Nathanson, Milton N.

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Milton Norman Nathanson (1910-2000) was a prominent water rights attorney, specializing in Colorado River water issues, specifically "The Law of the River." Born on December 19, 1910 in Philadelphia, Nathanson attended college in his home state at the University of Pennsylvania, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts from its Wharton School of Finance and Commerce in 1932 before receiving his Juris Doctorate from Penn Law in 1935. In 1941, Nathanson joined the Office of the Solicitor at the United States Department of Interior in Washington, D.C. after briefly practicing law in the private sector; he served in the counterintelligence division of the United States Army during the Second World War from 1943-1945 before returning to Washington, D.C. following the war.

Nathanson transferred to the Department of Interior's Los Angeles office in 1947, where he served as Assistant Regional Solicitor until the early 1970s, and then Field Solicitor until his retirement in 1975. During his time at the Department of Interior's Los Angeles office, Nathanson was involved in many important projects and cases regarding Colorado River water issues, including the protracted Arizona versus California litigation, the authorization and construction of the Central Arizona Project, and the passage of the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Act.

Nathanson continued to act as a special consultant to the Department of Interior after his retirement, and later served as legal consultant to the Coachella Valley Water District for nearly two decades during its protracted litigation with the Imperial Irrigation District and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California regarding their respective Colorado River water rights and allotments. In addition to his consulting work, Nathanson was appointed by Governor Jerry Brown as a Public Member of the Colorado River Board of California, a position he held from 1975 until 1981; he also served as a technical expert for the United Nations, and as Water Rights Expert for the State Department of Guyana, helping to draft the country's water code.

Demonstrating his stature as one of the leading experts of "The Law of the River" of his time, Nathanson was commissioned by the Department of the Interior to author the book Updating the Hoover Dam Documents, which he completed in 1978 for publication in 1980. Nathanson died on October 29, 2000.

From the guide to the Milton N. Nathanson papers, 1855-1995, bulk 1965-1985, (Water Resources Collections and Archives)

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
creatorOf Milton N. Nathanson papers, 1855-1995, bulk 1965-1985 Water Resources Collections and Archives
referencedIn Milton N. Nathanson papers, 1855-1995, bulk 1965-1985 Water Resources Collections and Archives
creatorOf Nathanson, Milton N. Milton N. Nathanson papers, [ca. 1900-1990]. Water Resources Collections and Archives
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith All-American Canal System (U.S.) corporateBody
associatedWith Arleigh B. West person
associatedWith A. W. Whipple person
correspondedWith Boyle Engineering corporateBody
correspondedWith Bureau of Reclamation corporateBody
associatedWith Central Arizona Project (U.S.) corporateBody
associatedWith Clarence A. Davis person
associatedWith Clark L. Gumm person
associatedWith Clyde O. Martz person
associatedWith Coachella Valley Water District corporateBody
associatedWith Coachella Valley Water District (Calif.) corporateBody
associatedWith Colorado River Board of California corporateBody
associatedWith Colorado River Salinity Control Program (U.S.) corporateBody
associatedWith D. A. Twogood person
associatedWith David E. Lindgren person
associatedWith David S. Brookshire person
associatedWith Delbert McNealy person
correspondedWith Edmund G. Brown person
associatedWith E. F. Scattergood person
correspondedWith Elmer F. Bennet person
correspondedWith Gary Weatherford person
associatedWith Harris, Upham and Company corporateBody
associatedWith Henry R. Maddux person
associatedWith Herbert Brownell person
associatedWith Imperial Irrigation District (Calif.) corporateBody
associatedWith Irving S. Shapiro person
associatedWith J. F. Friedkin person
correspondedWith JMLord, Incorporated corporateBody
associatedWith John D. Vanderhoof person
associatedWith John H. Lauten person
associatedWith Joseph B. Lippincott person
associatedWith Kenneth E. Payne person
associatedWith Key Pittman person
associatedWith Maurice N. Langley person
associatedWith Max Bookman person
associatedWith M. B. Holburt person
associatedWith Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (Calif.) corporateBody
associatedWith Milton N. Nathanson person
associatedWith Myron B. Holburt person
associatedWith Newcomb B. Bennett person
associatedWith Northcutt Ely person
associatedWith Parson Water Resources, Inc. corporateBody
associatedWith Ray L. Wilbur person
associatedWith Reid Peyton Chambers person
associatedWith Sandra J. Owen-Joyce person
associatedWith Thomas Ewbank person
associatedWith Thomas M. Stetson person
correspondedWith Thomas R. Haglund person
associatedWith United States Department of the Interior corporateBody
correspondedWith United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation corporateBody
associatedWith United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation and Imperial Irrigation District corporateBody
associatedWith United States. Dept. of the Interior. Office of the Solicitor. corporateBody
associatedWith United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary corporateBody
associatedWith United States Senate Joint Committee on Atomic Energy corporateBody
associatedWith Wells A. Hutchins person
associatedWith William H. Veeder person
associatedWith William M. Turner person
associatedWith William M. Wirtz person
correspondedWith W. S. Gookin and Associates corporateBody
Place Name Admin Code Country
Imperial Irrigation District (Calif.)
California
Arizona
Colorado River (Colo.-Mexico)
Subject
Water rights
Occupation
Activity

Person

Active 1900

Active 1990

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