Walinsky
WALINSKY
WALINSKY , family of U.S. Jews in public service. ossip joseph (1886–1973) was a U.S. labor leader and a journalist. Born in Grodno, Russia, Walinsky in his youth was involved in the Jewish socialist underground (1903) and was arrested. He immigrated to London, England, where he was active in the trade union movement (1904–07), edited Jewish trade union publications (1907–09), and became one of the founders of the Jewish fraternal order, the *Workmen's Circle (1912). From 1912 to 1915 Walinsky lived in Toronto, Canada, as a union manager. In 1915 he arrived in New York, again starting as union manager, and became a regular contributor to the Jewish press. In 1918 Walinsky became president of the International Leathergoods, Plastics and Novelty Workers Union. During the same year he presided over the first American Labor Conference for Palestine and remained an active leader in the National Committee for Labor Israel. In 1956 he published a book of Yiddish poems, Lament and Song. Walinsky retired from his union presidency in 1957, concentrating on leading about 2,600 lands-manschaften, fraternal orders, and folk organizations in their campaigns for Israel Bonds, uja, and Histadrut.
His son louis joseph (1908–2001) was a U.S. economist. Born in London, England, and educated in the United States, Walinsky from 1931 was a teacher and lecturer. From 1943 to 1947 he was economic consultant and director of the Materials Division, U.S. War Production Board, and director of the Office of Economic Review and Analysis of the Civilian Production Administration. After that (1947–49) Walinsky became financial director of the latter organization, director of Germany-Austria Operations, and secretary general of the World ort Union. Subsequently he was economic adviser to the governments of many Asian, African, and Latin American countries, as well as Australia. From 1953 to 1958 he served as an adviser to the government of Burma. In the 1960s he was a consultant to the World Bank. Among his publications are Economic Development in Burma (1962); The Planning and Execution of Economic Development (1963); and Issues Facing World Jewry (1981).
Ossip's daughter anna walinska (1906–1997) was an artist. She ran the Guild Art Gallery in New York in the 1930s, traveled around the world in the 1950s, and created more than 1,000 works on canvas and paper over nine decades. A well-known portrait artist, she painted such subjects as Eleanor Roosevelt, Arshile Gorky, Mark Rothko, and U Thant. Her work is exhibited in galleries and museums around the world, including the Smithsonian Art Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, the Holocaust Museum, and Yad Vashem.
Louis' son adam (1937– ) was a U.S. attorney. Born in New York, he joined the U.S. Department of Justice under Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy. He was Kennedy's legislative assistant and main speechwriter, accompanying him on his trips to South Africa and Latin America. After Kennedy's death he ran unsuccessfully for the office of attorney general of the State of New York (1970). From 1971 to 1995, Walinsky practiced law with the New York firm of Kronish, Lieb, Weiner & Hellman. He was a member and chairman of the New York Commission of Investigation from 1978 to 1981. In 1995, he began to serve full time as president of the Center for Research on Institutions and Social Policy, which concentrates on issues affecting law enforcement and social change. He is considered the father of the Police Corps, a program that strengthens American law enforcement by adding citizens to the police force; they serve four-year terms and receive four-year college scholarships in exchange for their commitment to serve as police officers. The Police Corps became law in 1994 as part of the Omnibus Crime Bill. Walinsky is a trustee of the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial.
[Frederick R. Lachman /
Ruth Beloff (2nd ed.)]