Silver, Julius

A leading attorney, corporate executive, and philanthropist, Julius Silver (1900-2001) was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Russian immigrants. The Silvers moved to Brooklyn, where Julius spent his childhood before receiving a scholarship to attend New York University. He graduated with a B.A. from the University College of Arts and Sciences in 1922 and was one of two members of his class elected to Phi Beta Kappa. In 1924, he graduated from Columbia School of Law with a LL.B. degree.

Silver ultimately served as a senior partner at the New York law firm Silver, Saperstein, Barnett and Solomon and as the Chairman of the Executive Committee and Vice President of the Polaroid Corporation. He was also deeply concerned with the problems and needs of higher education. He donated money to NYU to establish the Julius Silver Residence Center, the Julius Silver Scholarships for Students in the Sciences, and the Helbein Scholarships for Outstanding Student Leaders.

Silver also contributed to the development of the Albert Einstein Foundation for Higher Learning and was a primary mover in the founding of Brandeis University, the establishment of the Julius Silver Institute of Biomedical Engineering at Techion-Israel Institute of Technology, and the Julius Silver Chair in Law, Science and Technology at Columbia Law School. Silver also made a significant contribution to the New York University Faculty of Arts and Sciences upon his death, donating $150 million dollars to lure top professors to the university.

From the guide to the Julius Silver Papers, Bulk, 1962-1980, 1945-1990, (New York University Archives)