Morris Shenker
Morris A. Shenker (January 10, 1907 – August 9, 1989) was an American lawyer best known for his connections to labor leader Jimmy Hoffa and Teamster funding of Las Vegas in the 1960s.
Shenker was a
Shenker first came to national attention during the Kefauver Hearings in the early 1950s, in which he represented a number of underworld figures. From 1962 Shenker represented Jimmy Hoffa, and in 1966 became Hoffa's chief counsel.
In 1970 a year-long
During the 1970s, Shenker borrowed more than $200 million from the pension funds of labor unions that he influenced. He borrowed more than $160 million from the
On a local level, Shenker and Mayor Cervantes were part-owners of the mid-town St. Louis landmark Continental Life Building, along with businessman Harold Koplar, owner of independent television station KPLR-TV and Shenker's brother-in-law. Shenker's wife, Lillian Koplar Shenker, had also attended law school at Washington University in St. Louis, and became a judge in her own right in the St. Louis Court of Criminal Corrections.
Shenker died of
References
- New York Times obituary, Morris Shenker, 82, Lawyer in St. Louis And Hoffa Defender; New York Times August 11, 1989
- ^ A Two-Faced Crime Fight In St. Louis Life Magazine, May 29, 1970, pages 24-31 [1]
- ^ Las Vegas Casino's Owner Thriving In A High-Risk, High-Stakes Setting New York Times February 21, 1984 [2]
- ^ Hoffa's former counsel moving into Atlantic City Beaver County Times May 11, 1979 [3]
- ^ Blakey, G. Robert and Goldstock, Ronald, "On the Waterfront": RICO and Labor Racketeering Notre Dame Law School Scholarly Works[4]
- ^ Morris Shenker, 82; Hoffa Attorney, Ex-Dunes Owner Los Angeles Times August 10, 1989 [5]