Herbert B. Ehrmann

Herbert B. Ehrmann (HBE) (December 15, 1891 – June 17, 1970)^[1] was an American lawyer, activist, and writer. He gained fame for authoring books on the famous Sacco and Vanzetti case,^[2] and he was the author of the play Under This Roof which was staged on Broadway in 1942 at the Windsor Theatre by producer Rita Hassan.^[3]

Life and career

Ehrmann was born in Louisville, Kentucky in 1891,^[4] graduated from Harvard College in 1912^[5] and got his law degree from Harvard University Law School.^[2]

In October, 1914, Ehrmanm joined the Boston Legal Aid Society.^[6]

During World War I, Ehrmann was the director of the industrial relations division of the United States Shipping Board and a member of the War Labor Policies Board.^[2]

Ehrmann was active in Jewish human rights and civic affairs and in Jewish organizational life.^[4] He was a trustee of the Combined Jewish Appeal, honorary trustee of the Associated Jewish Philanthropies in Boston, honorary president of the American Jewish Committee^[2] in April 1959 and has served in that capacity until 1961.^[4] He began his activism already as student at Harvard.^[7]

In 1957 Ehrmann was a member of a Fact‐Finding Group, a nine-man delegation, conductinv a 15,000-mile fact-finding survey meeting government leaders in France, Italy, Tunisia, and Morocco, and Israel. The delegation was granted a special audience with Pope Pius XII.^[2][4]

Ehrmann was president of the Hale House Association in Boston.(1934-1937^[8]) He served on the Massachusetts Judicial Council and the Massachusetts Civil Service Commission.^[2]

After the trial of Italian immigrants Sacco and Vanzetti, Ehrmann wrote two books about the case: The Untried Case and The Case That Will Not Die—Commonwealth vs. Sacco and Vanzetti - the book ^[4] for which in 1969 he won the Edgar Award for the best fact crime book of the year.^[2][9] In addition, Ehrmann wrote articles. Ehrmann also wrote the book, and play, Under this Roof.^[10] It appeared at Windsor theatre in 1942.^{[4][2][11][12][13]}

Ehrmann translated poetry from Hebrew into English.^[4][7]

Herbert's wife, Sara R. Ehrmann (1895–1993) was a Boston-area civic leader. She is best known for her work as an avid opponent of capital punishment. A career she began when Herbert became an associate counsel for Sacco and Vanzet in 1925.^[14]