Taylor County, West Virginia Biography of Harry FRIEDMAN ************************************************************************** USGENWEB NOTICE: Material may be freely used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material, AND permission is obtained from the contributor of the file. These pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for non-commercial purposes, MUST obtain the written consent of the contributor. Submitted by Valerie Crook, , March 1999 ************************************************************************** The History of West Virginia, Old and New Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc., Chicago and New York, Volume III, pg. 96 HARRY FRIEDMAN, secretary of the Grafton Board of Education, has been one of the successful attorneys of that city for a number of years, his activities having been in particular evidence in the commercial field of the law. He was born in Lewiston, Maine, and was a year old when his parents moved to Grafton in 1884. His father, Faibel Friedman, who was active in the clothing business at Grafton thirty-seven years, was born in the province of Saxe-Meinin- gen, Germany, September 8, 1846, was liberally educated, and came to the United States in 1865. Later he returned, and at Bad Kitzingen, Bavaria, married Fannie Goodman, who was born in that part of Bavaria February 28, 1846, daughter of Faibel and Sarah Gutman or Goodman. The surviving chil- dren of these parents are: Simon J., a Grafton merchant; Alma, wife of Ralph Rothchild, of Richmond, Virginia; Max. a Grafton merchant; Joseph, in the insurance business at Baltimore; Harry; and Jacob H., a clothing merchant at Richmond. Harry Friedman, who is unmarried, grew up in the atmos- phere of a mercantile business but early decided to employ his talents in a profession. His first teacher in the public schools was Miss Amanda Abbott, now dean of the city public school teachers, and he graduated from high school in 1901. This was followed by the general literary course in West Virginia University, from which he graduated in law with the LL. B. degree in 1906. Admitted to the bar, he tried his first case in court at Grafton, and has had an increasing share in the civil and commercial law work of this district. Mr. Friedman has carried some of the burdens and expense of political work in the county, was candidate for prosecuting attorney in 1916, was a delegate to the last democratic con- vention at Wheeling, and was a spectator of the dramatic proceedings in the Baltimore convention of 1912 when Mr. Wilson was first nominated. Besides his duties as secretary of the Board of Education Mr. Friedman is a member of the Chamber of Commerce, and is prominent in fraternal affairs. He is a past master of Mystic Lodge No. 75, A. F. and A. M., is a thirty-second degree Scottish Rite Mason and Shriner, and member of the Elks, Modern Woodmen of America and Loyal Order of Moose, and the college fraternity Sigma Nu.