Stanley M. Isaacs

Who was Stanley M. Isaacs?

Stanley M. Isaacs was a Republican Party politician from New York City who served as Manhattan Borough President from 1938 to 1942 and later as a member of the New York City Council from 1942 to 1962 and finally Minority Leader of the New York City Council from 1950 to 1962. An advocate for social justice, Isaacs is perhaps best known for his support for housing and the work he did with Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia, who he helped to get elected.

A graduate of both Columbia College and New York Law School, Isaacs was born in Manhattan to a family of English-Jewish descent. His paternal grandfather, Rabbi Samuel M. Isaacs, immigrated to New York from England in 1839 to take over Congregation Sharaay Tefila which is the city’s third oldest synagogue. His father, Myer Isaacs, along with his grandfather published the Jewish Messenger, which was the first English-language Jewish newspaper in the United States.