His aptitude for complicated commercial work was soon realized and before the age of 30, he was counsel in several big industrial cases.
During the war he came into prominence owing to his pro-German activities but charges of disseminating German propaganda were disproved before a special investigation committee of the Senate.
Mr. Untermyer was concerned in the dispute between two American news agencies which resulted in a ruling by the Supreme Court making the "pirating" of news illegal In 1918 Mr. Untermyer did conspicuous work as counsel to the Lockwood Legislative Committee created to "curb post-war business evils" and secured the conviction of over 300 persons and corporations for violation of the Anti-trust Law. Mr. Untermyer was later chairman of a board at Washington appointed to formulate federal income tax and excess profit laws, and acted as special adviser for the government on this subject.
Of his many international cases, perhaps the most interesting was that in which he represented Wertheimers, the well-known British art dealers, against the Count and Countess of Castellaine, Mr, Untermyer secured for the creditors of the Castellaine estate full payment of their claims, amounting to Frs. 20,000,000.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.