Jacob Weinberger Papers

Jacob Weinberger was born to Herman Weinberger (1844-1928) and Nettie (Flaster) Weinberger (1847-1931) in Austria-Hungary on January 4, 1882. He was one of 11 children, including Simon Weinberger (1871-1936), Rose (Weinberger) Berkowitz (1875-1952), Pauline (Weinberger) Schwarz (1877-1964), Henry Weinberger (1881-1956), Fannie (Weinberger) Rosenblum (1883-1965), Jennie (Weinberger) Levy (1885-1963), Ethel (Weinberger) Mann (1886-1970), Joseph Weinberger (1888-1950), Lula (Weinberger) Klein (1892-1943), and Arnold Weinberger (1894-1965). Due to widespread anti-Semitism in Europe, Herman Weinberger decided to follow his brothers to the United States. With their help, he emigrated in 1886; Nettie Weinberger and their children followed three years later, landing in New York on the Moravia on October 23, 1889. The family arrived in Denver, Colorado later that year.

In Denver, Weinberger worked in the family's grocery store and as a newsboy. He attended high school in Cripple Creek, Colorado, where he also worked in his older brother's candy store and delivered the Denver Post. After graduation, Weinberger worked in the Pueblo, Colorado steelworks before enrolling at the University of Colorado Law School in 1901. He graduated, passed the bar, and began practicing law in Denver in 1904. He soon discovered, however, that Denver's law firms were unwilling to hire him or refer clients to him due to his heritage.

In 1905, Weinberger received a letter from classmate Fred Jeremiah Jerry Elliott, who had settled in the Arizona Territory. Elliott informed him that the copper boom had created a wealth of opportunity for lawyers and encouraged him to move to Arizona. Weinberger arrived in Globe in 1905 and established the firm of Elliott & Weinberger. He served as Gila County's Assistant District Attorney from 1907 to 1909 and was one of the delegates to Arizona's Constitutional Convention in 1910. Weinberger married Blanche Ruth Solomon (1886-1968) on June 11, 1907 and the couple had two children, Adrienne (Weinberger) Hafter (1908-1990) and Richard C. (1912-2000).

The Weinberger family left Globe for San Diego, California in 1911. Here, Jacob Weinberger established himself as a business lawyer and earned a reputation as a shrewd negotiator. In addition to his legal practice, he served on the San Diego Board of Education from 1918 to 1939 and worked with the United Jewish Fund of San Diego (now the United Jewish Federation of San Diego) from 1934 to 1945. The United Jewish Fund was established to help European Jews escape to the United States. Weinberger left private practice in 1941 to become the San Diego City Attorney. He was appointed to the San Diego County Superior Court by Governor Earl Warren in 1943 but lost his re-election campaign in 1945.

On February 21, 1946, President Truman appointed Weinberger United States District Judge for the Southern District of California. Weinberger took senior status on November 1, 1958 but continued to hear cases. One of his favorite duties was presiding over naturalization ceremonies, administering the Oath of Allegiance to approximately 16,000 new citizens during the course of his career. Jacob Weinberger died on May 20, 1974 and is buried in San Diego's Home of Peace Cemetery.