Maurice S. Osser
Maurice S. Osser (January 10, 1910 – September 30, 1995) was a Democratic politician from Philadelphia who served as City Commissioner.
Osser was born in 1910 in Philadelphia, the son of two
Internal party politics led to Osser's ouster as ward leader in 1933, but he remained a committed party worker.
The following year, Osser ran for
After 1951, the Democrats held most offices in Philadelphia, but politics there were still combative, even on a personal level: after
Around that same time, Osser was accused of accepting kickbacks on a deal to replace the city's antiquated voting machines.[2] City Controller Alexander Hemphill got wind of it and City Council held hearings, but the disposition of some of the money was never discovered.[2] Osser drew more controversy in 1971 when the voter rolls were purged of 92,000 names, most of them African Americans.[2] In 1972, he was indicted for mail fraud and taking bribes that were said to total tens of thousands of dollars over the previous fourteen years.[7] He was convicted in United States District Court in December 1972 and resigned his office.[8] Osser served seventeen months of a six-year sentence.[3] He was released from jail in 1975 and retired from politics, but remained active in Jewish causes.[3] He died in 1995 at the age of 85.[3]
References
- ^ Inquirer 1966.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Leary 1972, p. B4.
- ^ a b c d e Sataline 1995, p. C12.
- ^ Inquirer 1950.
- ^ Bulletin Almanac 1952, p. 33.
- ^ Office of the City Representative 1962, p. 63.
- ^ Leary 1972, p. B1.
- ^ Strahahn 1972, p. A1.
Sources
Books
- Bulletin Almanac 1952. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The Philadelphia Bulletin. 1952. OCLC 8641470.
- Office of the City Representative (1962). Decade of Progress : The story of Philadelphia, 1952–1961. Division of Public Information, Office of the City Representative. OCLC 11471789.
Newspapers
- "Osser Asks Seat of Hardie Scott". The Philadelphia Inquirer. December 19, 1950. p. 22 – via Newspapers.com.
- "B. Osser, Father of City Official". The Philadelphia Inquirer. April 3, 1966. p. 30 – via Newspapers.com.
- Leary, Mike (December 3, 1972). "The Rise, Abrupt Fall of Maurice S. Osser". The Philadelphia Inquirer. pp. B1, B4 – via Newspapers.com.
- Strahahn, Susan Q. (December 21, 1972). "Osser Given 6 Years, Resigns City Post". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. A1 – via Newspapers.com.
- Sataline, Suzanne (October 2, 1995). "Maurice S. Osser, 85; Was City Power Broker". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. C12 – via Newspapers.com.