Leo Leous Isacson (April 20, 1910 – September 21, 1996) was a New York attorney and politician. He was notable for winning a 1948 election to the United States House of Representatives from New York's twenty-fourth district (Bronx) as the candidate of the American Labor Party in what at that time The New York Times called "a test of Truman-[versus]-Wallace strength" with regard to the upcoming U.S. presidential elections and a "test today of the third-party movement headed by Henry A. Wallace".
Early life
Leo Isacson was born on April 20, 1910, in Manhattan, New York City, New York to a Jewish family. He had two sisters, Ruth (later Thielle) and Regina (later Hymowitz). He attended the public schools, then graduated from New York University in 1931 and New York University School of Law in 1933.
Career
Isacson was admitted to the bar in 1933 or 1934 and commenced practice in New York City. He defended labor and tenant cases.
In 1936, Isacson became a member at the founding of the American Labor Party (ALP, which sought to advance the cause of trade unions).
New York State Assembly
In 1944, he was elected to represent the (Bronx Co., 13th D.) in the New York State Assembly as the candidate of the ALP and the Republican Party, and he served from 1945 to 1946 as a member of the 165th New York State Legislature. He lost re-election in 1946.
In 1945, while serving in the Assembly, Leo Isacson ran for Borough President of the Bronx, coming in second with 25% of the vote.
On January 6, 1947, the ALP named Isacson their "legislative representative".
1948 special Bronx election
On February 17, 1948, Isacson won a stunning victory over Democratic nominee Karl Propper. Propper was a former president of the Bronx Bar Association, and his supporters included Eleanor Roosevelt and New York City Mayor William O'Dwyer. A special election was held to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Benjamin J. Rabin after election to the New York Supreme Court. Isacson received public support, first on January 24 from the Greater New York CIO Council, then on February 11 by radio and February 15 in a speech from former U.S. Vice President Henry A. Wallace.
During the election, the Greater New York CIO Council charged that FBI agents had been visiting offices of "left wing" CIO locals to "intimidate them and curtail their political activity in behalf of Henry A. Wallace". In contrast, the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America (ACWA), a more conservative CIO union opposed to Wallace, confirmed that FBI agents had visited many of its locals to investigate possible violations of the Hatch Act of 1939, regarding political activities, and declared the FBI had given the ACWA a "clean bill of health". The spokesman said similar inquiries had been made among other CIO and AFL unions pursuant to the law. The council also telegrammed U.S. Attorney General Tom C. Clark to ask him to call off further FBI investigation. The Council admitted that, while FBI agents had always asked permission to check records of CIO-PAC contributions, these records were already available from the Secretary of State of New York and the New York City Board of Elections, leading the council to question the FBI's motives. The Council claimed that the FBI's investigation was "an obvious and reprehensible attempt to intimidate and harass unions and union members in the exercise of their political rights, particularly with respect to the 1948 Presidential and Congressional elections". Nathan Witt, the council's legal counselor, disagreed, stating, "There could not possibly be any technical violation in 1948 except for the Isacson election and the FBI agents made clear they were not investigating that."
During the campaign, Mayor O'Dwyer made front-page headlines when he urged Wallace to leave the Progressive Party and rejoin the Democratic Party. In a speech, O'Dwyer said, "The election of 1948 will result in the choice of either the Democratic or the Republican party," ruling out any chance of election of the Wallace ticket and reminded voters that "the Democratic party is by its very nature the party of labor, of small business, small farmers and independents–the backbone of our economy, the overwhelming mass of our population." Wallace rejected O'Dwyer's plea in his speech the next day and stood side by side with Isacson in front of crowds. Meanwhile, Liberal Party co-founder Adolf A. Berle denounced Wallace as a "front for an international intrigue". He claimed Wallace wanted to "appease Russia"–in the same way Neville Chamberlain sought to appease Nazi Germany.