 1916 as the Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee...
suggested in 1987 that he had "Communist sympathies", Chairman Rudy Boschwitz
Rudy Boschwitz
Rudolph Ely "Rudy" Boschwitz is a former Independent-Republican United States Senator from Minnesota. He served in the Senate from December 1978 to January 1991, in the 96th, 97th, 98th, 99th, 100th, and 101st congresses. He was then defeated by Paul Wellstone.-Life and career:Boschwitz was born...
apologized for the insulting smear.
Metzenbaum's cousin, James Metzenbaum
James Metzenbaum
James Metzenbaum1883-1960 was a prominent lawyer in Cleveland, Ohio, who wrote a noted treatise on zoning law.In 1942, Metzenbaum was nominated by the Democratic party for a seat in the United States House of Representatives. He lost the general election to incumbent Republican Frances P....
, was a prominent Ohio attorney
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...
who wrote a noted text on zoning
Zoning
Zoning is a device of land use planning used by local governments in most developed countries. The word is derived from the practice of designating permitted uses of land based on mapped zones which separate one set of land uses from another...
law and once ran for a seat on the Ohio Supreme Court.
Popular culture
Metzenbaum was referenced in the Space Ghost Coast to CoastSpace Ghost Coast to Coast
Space Ghost Coast to Coast is an American animated parody talk show hosted by the 60s Hanna-Barbera cartoon character Space Ghost. The show premiered on April 15, 1994 on Cartoon Network...
episode "Switcheroo". Space Ghost mentioned him as a guest, but his staff had forgotten to book him.
Metzenbaum had a cameo in the 1993 film Dave
Dave (film)
Dave is a 1993 comedy-drama film written by Gary Ross, directed by Ivan Reitman, and starring Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver. Co-stars include Frank Langella, Kevin Dunn, Ving Rhames, and Ben Kingsley. Ross was nominated for an Academy Award for his screenplay...
. He was also referenced in numerous Cleveland-area advertisements.
In 1998, the Howard M. Metzenbaum United States Courthouse
Howard M. Metzenbaum United States Courthouse
The Howard M. Metzenbaum U.S. Courthouse is a historic courthouse and post office building located on Superior Avenue in downtown Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio. Its west side faces Public Square and its north side faces The Mall. It was formerly the Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse and also...
in Cleveland was named in his honor.