Amsterdam Law Firm Marks 110 Anniversary
110th Anniversary Press Release
The Amsterdam Law Firm of The Salmon Law Firm, PLLC will observe its 110th Anniversary on Wednesday, December 1, 2021.
The firm was founded on December 1, 1911 by Carl S. Salmon, Sr. who served three terms as the Mayor of the City of Amsterdam from 1924-1930 and who served as the Montgomery County Surrogate Court Judge in 1951. He was joined in the practice of law by his only son, Carl S. Salmon, Jr. on April 1, 1947, who was a principal in the firm for 50 years until his retirement in 1997.
The Salmon Law Firm, PLLC is the longest enduring law firm in Montgomery and Fulton Counties. The current principal of the firm is Carl S. Salmon Jr.’s son, Del B. Salmon, who, as a third-generation member of the Salmon family, takes pride in his commitment to quality legal counseling and representation, as well as community service modeled by his forefathers.
Carl S. Salmon, Sr. opened his law office at 31 East Main Street in downtown Amsterdam with an initial investment of $510.90, which included books, office furniture, office supplies, and rent. The December 1911 rent for office space was $20.00. The Law Firm was located in several locations on East Main Street in Amsterdam until it settled in its current offices at 179 Wallins Corners Road in the Town of Amsterdam in 1993.
Del Salmon sums up the firm’s long-standing approach to the practice of law as follows, “Like my grandfather and father, we focus on the word ‘Counselor’ in Counselor at Law. We get to know our clients so that we can assess their problems, needs, and goals. We take the time to explain the complex and sometimes frustrating legal process of Elder Law so that our clients better understand how the legal system can work for them.”
The Salmon Family has long been known for its service to the community. In addition to the political achievements of Carl S. Salmon, Sr., Carl S. Salmon, Jr. was a leader in the community having been a founding Trustee as well as a past president of the Board of Trustees of the Fulton Montgomery Community College. He also benefited Liberty Foundation, Inc. by donating his home to them in 2001.
James F. (Jim) Salmon was a partner in the family law firm for 39 years until his retirement in 2014. The younger Salmons have followed their grandfather and father’s example of giving back to the community. Jim Salmon has been active with the Boy Scouts, Montgomery County United Way, WMHT where he served as President of the Board, and Proctors Theater. Del B. Salmon has served the Foundations of St. Mary’s Hospital, Fulton Montgomery Community College and Montgomery County Office for Aging as Chair of their Boards. He also served the Foundation of Mountain Valley Hospice and Palliative Care as a Board Member. Del Salmon was the Board Chair of Mountain Valley Hospice and Palliative Care Operating Board, The Massry Assisted Living Center, as well as the Daughters of Sarah Nursing Center in Albany. He is a member of the WMHT Board of Trustees and the Committee on Character and Fitness for the Fourth Judicial District. Del Salmon was also the Legal Service provider for the Montgomery County Office for Aging for 27 years.
The Salmon Law Firm is proud to announce that Attorney Philip V. Cortese has joined the law firm in an Of Counsel position effective January 1, 2022.
The Salmon Law Firm, PLLC focuses its practice of law in the areas of Elder Law, Wills, Trusts, Asset Protection, Medicaid Qualification, and Estate Administration. We are committed to advocating for the elderly and are proud of our long-term commitment to the community.
September 20 – Happy Birthday Carl Salmon Jr.
The Amsterdam, NY Blog
There’s a few things that haven’t changed in Amsterdam in over the past hundred years. The Chuctanunda still flows into the Mohawk. The Amsterdam Free Library is still going strong. And if you need a lawyer, you can still find an attorney named Salmon in the Amsterdam phone book. Of course you may not be able to still find an Amsterdam phone book because nobody uses them any more in this age of cloud connected cell phones and contact lists.
Carl Salmon Sr. began his family’s streak of dispensing legal expertise and services in this Rug City of our’s way back in 1911. He was born in Potsdam, NY and went to school to become a teacher originally, then switched to accounting and finally the law. He had a brother Del who was already a lawyer in Schenectady who helped him begin his studies, which he completed at Albany Law. After passing the New York State Bar in 1911, he opened his first office at 31 East Main Street here in Amsterdam on December 1 of that same year.
As it turned out, these were wise professional choices. His career zoomed and he became one of our town’s most prominent and successful citizens of all time, serving three terms as Mayor in the 1920’s and also becoming Montgomery County Surrogate Court Judge. He also became a father. He and his wife Hortense gave birth to a son, today’s Amsterdam Birthday Celebrant, Carl S. Salmon Jr. on September 20, 1920.
Young Carl attended public schools here until high school and then graduated from the Manlius Military Academy. He then went to Cornell Agricultural School in 1941 for his undergraduate degree before following in his dad’s footsteps and attending Albany Law. World War II and service in the Army Air Force interrupted his studies but he returned to complete them and pass the bar and then convert his Dad’s practice into a father & son law firm in 1947.
That same year, Salmon married Lois Ann Frankel. They would raise four sons. Two of the boys would become attorneys and continue to operate the Salmon family law firm in Amsterdam today.
Unlike his father, Salmon would never hold political office or wear the robe of a judge. Instead, he focused on building one of the busiest law firms in the area, representing many local businesses and individuals. He also began shifting the firm’s mission by getting it more involved in setting up trusts and estates. Salmon was also heavily involved in the Amsterdam community. He was of the Jewish faith and a longtime member of the Temple of Israel. He was an active member of the Liberty ARC Board and Montgomery Traditional Services for the mentally ill. He also served as chairman of the Civil Service Commission and was a member of the board of directors of the former Farmers National Bank, which was later known as State Bank of Albany.
Salmon’s first wife passed away in 1973 and he would marry a second time in 1975 to Leila Kirshen Newhouse. He and his second wife donated their lovely home on Locust Avenue to Liberty and then later relocated to Oregon, which is where her family was from. Carl Salmon Jr. died there in 2005 at the age of 84.
Carl S. Salmon, Jr.
Carl S. Salmon, Sr.