KAHN, ALEXANDER

KAHN, ALEXANDER (1881–1962), U.S. lawyer and newspaper executive. Kahn, who was born in Smolensk, Russia, was taken to the U.S. in 1893. He was an active member of the Socialist literary club that took part in the founding of the jewish daily forward (1897) and became general counsel to the Forward Association, the nonprofit organization established to run the paper. In 1939 he became the paper's general manager. Kahn, a founder and vice president of the New York State Liberal Party, was an unsuccessful candidate for public office on that ticket as well as on the American Socialist Party and American Labor Party tickets on several occasions during his career. Extremely active in Jewish affairs, he was a founder and vice chairman of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. He was also a founder of the liberal weekly magazine, the New Leader.