Emanuel Hirsch Bloch

Emanuel Hirsch Bloch

Bloch on June 19, 1953 in Washington, DC
Born May 12, 1901[1]
New York City, New York
Died January 30, 1954(1954-01-30) (aged 52)
New York, New York
Cause of death heart attack
Known for Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
Trenton Six
Parent(s) Alexander Bloch

Emanuel "Manny" Hirsch Bloch (May 12, 1901 – January 30, 1954) was an American attorney known for defending clients associated with left-wing and Communist causes. He and Marshall Perlin defended Julius and Ethel Rosenberg.

Early life and education

He was born in 1901 to Alexander Bloch, an attorney, and Pauline Bloch.[2] He graduated from City College of New York in 1920 before attending Columbia Law School. He worked as an attorney in New York from 1924–42, then served in the U.S. Army during World War II.[1]

Rosenberg case

He defended Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. Julius wrote to Bloch that Julius himself was "the first victim of American Fascism".[3][4]

Two weeks before the date scheduled for their deaths, the Rosenbergs were visited by James V. Bennett, the Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons. After the meeting they issued a statement: "Yesterday, we were offered a deal by the Attorney General of the United States. We were told that if we cooperated with the Government, our lives would be spared. By asking us to repudiate the truth of our innocence, the Government admits its own doubts concerning our guilt. We will not help to purify the foul record of a fraudulent conviction and a barbaric sentence. We solemnly declare, now and forever more, that we will not be coerced, even under pain of death, to bear false witness and to yield up to tyranny our rights as free Americans. Our respect for truth, conscience and human dignity is not for sale. Justice is not some bauble to be sold to the highest bidder. If we are executed it will be the murder of innocent people and the shame will be upon the Government of the United States."[5]

Following their executions, Bloch delivered the eulogy at their funeral. He served as guardian for the Rosenberg's children, Michael and Robert, until they were adopted.[2] He also defended the Trenton Six. He died of a heart attack at age 52 on January 30, 1954 in his Manhattan apartment.[2][4][6][7]

References

  1. 1 2 FBI File: Emanuel Bloch. Federal Bureau of Investigation. p. 201. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 "Emanuel Hirsch Bloch". University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law. Retrieved 2008-07-08.
  3. ↑ Shapiro, Fred (2006). Yale Book of Quotations. Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-10798-6.
  4. 1 2 "Died". Time (magazine). February 8, 1954. Retrieved 2008-06-21. Emanuel Hirsch Bloch, 52, longtime attorney for Communist causes, who defended Atom Spies Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, later said in a speech at their funeral: "I place the murder of the Rosenbergs at the door of President Eisenhower, Mr. Brownell and J. Edgar Hoover"; of a coronary occlusion; in-his Manhattan apartment.
  5. ↑ Statement issued by the Julius and Ethel Rosenberg after the visit of James V. Bennett, Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons (May, 1953)
  6. ↑ "Rosenbergs' Attorney Found Dead. Emanuel H. Bloch Represented Two Executed Atom Spies.". Hartford Courant. Associated Press. January 31, 1954.
  7. ↑ "Rosenberg Counsel's Body Is Found in Bathroom. Had Faced Disciplinary Action.". New York Times. January 31, 1954. Retrieved 2008-07-09.


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