The son of a furniture merchant, Ohrenstein was born in Mannheim, Germany, on August 5, 1925, to Polish-born Jewish parents.
[1] He thereafter attended Columbia Law School from 1948 to 1951, where he was designated as a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar and graduated with the degree of Juris Doctor.
[6] In 1980 he also served as chairman of the New York Delegation to the Democratic National Convention which nominated Jimmy Carter for president.
[13] The New York Post called Manfred Ohrenstein a "standout example of the new young leadership that is spearheading the drive to reform the Democratic Party.
In a 1965 editorial, The New York Times said "Senator Manfred Ohrenstein is an outstanding Reform legislator who puts principle first."
In the senate, Ohrenstein compiled a liberal voting record, supporting anti-discrimination measures for gays and lesbians and strict rent control laws.
He was instrumental in passing legislation (Bill A.6033)[24] to provide greater state aid for the construction of local mental health facilities.
Under his leadership this committee achieved major reforms (Bill A.6125) in the administration and financing of the City University of New York.
"[28] In his thirty-four years in office, Ohrenstein also championed rent regulations,[29][30][31] welfare and civil rights reforms.
[32] Immediately upon taking office as minority leader on January 1, 1975, Senator Ohrenstein, as one of the four legislative leaders representing the Senate and Assembly, became involved in the successful bailout[33] from the near bankruptcy of the New York State Battery Park Authority and later of the City of New York itself during the 1975/76/77 legislative sessions.
[39] On September 16, 1987, Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau indicted Ohrenstein on 564 counts of conspiracy, grand larceny, and other charges related to a scheme to use hundreds of thousands of dollars in state money to assist Democratic State Senate candidates in 1986.
[40] Morgenthau alleged that Ohrenstein and his two codefendants, Democratic State Senator Howard E. Babbush of Brooklyn, and Frank Sanzillo, a top aide employed by Ohrenstein, used public money to pay for campaign workers, and that legislative staffers continued to collect their salaries while working full-time on political campaigns.
Despite the indictment, Ohrenstein, who pleaded not guilty to all charges, was easily reelected in 1988 and continued to serve as minority leader.
[43] In 1992, New York State Comptroller Edward V. Regan awarded Ohrenstein $1.3 million in legal costs (but disallowed $480,000).
[45] After leaving elected office he engaged in the full-time practice of law at Ruskin Moscou Faltischek, P.C.