Law
Theodore Levin
1897–1970 · immigration lawyer, federal judge
Detroit immigration lawyer and Jewish community leader who served as a federal judge (1946–1970) and whose name is on Detroit's federal courthouse; uncle of Carl and Sander Levin.
- Born
Chicago, Illinois- Died
aged 73- Detroit years
- 1910s–1970
- Field
- Law
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Theodore Levin was born in Chicago in 1897 and came to Detroit with his family by way of London, Ontario. He earned his law degrees at the University of Detroit in 1920 and 1924 and practiced in the city for a quarter century, specializing in immigration and naturalization at a time when Detroit's factories drew workers from across Europe and the Middle East. In 1936 he formed Levin, Levin, Garvett & Dill with his brother Saul, father of future senator Carl Levin and congressman Sander Levin. He led many Detroit Jewish organizations, including the Jewish Welfare Federation, the United Jewish Committee, the Jewish Social Service Bureau and the Resettlement Service, which helped refugees from Nazi Europe settle in the city. President Truman appointed him to the federal court in Detroit in 1946; he was chief judge from 1959 to 1967 and served until his death in 1970. In 1994 Congress renamed Detroit's federal courthouse on Lafayette Boulevard in his honor.
Highlights
- U.S. District Judge, Eastern District of Michigan, 1946–1970
- Chief Judge, 1959–1967
- Detroit's federal courthouse named after him (1994)
- President of the Jewish Welfare Federation of Detroit
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 1
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Memorial · 1946–1970; named 1994
Theodore Levin United States Courthouse
Art Deco federal courthouse where he presided for 24 years, renamed for him by Congress in 1994.