 |
| Edward Wirtschafter and his partner Geza Rev had their say in the Supreme Court of NY |
Last night, I was surprised to learn something new about Edward Wirtschafter, the husband of my great-aunt Mary Schwartz (1891-1959).
Edward was born in Hungary and trained as a furrier in France before arriving in New York City in 1907. He and my great-aunt eloped on Christmas Eve of 1913. When his U.S. citizenship was finalized a few months later, she--born in Ungvar, Hungary--automatically became a U.S. citizen as well.
Simple Search: Name in Quotation Marks
 |
| Searching "Edward Wirtschafter" - top result! |
By using a simple online search for "Edward Wirtschafter" (inside quotation marks) I located a book digitized by Google. It's the top result shown here. But directly below it on the results page is another snippet. Take a look:
As shown above in a small article in the Fur Trade Review of February, 1919, Edward joined with coworker Geza Rev to take over the fur manufacturing business where they had been working, after the owner retired. Edward was in charge of design and manufacture, while Geza was in charge of sales.
Now I returned to the top search result, Supreme Court Case on Appeal, and pieced together the following story about Edward's legal odyssey. I'm presenting the overall outline as I understand it, plus a bit of context. NOTE: I'm not a lawyer so the finer points argued in the transcripts are beyond me. And believe me, there were some very detailed points being argued, back and forth, in hundreds of pages of details and exhibits.
Roaring Twenties, Fur Fashions, and Disputes
Fur coats were becoming very trendy as World War 1 wound down and the Roaring Twenties geared up. As demand increased, fur skins and fur coats became even more valuable week after week. Companies were eager to get in on this fast-moving fashion trend.
During the summer of 1919, Wirtschafter, Rev & Co. struck a complicated deal with the Schwartz Brothers*, another fur firm in New York City. The Schwartz firm would acquire hundreds of fur skins and provide them to the Wirtschafter firm.
In turn, the Wirtschafter firm would make dozens of fur coats and deliver to the Schwartz firm for sale. They agreed on pricing that would compensate the Schwartz firm for the raw skins and compensate the Wirtschafter firm for the manufacturing.
However, the two firms were soon at odds, disputing bills and delivery dates and more. Ultimately, the Wirtschafter firm filed suit to receive payment it said was due but had not been paid. The Schwartz firm disagreed, and the case went to a jury.
The bottom-line amount demanded by the Wirtschafter firm: $3,913.30, plus interest--worth nearly $61,000 today.
Legal Complications Ensue
The case was originally filed at the end of 1919. The Wirtschafter firm won a judgement of $3,685.55, including interest, during a jury trial. Then the Schwartz firm appealed.
The New York State Supreme Court Appellate Division considered the appeal.
The final word came in June of 1926. As shown above, the original judgment was affirmed, with court costs awarded to the Wirtschafter firm, as far as I can tell.
Entrepreneur Edward Wirtschafter
Even as the original law suit wended its way through the legal process, my great uncle and his partner parted ways. In 1921, Edward Wirtschafter incorporated a new company, with himself as director, treasurer, and secretary. He built his business by giving personal service and making quality fur fashions. As late as 1953, Edward had a fur business in Manhattan...I found it listed under his name in the phone book.
What an exciting find, learning about Edward Wirtschafter's day(s) in court. All because I'm stuck inside and have lots of time to go over my genealogy research, clicking to do new searches and look for new clues!
* no relation to Edward's in-law Schwartz family.
