Hamilton Fish III
Hamilton Stuyvesant Fish III (December 7, 1888 – January 18, 1991) was an American lawyer, soldier, and Republican politician who served as a U.S. Representative from New York's 26th congressional district from 1920 until 1945.[1] Born into a prominent New York political family as the grandson of U.S. Secretary of State Hamilton Fish and son of state assemblyman Hamilton Fish II, he graduated from Harvard University in 1910 and Harvard Law School in 1912 before enlisting in the New York National Guard.[1][2] During World War I, Fish commanded Company K of the 15th New York Infantry, redesignated as the 369th U.S. Infantry Regiment and known as the "Harlem Hellfighters," an African American unit under French command where he earned the Silver Star, Purple Heart with oak leaf cluster, and French Croix de Guerre for gallantry in combat.[1][3] After the war, as a freshman congressman, he introduced a resolution in December 1920 to inter an unknown soldier from World War I at Arlington National Cemetery, which Congress approved and President Warren G. Harding dedicated in 1921, establishing the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.[4][5] In Congress, Fish opposed President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal programs, viewing them as unconstitutional expansions of federal power, and emerged as a leading anti-communist voice, warning of Soviet influence in American affairs as early as 1931.[1][6] Initially an isolationist skeptical of U.S. entanglement in European conflicts, he shifted to support intervention after the Pearl Harbor attack, volunteering for service despite his age, though he did not reenlist.[7] His outspoken conservatism drew accusations of pro-German sympathies and antisemitism from political opponents, charges he consistently denied and which contributed to his narrow defeat in the 1944 election; subsequent reviews have discredited many such claims as partisan smears amid the heated wartime atmosphere.[2][8] After leaving office, Fish continued advocating constitutional conservatism through writing, lecturing, and founding organizations like the Committee for Constitutional Government.[1]Early Life and Education
Family Background
Hamilton Fish III was born into the longstanding Fish family, a prominent New York political dynasty with roots in the colonial period and a history of public service spanning multiple generations.[2] His paternal grandfather, Hamilton Fish (1808–1893), was a key figure in 19th-century American politics, serving as lieutenant governor of New York (1844–1846), governor (1848–1849), U.S. representative (1843–1845), U.S. senator (1851–1857), and U.S. secretary of state under President Ulysses S. Grant from 1869 to 1877.[9] The elder Fish's tenure as secretary of state focused on post-Civil War reconstruction and foreign relations, including the negotiation of the Treaty of Washington in 1871 to resolve the Alabama claims dispute with Britain.[9] His father, Hamilton Fish II (1849–1936), was a lawyer, Civil War-era figure who attended Columbia University and Columbia Law School, and later served as a U.S. representative from New York's 12th congressional district from March 4, 1909, to March 3, 1911, continuing the family's tradition in Congress.[10] Fish II also held positions such as speaker of the New York State Assembly and was involved in local Putnam County affairs, reflecting the family's deep ties to the Hudson Valley region.[11] His mother, Emily Maria Mann (1854–1899), came from a family with connections to Troy, New York; she married Hamilton Fish II on April 28, 1880, and through her lineage, Fish III descended from Puritan leader Thomas Hooker, founder of Hartford, Connecticut, in 1636.[12][13] The Fish family's prominence extended further back to Nicholas Fish (1758–1833), a Revolutionary War colonel and aide-de-camp to General George Washington, establishing a legacy of military and civic involvement that influenced subsequent generations.[14] This heritage of elite education, military service, and Republican politics shaped the environment in which Hamilton Fish III grew up on the family estate in Garrison, New York.[2]Childhood and Youth
Hamilton Stuyvesant Fish was born on December 7, 1888, in Garrison, Putnam County, New York, to Hamilton Fish II, a U.S. Representative and Speaker of the New York State Assembly, and Emily Maria Mann.[1][15] The Fish family maintained a prominent estate in the Hudson River Valley, underscoring their established status in New York society and politics; his paternal grandfather, Hamilton Fish, had served as U.S. Secretary of State under President Ulysses S. Grant.[1] At around age ten, his name was legally changed from Hamilton Stuyvesant Fish to Hamilton Fish.[14] Raised in an affluent environment that emphasized education and physical development, Fish began his schooling abroad at Chateau de Lancy near Geneva, Switzerland, the same institution his father had attended decades earlier.[16] He subsequently returned to the United States for preparatory education, attending public schools initially before enrolling in boarding institutions such as St. Mark's School in Southborough, Massachusetts.[1] During his youth at St. Mark's, Fish, who stood 6 feet 4 inches tall and weighed approximately 200 pounds, excelled in athletics, particularly as a tackle in football, foreshadowing his later collegiate achievements.[17] He characterized himself as a "B student" academically but demonstrated strong leadership and competitive drive through sports and extracurricular pursuits.[18]Collegiate and Athletic Achievements
Hamilton Fish III enrolled at Harvard University, where he earned an A.B. degree cum laude in history and government in 1910.[19][3] During his undergraduate years, Fish distinguished himself academically while maintaining a rigorous involvement in intercollegiate athletics, particularly football.[20] Fish played as a tackle on the Harvard football team from 1907 to 1909, earning three varsity letters.[20] Standing at 6 feet 4 inches and weighing 200 pounds—unusually large for the era—he was selected as an All-America tackle in both 1908 and 1909 by consensus, including Walter Camp's teams.[17][21] As a junior in 1908, he served as acting captain during a highly successful 9-0-1 season after the elected captain's injury.[20] Fish was then elected captain for the 1909 season, leading the team to a record marred only by a loss to Yale.[22][20] His collegiate football prowess earned posthumous recognition, including induction into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1954 and the Harvard Varsity Club Hall of Fame in 1967.[17][21][20]