Wilfred Feinberg Papers, 1936-2011, bulk 1960-2011

This subseries consists of biographical and autobiographical information collected by Feinberg. The subseries includes four sections. Bibliographies and CVs include autobiographical blurbs, biographical directory forms, publication lists, and resumes from throughout Feinberg's career. The section also includes Feinberg's high school diploma, Columbia transcripts, and government disclosure forms from his tenure as New York State Deputy Superintendent of Banks. The day planners date from the last few years of Feinberg's judicial service, but primarily detail outside appointments. There is a substantive file for honors, which include Feinberg's high school diploma along with professional recognitions like the Devitt Award, the Learned Hand Medal, and honorary doctorates from Columbia and Syracuse. The lists of noteworthy rulings, arranged by year and compiled by his law clerks, is of particular note. Within each file, materials are arranged reverse-chronologically.

This subseries includes Feinberg's records of his extracurricular business activities. Much of it is related to tax rules and suburban property investments from the 1950s, but the subseries also includes information on Feinberg's political activity as a Democratic booster in Westchester in the 1950s and 1960s. Also in this subseries are catalogs, correspondence, and programs from the Feinberg Graduate School, part of the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, and established by Feinberg's brother Abraham. Although the Feinberg Graduate School was Abraham Feinberg's project, Wilfred Feinberg did visit Israel for the dedication and received material from the school throughout the years.

This subseries makes up the bulk of Series IX. Although there is correspondence represented in almost every subseries in the collection, Subseries IX.3 collects a number of correspondence files that Feinberg maintained separately. The largest is Feinberg's file of Personal Correspondence, which includes correspondence from classmates, colleagues, family, friends, and law clerks. Although correspondence from fellow judges is interfiled in Personal Correspondence, Feinberg also created a file for Unofficial Correspondence with Judges that has been kept separate to maintain his original arrangement. Of particular note is the file for Judge Henry Friendly Biographies, which includes interview transcripts from two book projects on Feinberg's former colleague. Other files in Subseries IX.3 are Invitations; Law Clerks; Letters of Reference; and Mayor's Office. This subseries is arranged reverse-chronologically.

In late 1996 and early 1997, the law professor and legal historian Jeffrey Morris met with Feinberg to complete a detailed oral history. The six meetings were divided roughly by topic, and dealt with Feinberg's biography, his former colleagues on the bench, his work in judicial administration, the history of the circuit, and important cases he decided. The subseries includes approved final copies of the interview transcripts as well as drafts and annotated and corrected transcript copies. There is also correspondence between Morris and Feinberg's chambers. The recordings of the interviews themselves are available on thirteen audiocassettes.

This subseries includes most of the photographs in the collection, although a few photographs from Feinberg's judicial appointment in 1961 can be found in Subseries II.4. There is a small collection of correspondence related to the photographs, primarily letters of enclosure and court announcements of official portraits. The subseries also includes negatives and a CD with snapshots in .jpeg format (although the photos are also represented in the subseries as prints).

The photographs include official portraits of Feinberg and the court and informal snapshots of Feinberg and his wife and colleagues at a variety of events, including a number of photographs from Columbia reunions. Aside from the folder of related correspondence, the photographs are arranged by event (if known) and filed chronologically.

Although files of clippings can be found throughout the collection, this subseries consists of the separate clippings file that Feinberg maintained. All clippings have been preservation photocopied and arranged chronologically. The subseries also includes Feinberg's lists of newspaper and press contacts for his personal use and public relations material produced by the Second Circuit, primarily press releases.