If you are interested in writing a biography or in exploring
history through the lens of individual lives and experiences,
please join us for a discussion with Michael Perino, STJ Law School
Professor. Here is a description of his project:
In Franklin Roosevelt’s famous first inaugural address, the new
President assured the American people that: “Practices of the
unscrupulous money changers stand indicted in the court of public
opinion, rejected by the hearts and minds of men.” Wild
applause erupted just a few moments later when Roosevelt proclaimed
that the “money changers have fled from their high seats in the
temple of our civilization. We may now restore that temple to
the ancient truths.” One man, more than any other, deserves
the credit for those lines. Ferdinand Pecora, a diminutive,
Sicilian immigrant and former assistant district attorney from New
York City, was Chief Counsel for the Senate Banking and Currency
Committee conducting an investigation into the causes of the 1929
stock market crash. My book chronicles his life and tells
about his dramatic confrontation with the Chairman of National City
Bank (today’s Citibank), Charles E. Mitchell, the confrontation
that was the inspiration for those lines.
Date: Tuesday, November
3
Time: 12:15 to 1:15 p.m.
Location: Law School Private
Dining Room
If you would like to attend it is imperative that you
contact the CTL at x1859 or CTL@stjohns.edu as seating is
limited.