Jacob Muchin was born in Manitowoc, Wisconsin on January 16, 1911 of Russian immigrants. His father was a merchant and scrap iron dealer. He received his B.A. in 1931 and LL.D. in 1933, both from the University of Wisconsin in Madison. After practicing law from 1933 to 1942 in Manitowoc, Muchin became involved with rent control in Wisconsin. He held the positions of Area Rent Director and Area Rent Director-Attorney under the Office of Price Administration and the Office of Housing Expediter in the period 1942-1949. He was then promoted to the position of Trial Attorney, handling litigation on rent control in Washington, D.C. Thereafter, he successively was promoted to Field Representative, Assistant General Manager, and in April 1951, became Acting Deputy Director of the Office of Rent Stabilization (formerly Office of Housing Expediter).
Forced to retire in 1953 by personnel reductions, Muchin returned to his Manitowoc law practice. Since then he has also been a consultant to the Executive Office of the President in the Office of Emergency Preparedness; his work has consisted of planning and writing regulations, procedures, and guidelines in preparedness for Federal legislation authorizing the imposition of Federal rent controls. When the wage, price and rent freeze became effective on August 15, 1971, he participated in drafting the Economic Stabilization Regulation #1, which was the first document put into effect to stabilize prices, wages, rents and salaries. Muchin continues to serve as a consultant at the national office of the Office of Emergency Preparedness and is now a consultant to the General Services Administration.
Muchin has also been active in the Manitowoc Jewish community. In 1954, he became Chairman of the Manitowoc Tercentenary Committee and a Director of American Jewish Tercentenary Committee of Wisconsin. In 1955, he joined the Board of Directors of the Wisconsin Society for Jewish Learning. He has served as president of the trustees of Congregation Anshe Poale Zedek and on several occasions has been chairman of the Manitowoc Jewish Federation, whose primary function is to raise money for various Jewish charities and the United Jewish Appeal.
In 1960 Muchin was president of the Manitowoc County Bar Association and in 1972 was appointed court commissioner by the three judges serving Manitowoc County. He has also served on various committees of the Wisconsin Bar Association.
In 1933 he married Dorothy Biberfeld of Gary, Indiana. Their two sons are now married and practice law in Chicago, Illinois.
