M. Bernard Aidinoff

Merton Bernard Aidinoff
Born	(1929-02-02) 2 February 1929 Newport, Rhode Island, U.S.
Died	August 2016 Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
Occupation	Tax attorney
Years active	1956–1996
Known for	Partner at Sullivan & Cromwell; Chair of ABA Section of Taxation; Editor-in-chief of The Tax Lawyer

Merton Bernard Aidinoff (February 2, 1929 – August 2016) was a distinguished American tax attorney and partner at Sullivan & Cromwell. Before his tenure at the firm, he served as a law clerk for Judge Learned Hand of the United States Court of Appeals, Second Circuit. Aidinoff completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Michigan and earned his law degree from Harvard Law School, where he contributed as an editor to the Harvard Law Review.

Early life

Aidinoff was born in Newport, Rhode Island to Simon and Ester Aidinoff and had two sisters. He obtained his bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan and graduated from Harvard Law School in 1953 with a Juris Doctor.

Career

Following law school, Aidinoff fulfilled his military service as a first lieutenant in the Army Judge Advocate General Corps and clerked for Judge Learned Hand. He became part of Sullivan & Cromwell in 1956, focusing his practice on tax law until his retirement in 1996.

Throughout his career, Aidinoff held several prominent positions including chairmanship of the Section of Taxation at the American Bar Association, leadership of the Tax Program Committee at the American Law Institute, editor-in-chief duties for The Tax Lawyer, chairing the Executive Committee of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, and membership on the Internal Revenue Service Commissioner's Advisory Committee.

Volunteer and board involvement

Aidinoff contributed his expertise as a board member for the Goldman Sachs Philanthropy Fund, Human Rights First, and the Orchestra of St. Luke's. He also served as chairman of the Foundation for a Civil Society board and held memberships in organizations such as the Council on Foreign Relations, The Century Association, India House, and Washington's Metropolitan Club. Furthermore, he was a director at American International Group (AIG).

Personal life

In 1956, Aidinoff married Celia "Cissie" Spiro, who later became vice president of New York’s Legal Aid Society and served as deputy chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee during 1981–82. They had two children: Seth George Aidinoff, who married Lucie Livingston, and Gail Aidinoff Scovell.

He remarried in 1996 to Elsie (née Vanderbilt) Newburg, daughter of former Rhode Island Governor William Henry Vanderbilt III. Merton Bernard Aidinoff died on August 8, 2016, in Manhattan, New York City.