Senator Carl Levin
Interviewed by Stanley Meretsky
March 14, 2016
First National Building, Detroit, Michigan
Senator Carl Levin
Video 01:07:00
Senator Carl Levin
Audio 01:07:00
Abstract
In this interview, Judge Carl Levin talks briefly about his parents. First, he explains his father’s life, a lawyer, born and raised in Chicago, and then compares it with his mother’s life as being part of the only Jewish family in Birmingham, Michigan. Levin describes both his parents as Zionists and his mother was an active member of Hadassah. Levin then discusses his involvement with the formation of the Reconstructionist movement in the 1970s with the Reconstructionist Congregation of Detroit.
Levin speaks about his education; high school, his experiences at Swarthmore College where he majored in Political Science. He also mentions traveling a lot in his life, going back to when his father was a Consul for Honduras in Detroit.
Levin discusses his law career and mentions that his small office was right near where the 1967 Detroit Riots broke out. Then, he goes into a discussion of his career in politics, starting with being a part of the Detroit City Council and serving during Coleman Young’s first term as Mayor of Detroit. He briefly mentions his thoughts on the “rebirth” of Detroit.
Levin also discusses being Jewish senator and exactly what that means for him. He mentions that the Jewish tradition of charity and social conscience influences him as a senator. Finally, Levin is asked about the most influential people in his life, whom he mentions is his family and mentions some of his proudest accomplishments, such as being a part of the Armed Services Committee, working on Great Lakes Protection and his work in Israel.
History of Narrator
Carl M. Levin served as a United States Senator for 36 years. Born on June 28, 1934, Levin is a graduate of Swarthmore College and Harvard Law School. After graduation from law school, Levin engaged in the private practice of law for several years before being appointed Assistant Attorney General and General Counsel for the Michigan Civil Rights Commission. He served in those positions from 1964 through 1967. Then, in 1968-1969, he served as Special Assistant Attorney General for the State of Michigan and as Chief Appellate Defender for the City of Detroit.
In 1969, in his first try for office, Levin was elected to the City Council of Detroit. In 1973, he was elected President of the Council, polling the highest number of votes in the city-wide race. In 1978, when Levin’s term in City Council ended, he was Counsel to Jaffe, Snider, Raitt, Garratt and Heuer, a Detroit law firm. He was elected as United States Senator in November, 1978.
Throughout his career, Levin has been active in his community. He has been an instructor at the University of Detroit and also at Wayne State University Law School. In 1977, he was the Co-Chairperson of two successful school millage campaigns in Detroit.
In the past, Levin has been a member of the Advisory Board of the United Foundation, the Advisory Committee of the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan, and the Board of Directors of the International Institute of Detroit. He has also served on the Board of Directors of Congregation T’Chiyah in Detroit and as an honorary member of the Regional Advisory Council of the Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith. In addition, Levin is a member of the American Bar, the Michigan Bar and the Detroit Bar Associations. He has been appointed by the Michigan Supreme Court to the Defense Services Committee.
On March 7, 2013, Levin announced he would not seek a seventh term to the Senate. After leaving office, he joined the Detroit-based law firm, Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn LLP.
Transcript
Important Subjects
Important Names
Credit as: Leonard N. Simons Jewish Community Archives. Senator Carl Levin Oral History Interview, March 14, 2016.