Holtzmann, Fanny (1895–1980)
Holtzmann, Fanny (1895–1980)
American lawyer. Born Fanny Ellen Holtzmann in Brooklyn, NY, Oct 17, 1895; died of cancer, Feb 7, 1980, in New York, NY; dau. of Henry Holtzmann (scholar and tutor) and Theresa Holtzmann; Fordham Law School, LLB, 1922; never married; no children.
Considered one of America's most brilliant legal strategists, made her way into the high echelons of entertainment law, then to England's "castle circuit," and finally into international politics; successfully represented Russian royal family in libel suit against MGM (1934), which involved the misrepresentation of Princess Irina (1895–1970) as mistress and sponsor of Rasputin; her roster of famous clients included Noel Coward, Clifton Webb, Fred Astaire, George Bernard Shaw, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Darryl F. Zanuck and Gertrude Lawrence; with rise of Nazism, convinced US Immigration Service to permit more Jews into the country; was principal US counsel to Republic of China and assisted China in becoming one of 5 countries with veto power at founding session of UN in San Francisco (1945); also used influence to marshal votes from a number of smaller non-aligned nations for admission of Israel into UN (1947).
See also Edward O. Berkman, The Lady and the Law: The Remarkable Story of Fanny Holtzmann (1976); and Women in World History.