John M. Sternhagen

John Meier Sternhagen (March 21, 1888 – September 25, 1954) was a member of the US Board of Tax Appeals and a judge of the Tax Court of the United States, from July 16, 1924, until June 1, 1946. He was the father of stage and screen actress Frances Sternhagen. Sternhagen was born on March 21, 1888, in Mount Vernon, New York, the youngest of five children. His parents were Herman Sr. (1845–1925), a German-American immigrant, and Christina Meier Sternhagen, a native of New York. Sternhagen's siblings included Amelia (b. 1879), Louisa (b. 1882), Ella Cornelia (b. 1883) and Herman Jr. (b. 1885). Sternhagen lived in Mount Vernon with his family for the entirety of his adolescence. In 1908, at age 20, he started working as a clerk at 229th Street, Columbus Avenue as well as on 10th and 11th Avenue. He became a secretary at 425th Street on 4th Avenue in 1914 when he was 26. By 1918, at age 30, Sternhagen was still working as a secretary when he was drafted in World War I. He served as 2nd lieutenant of the Air Service Division stationed in Washington, D.C. He never saw combat, but served honorably from October 25, 1918, until he was honorably discharged on January 30, 1919.