Charles Abrams

Who was Charles Abrams?

Charles Abrams was the legendary urbanist and housing expert who created the New York Housing Authority. He was one of the first to use, maybe the very first, to use the expression Socialism for the rich and capitalism for the poor.

In 1936, the U.S. Supreme Court Ruling in New York City Housing Authority vs. Muller established the Authority's right to employ the power of eminent domain for slum-clearing purposes. The decision gave a broader meaning to the term public use and represented a victory for the Housing Authority's first counsel, Lithuanian-born lawyer Charles Abrams.