38 Friday, *him 1, 1978
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Butzel: An Illustrious Name in Michigan History
By IRVING L KATZ,
zel family has played a
leading role in the history
of the Detroit and Michi-
(Editor's note: The But- gan Jewish and general
communities for more
FREEDMAN than 100 years.)
MARTIN and MAG-
sed r•hiscammet NUS BUTZEL, sons of
Moses Leo Butzel and Han-
nah Bachman Butzel, were
born in Burgellern,
Bavaria, in 1828 and 1830
respectively. Martin ar-
rived in the United States in
1845.
In 1861, Martin moved to
Detroit, where his parents
had preceded him, and be-
came associated with his
brother-in-law, Emil S.
Highest dollars paid
Heineman, in the wholesale
clothing business. In 1862,
for your diamonds,
Martin, Magnus and
gold or antique
Heineman opened the firm
jewelry!!!
La. mood by
of Heineman, Butzel and
state of Michisran
Co., supplying uniforms for
CALL FOR
the Union Army, and later
APPOINTMENT
manufacturing ready-made
851-7333
clothing and men's furnish-
ings.
Martin was a member of
the first Public Lighting
Commission (the Detroit
Lighting Station was
J
son, president as well as
secretary of the Religious
School Board of Temple
Beth El for 30 years,
president of Pisgah Lodge of
Bnai Brith and president of
the Phoenix Social Club.
d.
r 6
Executive Secretary,
Temple Beth El
RRY
LEO M. BUTZEL, son of
Martin in 1919 became the
first president of the First
National Company, an in-
vestment affiliate of the
First National Bank of De-
47-2367
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MR
cIEWEIS
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FREEDOM
CLEANERS
24681 Coolidge at 10 Mile
545-1300
SPECIALIZING IN
• Evening Wear
• Draperies
• Fur
• Leathers
GRAND OPENING
SPECIAL
50
MAGNUS BUTZEL
/ Discount on all incoming
1 / 7 1 8Dti o ST:1 6n /t 78")
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7
MARTIN BUTZEL
named after him). He was a
charter member of the Mer-
chants and Manufacturers
Exchange as well as the
Board of Charities.
He was president of
Temple Beth El (1874-78)
as well as the Beth El He-
brew Relief Society and
took an active interest in
the Palestine Colony in
Bad Axe.
Magnus Butzel was a
member of the Detroit
Board of Education and was
instrumental in introduc-
ing courses in technical
drawing in the Detroit pub-
lic schools.
He was president of the
Detroit Public Library
Commission (the branch li-
brary on East Grand
Boulevard and Harper` was
named after him). He was
one of the first directors of
the Detroit Board of Com-
merce, and was a charter
member and president of
the Michigan Club, the
leading Republican organ-
ization in the state. His
brother, Martin, was a
Democrat.
Magnus was also a Ma-
LEO BUTZEL
troit, and in 1925, he be-
came a director of the bank.
Butzel was a recognized
authority in corporation
law. For many years he was
considered the city's out-
standing lawyer.
Many of the early
giants of the automobile
industry, as well as many
of those of more recent
years, relied implicitly on
his advice during the
many mergers, consoli-
dations, bankruptcies
and new ventures that
molded the industry into
its present form.
Butzel served on the
board of trustees of Temple
Beth El and was active in
the American Jewish
Committee.
HENRY M. BUTZEL,
son of Magnus, was one of
the founders of the Michi-
gan Daily, the student
HENRY BUTZEL
EARLY FALL
PREVIEW
20% off
on everything
in the store!
LIMITED TIME ONLY!
Open Thurs. 8 Fri. tit 9 P.M.
SUNDAY 12 TO 5
Closed Monday, Labor Day
HARVARD ROW MALL
11 Mile & Lahser, Southfield
SALE!
newspaper at the Univer-
sity of Michigan. He was
admitted to the Michigan
Bar in 1892 and started his
law practice.
For 37 years he spe-
cialized in corporation
law during which time he
was general counsel for
the Fisher Body Corp.,
Truscon
Steel Co.,
Hinkley Motors Corp.,
International Metal
Stamping, and others,
and represented the De-
troit branch of the Fed--
eral Reserve Bank. He
was a director of six cor-
porations.
In 1929 Henry was ap-
pointed by an associate jus-
tice of the Michigan Sup-
reme Court, the first Michi-
gan Jew to receive this high
honor.
He was elected to the
Michigan Supreme Court
for a short term in 1930, re-
elected in 1931 for the term
ending in 1939 and was re-
elected again in 1939 and
1949.
He founded with his
brother, Fred, the Detroit
Legal Aid Bureau of the
Bar Association of which
he was honorary
president.
Henry was confirmed at
Temple Beth El and later
served as president of the
temple. He was president of
the United Jewish
Charities, trustee of the
Jewish Widows Aid Society,
and was for many years
among the most active fig-
ures in the Jewish Welfare
Federation and the Allied
Jewish Campaign. He was
one of the early active
members of the American
Jewish Committee.
In 1957 he was the reci-
pient of the Fred M. Butzel
Memorial Award of the
Jewish Welfare Federation,
Detroit's highest honor for
Jewish community service.
In 1955 Henry-retired
from the Michigan Supreme
Court, at the age of 84.
FRED M. BUTZEL, son
of Magnus, became one of
America's most distin-
guished Jewish leaders.
When the Hannah
Schloss Memorial Building,
Detroit's first Jewish com-
munity building, was
opened in 1903, Fred
pioneered in the organiza-
tion of boys' self-governing
clubs.
He was one of the or-
ganizers of the Ford Re-
public and served as its
president for many years,
and was founder and an
officer of the Boy Scout
organization in Detroit.
He was most active dur-
ing World War I in the es-
tablishment of the Detroit
Patriotic Fund, predecessor
of the Community Chest
(which he also helped to or-
ganize) and now the United
Foundation, and served as a
vice president of the fund
and chairman of its execu-
tive committee.
He was president of the
Servicemen's Bureau, De-
troit Community Union and
Legal Aid Bureau, of which
his brother, Henry and he
were the founders, and
Commissioner of the House
of Correction.
He was a pioneer in
human rehabilitation and
was deeply concerned with
the problems of the Negro.
He served for 30 years on
the board of the Detroit
Urban League and was
president of Parkside Hos-
pital, a black institution. He
helped finance the college
education of many black
students.
He took a deep interest in
immigrants and aided hun-
dreds of newcomers to this
country. He was constantly
helping young people and
FRED BUTZEL
young couples with tin
problems. He helped st
dents in the crafts as well
in the arts and made
enormous number of Loa
to enable college students
complete their educatic
He was an early endorser
the Juvenile Court MON
ment.
He was one of the fe
American-born Jev
who actively expouse
Zionism in its early yea
and he served as hone
ary chairman of the lee
Zionist district. He w:
president of the -Unite
Jewish Charities, fig
times chairman of the A
lied Jewish Campaig
chairman of the exec'
tive committee of a
Jewish Welfare Feder
tion, and chairman of ti
Resettlement Service.
He was one of the origin
directors of the Detro
Motor Bus Co., vi(
president of the Detro
Board of Commerce, and
director of the Detroit Fes
eral Savings and Loa
Association.
Nationally, he was
member of the governin
boards of the America
Jewish Committee and th
Joint Distribution Commi
tee, president of the Nu
tional Conference of Jewis
Social Work as well as th
School for Jewish Sock-
Service, and board membe
of the National Desertio
Bureau.
In 1951, the Jewish We
fare Federation establishe
the Fred M. Butzel Mem(
rial Award. In 1952 th
Fred M. Butzel Memoria
Building, at 163 Madisor
was dedicated.
Divorce Up,
Marriage Doirn
JERUSALEM (JTA) -
Israelis divorce more an
marry less, according to
survey of the Centro
Bureau of Statistics.
The survey shows that i
1976 some 26,000 Jewis
couples got married, cone
pared to 29,000 in 1975.
The number of divorce
rose from 2,900 in 1975 t
3,100 in 1976.
According to the surve
the average marriag
period of the couples tha
divorced was eight year.9.
Half of them had children .
"The survey shows a rise ii
the number of illegitimat
babies — 591 in 1976 corn
pared to 72 in 1951.
Life expectency in Israe
is among the highest in the
world. Males may read
71.6 years, and female
75.4.