Harold A. Katz 1921-2012

ISBA Laureate Harold A. Katz was born November 2, 1921 in Shelbyville, Tennessee to Maurice W. and Gertrude Evelyn Cohen Katz, and died Dec. 6 with his children and caretaker, Dorothy Archer, by his bedside. Over his 91 years, he was a devoted husband and father, labor attorney, and Illinois state legislator for 18 years, where he was known for his independence and integrity. 

From a modest background, he commuted to Vanderbilt University (B.A., economics 1943) in Nashville where he wrote for the school newspaper, supported civil rights efforts and was a collegiate chess champion. During a formative summer college program at Campobello Island, Canada, he met and was inspired by the first-lady, Eleanor Roosevelt. 

During World War II, Harold worked for the War Labor Board in Chicago where he met and married Ethel Mae Lewison. He attended the University of Chicago (J.D., 1948; M.A. economics, 1958), where he began a friendship and collaboration with Professor Charles Gregory; together they wrote Labor Law: Cases, Materials, Comments (1948) and a follow-up volume Labor and the Law (3rd edition, 1979). In 1956, an article he authored in the Harvard Law Review introduced the concept that automobile manufacturers should be legally liable for injuries resulting from dangerous car design; this article is said to have influenced policy makers in this area, including consumer advocate Ralph Nader. 

Harold represented a labor union clientele that included the United Auto Workers. He joined forces with Irving M. Friedman creating the Chicago law firm Katz & Friedman. The firm grew over subsequent years into Katz, Friedman, Eagle, Eisenstein, Johnson & Bareck, which continues to address the needs of labor unions and their members. 

Active in Democratic politics, Harold was elected to the Illinois State Legislature representing New Trier Township in 1964, and was re-elected eight times; he retired from the Legislature in 1984 after serving 18 years as a consistent voice for progressive reform. His legislative accomplishments included leadership on the Commission on the Organization of the General Assembly (COOGA), budgetary reform, introduction of legal requirements for handicap accessibility, and pioneering bicycle paths. 

An avid tennis player into his 70’s, Harold Katz was the loving life-partner and husband of Ethel Mae for 65 years, who passed away in 2011. Harold’s passing was preceded by that of his siblings, Samuel and Helen, and brother-in-law Edward. He is survived by sister-in-law Betty of Baltimore, MD, and four children (and their spouses), Lan (Pauline) of Florence, MA, BJ (Derek) of Tempe, AZ, Julia of Chicago, IL, and Joel (Laura) of Needham, MA, and five grandchildren: Ethan, Elena (Wesley), Daniel, Julianna, and Jeremy. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Lan’s school at the Friends of Martin Luther King, Jr. Charter School of Excellence, Inc., 285 Dorset St., Springfield, MA 01108.

Here is the bio from his 2001 Laureate induction: Few people are able to include public service in all three branches of government in their résumés. Fewer still can lay claim to having spawned a new legal concept that has saved countless lives. Harold A. Katz can put both those items – and much more – in his personal biography.

First, about saving lives. In 1956, Harold authored an article in the Harvard Law Review stating that "Nothing in law or logic insulates manufacturers from liability for deficiencies in design any more than for defects in construction." That assertion, backed by meticulous research and analysis in the article, became the basis for adoption in many states, including Illinois, of the so-called "crashworthiness doctrine" – that manufacturers have an obligation to market automobiles that are reasonably designed to protect occupants in the event of crashes.

It is equally interesting to note that Ralph Nader was a second year law student at Harvard at the time the article appeared, and of course he later played a critical role in the passage of federal legislation that imposed far-reaching design changes on auto manufacturers. In 1966, the Chicago Sun-Times quoted Nader saying "If anybody is responsible for Ralph Nader, Harold Katz must take a major share of the responsibility."

In his long and varied career, Harold served in all three branches of government: as a legal consultant in the early 1960's to Governor Otto Kerner, as a Master in Chancery at the trial court level in Cook County, and for nine terms, he served with distinction as a member of the Illinois House of Representatives.

The public service aspect of his legal career has been carried on while he has been actively and continuously engaged in the private practice of law. He is still managing partner of Katz, Friedman, Eagle, Eisenstein and Johnson, which concentrates in labor and employment law, worker's compensation, and class-action litigation.

For Harold, being in the right place at the right time, but most importantly, with the right idea has led to an incredibly valuable service to the law, the profession, and the public.