Franz S. Leichter
| Franz Sigmund Leichter | |
|---|---|
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| Member of the New York Senate representing parts of Manhattan and Bronx | |
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In office 1975–1998 |
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| Preceded by | Joseph Zaretzki |
| Succeeded by | Eric Schneiderman |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
August 19, 1930 Vienna, Austria |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Residence | Manhattan, New York City |
| Website | www.franzleichter.com |
Franz Sigmund Leichter (born August 19, 1930) served in the New York State Assembly from 1969 to 1974 and the New York State Senate from 1975 to 1998.
Leichter was born in Vienna, Austria. He came to the United States as a refugee from Nazi Europe in 1940 with his father and brother. His mother Käthe Leichter (1895–1942) was a leading sociologist and feminist. She was arrested by the Gestapo in 1938, sent to the Ravensbrück concentration camp and killed in 1942. The Government of Austria has conferred an annual Käthe Leichter Award in her honor since 1992. His father, Otto Leichter, died in New York City in 1973. His brother Henry O. Leichter, born 1924 in Austria, a lawyer, died in New York City in 2010. Leichter has two children, Joshua and Katherine, and four grandchildren, Memphis, Ethan, Otto and Theo.
Leichter attended New York City's public schools and graduated from Swarthmore College, magnum cum laude, in 1952. He received his Doctor of Law from Harvard Law School in 1957 after serving in the U.S. Army in Japan.
Franz S. Leichter, a Democrat, was first elected to the New York State Assembly in November 1968. He remained in the Assembly until 1974, sitting in the 178th, 179th and 180th New York State Legislatures. He drafted a bill expanding abortion rights together with Republican Assemblywoman Constance Cook of upstate Tompkins County, New York, proposing legislation that included no restrictions on the practice of abortion. The bill passed in the Senate on March 18, 1970 after five hours of debate by a vote of 31–26. For the Assembly, the bill was amended to allow for women to have abortions until their 24th week of pregnancy or at any time to protect the life of the mother. The Cook-Leichter bill was the first in the nation to legalize abortion. This law influenced the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in its landmark January 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.
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