Hamilton_Fish_IV

Hamilton Fish IV

Hamilton Fish IV

20th-century American politician

For others with the same name, see Hamilton Fish (disambiguation).

Hamilton Fish IV or Hamilton Fish Jr. (June 3, 1926 – July 23, 1996) was an American Republican politician who represented parts of New York's Hudson Valley region in the United States House of Representatives for thirteen terms from 1969 to 1995.[1] Fish was a member of the prominent Fish political family;[2] his grandfather (Hamilton Fish II) and father (Hamilton Fish III), both also named Hamilton, represented the region from 1909 to 1911 and 1920 to 1945, respectively.

Quick Facts Member of theU.S. House of Representatives from New York, Preceded by ...

Early life

Fish was born in Washington, D.C., the son of Grace Chapin and Hamilton Fish III (1888–1991). His grandfathers were Hamilton Fish II (1849–1936) and Alfred C. Chapin, who were both lawyers and politicians. He was a great-grandson of Hamilton Fish (1808–1893), and a descendant of Lewis Morris and John Kean.[2]

He graduated from Kent School in 1944 and Harvard College in 1949. He received an LL.B. from New York University School of Law in 1957. He also attended Harvard Kennedy School. While in college, Fish was a member of the United States Naval Reserve from 1944 to 1946.[2]

Career

From 1951 to 1953, Fish served with the United States Foreign Service and was posted as vice consul to Ireland.[1] He practiced law privately before his election to the House, and in 1961, Fish served as a lawyer for the New York State Assembly's Judiciary Committee.[2]

U.S. Congress

Fish was a candidate for the 90th Congress in 1966. While he won the Republican primary, he was defeated in the general election by Democrat Joseph Y. Resnick. In the 1968 Republican primary, he defeated G. Gordon Liddy,[3] and went on to win in the general election that year. He served in the 91st United States Congress,[4][5] and was re-elected to the 12 succeeding Congresses, serving from January 3, 1969, to January 3, 1995.[1]

As a member of the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary in 1974, he voted in favor of the first two of the three articles of impeachment (for obstruction of justice and abuse of power) of President Richard Nixon during the impeachment process against Nixon.[6]

Fish twice served as a House impeachment manager, being among those who successfully prosecuted the cases against Judges Harry E. Claiborne and Alcee Hastings in their impeachment trials.[7]

Personal life

In 1951, Fish was married to Julia MacKenzie (1927–1969),[8] who was born in Montreal, Quebec, and was the daughter of Ellice MacKenzie.[9][10] Together, they were the parents of:[2]

After Julia's death in a car accident in 1969,[8] he married Billy Laster Cline (1924–1985), the daughter of Mayne E. Laster (1903–1972), a cattle rancher, and Mildred (née Greenwood) Laster (1912–1987), in 1971.[14][15] They remained married until her death in 1985.[16] In 1988,[17] he married Mary Ann Tinklepaugh (b. 1930), a Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce in the Reagan and Bush administrations.[2]

A heavy smoker, Fish retired from Congress in 1994, after being diagnosed with lung cancer and prostate cancer. He died from cancer at his home in Washington, D.C., on July 23, 1996, at the age of 70.[2]

See also

References

  1. [1]
    "FISH, Hamilton, Jr. - Biographical Information". bioguide.congress.gov. Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  2. [2]
    Pace, Eric (July 24, 1996). "Hamilton Fish Jr., 70, Dies; Part of a Political Dynasty". The New York Times. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  3. [3]
    Barone, Michael; Ujifusa, Grant (1987). The Almanac of American Politics 1988. p. 842. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  4. [4]
    "Another Hamilton Fish Is Sworn in the House". The New York Times. January 4, 1969. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  5. [5]
    "To 2 Representatives, Recess Means Work; Time Is Used for Touring Districts". The New York Times. August 27, 1969. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  6. [6]
    Farnsworth, Malcolm. "Analysis of the Impeachment Votes of the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives". watergate.info. Retrieved July 10, 2010.
  7. [7]
    "List of Individuals Impeached by the House of Representatives". United States House of Representatives. Archived from the original on December 18, 2019. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  8. [8]
    "Wife of Rep. Hamilton Fish Dies in Auto Crash at 41". The New York Times. March 28, 1969. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  9. [9]
    "JULIA MACKENZIE TO WED; Betrothed to Hamilton Fish Jr., Son of Former Congressman". The New York Times. January 24, 1951. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  10. [10]
    "MISS MACKENZIE WED TO HAMILTON FISH JR". The New York Times. February 5, 1951. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  11. [11]
    "METRO DATELINES; Hamilton Fish 3d Joins Race for House". The New York Times. April 13, 1988. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  12. [12]
    Feron, James (April 17, 1988). "Hamilton Fish Throws His Hat Into the Ring". The New York Times. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  13. [13]
    "THOMAS WARD DIES; HARVARD CLASS '66; Oldest Alumnus, 95, Former Banker Here, Friend of Justice Holmes and William James EX-AIDE TO LOUIS AGASSIZ With Scientist's Expedition to Brazil in 1865--Father Was College Treasurer, 1830-42". The New York Times. July 19, 1940. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  14. [14]
    "Representative Hamilton Fish Jr. To Wed Mrs. Billy Laster Cline". The New York Times. February 28, 1971. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  15. [15]
    "Rep. Hamilton Fish Jr. Remarries". The New York Times. April 4, 1971. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  16. [16]
    "Billy Laster Fish, 60, Is Dead; Wife of U.S. Representative". The New York Times. May 26, 1985. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  17. [17]
    "Mary Ann Knauss Is Wed To Rep. Hamilton Fish Jr". The New York Times. January 1, 1989. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
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