William Irving Sirovich (March 18, 1882 – December 17, 1939) was an American physician and politician from New York. From 1927 to 1939, he served six terms in the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

Early life

Sirovich was born in 1882 in

York County, Pennsylvania York County ( Pennsylvania Dutch: Yarrick Kaundi) is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 456,438. Its county seat is York. The county was created on August 19, 1749, from part of Lancaster ...

to Hungarian-Jewish immigrants Jacob and Rose Sirovich (née Weinstock). The family moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

in 1888. Sirovich attended the public schools there and graduated from the College of the City of New York in 1902 and from the

Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons (VP&S) is the graduate medical school of Columbia University, located at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan. Founded ...

in 1906. He commenced the practice of medicine in New York City in 1906 and also engaged as a lecturer, editor, and playwright, several of his plays being produced on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

Political career

1908 Events January * January 1 – The British ''Nimrod'' Expedition led by Ernest Shackleton sets sail from New Zealand on the ''Nimrod'' for Antarctica. * January 3 – A total solar eclipse is visible in the Pacific Ocean, and is the 4 ...

and

1910 Events January * January 13 – The first public radio broadcast takes place; live performances of the operas '' Cavalleria rusticana'' and ''Pagliacci'' are sent out over the airwaves, from the Metropolitan Opera House in New York C ...

, he ran on the

Independence League The Independence Party, established as the Independence League, was a short-lived minor American political party sponsored by newspaper publisher and politician William Randolph Hearst in 1906. The organization was the successor to the Munici ...

ticket for New York State Treasurer but was defeated by Republican Thomas B. Dunn (1908) and Democrat John J. Kennedy (1910). He was a member of the fifth district

school board A board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution. The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional are ...

from 1906 to 1926 and was appointed as a member of the commission to inquire into the subject of widows' pensions and of the State pension commission in 1913. He was appointed a member of the State charities convention in 1914 and served as superintendent of Peoples Hospital in New York City from 1910 to 1927. He was appointed commissioner of child welfare in 1919 and served until 1931; in 1924 he was an unsuccessful candidate for election to the 69th United States Congress.

Congress

Sirovich was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to the 70th, 71st, 72nd, 73rd, 74th, 75th and 76th United States Congresses, and served from March 4, 1927 until his death. During the 72nd through 76th Congresses he was Chairman of the Committee on Patents. He was President of the Industrial National Bank in New York City from 1929 to 1932 and was a delegate to the Inter-Parliamentary Union Congress held at

Bucharest, Romania Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...

, in 1931.

Death

Sirovich died in

in 1939. He was buried at the Mount Hebron Cemetery in

Flushing Flushing may refer to: Places * Flushing, Cornwall, a village in the United Kingdom * Flushing, Queens, New York City ** Flushing Bay, a bay off the north shore of Queens ** Flushing Chinatown (法拉盛華埠), a community in Queens ** Flushin ...

References

Memorial services held in the House of Representatives of the United States, together with remarks presented in eulogy of William Irving Sirovich, late a representative from New York frontispiece 1941
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sirovich, William Irving 1882 births 1939 deaths 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights 20th-century American politicians People from York County, Pennsylvania City College of New York alumni Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons alumni American people of Hungarian-Jewish descent Jewish members of the United States House of Representatives American bankers Physicians from New York City School board members in New York (state) United States Independence Party politicians Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) Delegates to the Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly Burials at Mount Hebron Cemetery (New York City)

Early life

Political career

Congress

Death

See also

References