Lumbard, Eliot H.

Eliot Howland Lumbard (born 1925) practiced law for 40 years in various New York and Pennsylvania firms. In addition to private practice, he compiled a distinguished record in government service, including service on several commissions to investigate, combat, and control crime, and as a key advisor on crime to New York State Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller. After admission to the New York State Bar, he served as Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of New York from 1953-1956. From 1958-1961 he was Chief Counsel of the New York State Commission of Investigation. Lumbard organized and directed large and complex investigations including ones of police departments in Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse, as well as investigating organized crime, harness racing, bingo, New York City's school construction program, and Albany real estate tax delinquencies. In 1961, Governor Rockefeller hired Lumbard as Special Assistant Counsel for Law Enforcement. As a key advisor, Lumbard discussed many ideas and issues related to the social problems of crime and crime control. Lumbard organized the Oyster Bay Conferences on Organized Crime (1963-1967), developed the New York State Information and Intelligence System which was the first computer-based criminal justice record system that included individual criminal histories, and proposed creating a school of criminal justice, eventually established at the University at Albany. In private practice Lumbard worked on many cases of commercial litigation on finance and bankruptcy matters. His cases included: counsel to Charles Seligson and trustee in bankruptcy of Ira Haupt and Co. (1964-1973), a large Wall Street case known as the salad oil debacle and trustee in bankruptcy of Universal Money Order Co., Inc. (1977-1982) which was the nation's largest consumer bankruptcy. Lumbard served as a lecturer at New York University Law School and as Adjunct Professor of Law and Criminal Justice at John Jay College.

From the description of Eliot Howland Lumbard papers, 1944-2006. (University at Albany). WorldCat record id: 122566441