ABSTRACT
Early Life Benjamin Nathan Cardozo was born in New York City on May 24, 1870, to one of the most prominent Sephardic Jewish families in the United States. Ancestors on both sides could be traced back to the seventeenth century and included distinguished rabbis, educators, businessmen, lawyers, and writers, including the poet Emily Lazarus, whose words grace the Statue of Liberty. His mother, Rebecca Nathan Cardozo, was noted for her beauty and culture. She was descended from a family that had made important contributions to the American Revolutionary cause in the eighteenth century. His father, Albert, was one of the most brilliant judges on the New York State Supreme Court.
