Leventritt was born on January 31, 1845, in
Winnsboro, South Carolina, the son of George M. Leventritt and Betty Goldberg. His parents were German immigrants, with his father immigrating to America in 1834. Leventritt moved with his parents to
New York City, New York, in 1854. He attended public schools there. He graduated from the Free Academy (later known as the
College of the City of New York) in 1864 with the second honors of the class and an
A.B. degree. He then studied law, graduating from the
New York University School of Law with an
LL.B. in 1870. He was president of a commission appointed to investigate the
Third Avenue Bridge over the
Harlem River and counsel for the
Theatrical Syndicate. He was involved in a number of notable court cases, including one for New York City in reference to the condemnation of lands for park purposes between
Harlem and
Washington Bridge; the property owners claimed 1.5 million dollars in damages, but through his efforts they were awarded less than half that amount. The land became Washington Park. He was also involved in the settlement of the will of railroad builder
Henry B. Plant. During the 1898 election, the
New York City Bar Association condemned his candidacy. Due to the efforts of Secretary of War (and former Association president)
Elihu Root, the Association unanimously adopted a resolution to remove the censure in 1906. Leventritt resigned as Justice of the Supreme Court in 1908 and became head of the new law firm Leventritt, Cook & Nathan. He formed the law firm with Alfred A. Cook, Harold Nathan, his nephew Edgar M. Leventritt, and Emil Goldmark. 500 lawyers and judges from the
New York County Lawyers' Association held a dinner at the
Hotel Astor later that year in honor of his judicial service, with ex-Justice
William J. Wallace presiding, ex-Justice
Morgan J. O'Brien serving as toastmaster, and speeches from Justice
Almet F. Jenks, Justice
John Proctor Clarke,
Linn Bruce, and Governor
Charles Evans Hughes. In 1910, the
New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division appointed him chairman of the committee on character and fitness of candidates for admission to the bar. He held that position for twelve years, during which time he passed on the qualifications of 5,840 candidates. Leventritt was associated with a number of Jewish charitable institutions in New York City. He was vice-president and president of the Aguilar Free Library, a trustee and vice-president of
Congregation Emanu-El of New York, and a director of the Judaeans. Interested in Jewish education, he helped establish several Hebrew schools. He was a member of the
American Legion of Honor,
B'nai B'rith, the
Montefiore Home for Chronic Invalids,
Mount Sinai Hospital, the
Hebrew Orphan Asylum, the
American International Law Society, the
National Geographic Society, and the
Educational Alliance. In 1868, he married Matilda Lithauer. Their children were Olivia, Walter R., and Leo L. == References ==