Aaron Sapiro

Aaron Sapiro (1884–1959) was a prominent U.S. lawyer and cooperative activist known for organizing farmers' marketing cooperatives and authoring key legislation like the California Industrial Accident laws and the standard Cooperative Marketing Act used in over 40 states.[1][2][5] Born in San Francisco to a poverty-stricken family and raised partly in an orphan asylum, he graduated from the University of Cincinnati, briefly studied for the rabbinate, and earned a law degree from the University of California, focusing his practice on labor law and farm cooperatives.[1] In 1925, he sued Henry Ford for libel over antisemitic articles in The Dearborn Independent accusing him of a Jewish conspiracy in agriculture, resulting in a 1927 out-of-court settlement and Ford's apology, marking a pivotal moment against hate speech.[3][4]