Myron Samuelson Papers

Myron Isaac Samuelson was born in Burlington, Vermont in 1908. He was the youngest of seven children born to parents Max Samuelson (circa 1868-1928) and Ida Cohen (circa 1876-1967). Max and Ida were both born in an area of Russia that later became Poland; they immigrated to the U.S. separately in the late 1880s (sources vary) and married in Burlington in 1893.

Myron attended Burlington High School, graduating in 1925. He next attended the University of Vermont. While there, he was a member of the fraternity Phi Sigma Delta and graduated in 1929. He also attended Cornell University and the University of New Jersey Law School, from which he graduated in 1932. He was sometimes referred to by the nickname "Buzzy" (also spelled "Bussy").

He married Lilian Sylvia Cohen (1909-1987). She also attended Burlington High School (class of 1926) and the University of Vermont (Class of 1930) where she was a member of the K.E.L. Sorority and Phi Beta Kappa honor society. She earned a Master of Arts degree in French from the University of Vermont in 1932. They married on December 25, 1932 and had two daughters.

Myron worked as a lawyer based in Burlington and served as chair of the Burlington Army and Navy Jewish Welfare Board (JWB). He had recently become a judge when he left these roles to enlist in April of 1942 from Army reserve duty to serve in World War II. He rose through the ranks from First Lieutenant to Major and was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in 1945, when he oversaw the Adjutant General Depot. He was released from service in May of 1946 and returned to civilian life as a lawyer. It appears he formed a business partnership with fellow lawyer Samuel Bloomberg in the 1960s.

His book "The Story of the Jewish Community of Burlington, Vermont" was published in 1976. He died in 1985.