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Hamilton Fish III (born Hamilton Stuyvesant Fish and also known as Hamilton Fish Jr.; December 7, 1888 – January 18, 1991) was an American
soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a Conscription, conscripted or volunteer Enlisted rank, enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, a warrant officer, or an Officer (armed forces), officer. Etymology The wo ...
, author, and politician from New York. He represented New York's 26th congressional district in the
Hudson Valley The Hudson Valley or Hudson River Valley comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The region stretches from the Capital District (New York), Capital District includi ...
region in the
United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...
from 1920 to 1945. In the second half of his House career, Fish was a chief critic and opponent of President
Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...
, especially on matters of international affairs and American entry into World War II prior to the
attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Empire of Japan on the United States Pacific Fleet at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, its naval base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu, Territory of ...
. Born into a political family whose legacy dated to the Dutch settlement of
New Amsterdam New Amsterdam (, ) was a 17th-century Dutch Empire, Dutch settlement established at the southern tip of Manhattan Island that served as the seat of the colonial government in New Netherland. The initial trading ''Factory (trading post), fac ...
, Fish was educated at St. Mark's School and
Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate education, undergraduate college of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Part of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Scienc ...
, where he graduated at the age of 20 before enrolling at
Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, Harvard Law School is the oldest law school in continuous operation in the United ...
. He was elected to the
New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Ass ...
from Putnam County in 1913 as a member of the Progressive Party. He served three terms before enlisting in World War I, in which he commanded a company of the 369th Infantry Regiment, a unit of African-American soldiers known as the "
Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater ...
Hellfighters." After the war, Fish was elected to the United States House as a Republican. In the House, he advocated for veterans and the anti-lynching movement. He became the body's leading anti-communist as chair of the Fish Committee, a special body established in 1930 to investigate Soviet and communist influence in the United States. He also sponsored the Lodge–Fish Resolution, expressing American support for the British establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine. In 1932, Fish crossed party lines to privately support Hudson Valley native
Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...
for president, but he soon became a leading critic of Roosevelt's
New Deal The New Deal was a series of wide-reaching economic, social, and political reforms enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1938, in response to the Great Depression in the United States, Great Depressi ...
legislation and Atlanticist foreign policy. Throughout the 1930s, Fish was the subject of multiple foreign influence campaigns, since he was identified by
Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor ...
officials as a natural ally to their international ambitions (though he was on the record criticizing the treatment of Jews in Germany) and by British security organizations as an obstacle to American aid for Great Britain. His chief of staff, George Hill, was convicted of perjury in relation to his involvement with George Sylvester Viereck, and agents of the British Security Co-ordination office repeatedly raised money for Fish's opponents and published anti-Fish leaflets in his district. In 1941, Fish was implicated in an America First Committee franking controversy leading to William Power Maloney's grand jury investigating Nazi penetration in the United States. After the 1941 Japanese
attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Empire of Japan on the United States Pacific Fleet at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, its naval base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu, Territory of ...
and German declaration of war, Fish called for unified support for Roosevelt as a wartime president. He delivered the first speech calling for a declaration of war against Japan and sought to re-enlist but was denied a commission by Roosevelt; he later returned to his criticism, arguing that Roosevelt should have prevented the Japanese strike. Like many leading isolationists, Fish's popularity waned during wartime, and he was defeated for re-election in 1944. Late in the decade, former
United States Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a United States federal executive departments, federal executive department of the U.S. government that oversees the domestic enforcement of Law of the Unite ...
prosecutor O. John Rogge accused Fish of Nazi sympathies. He continued to actively comment on American diplomacy and military strategy during and after the
Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...
, criticizing the
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,
John Foster Dulles John Foster Dulles (February 25, 1888 – May 24, 1959) was an American politician, lawyer, and diplomat who served as United States secretary of state under President Dwight D. Eisenhower from 1953 until his resignation in 1959. A member of the ...
, and the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
while supporting
NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...
, the American invasions of Grenada and
Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...
, and the
Gulf War , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...
.


Family and early life

Hamilton Stuyvesant Fish was born on December 7, 1888, in
Garrison, New York Garrison is a Hamlet (New York), hamlet in Putnam County, New York, Putnam County, New York (state), New York, United States. It is part of the town of Philipstown, New York, Philipstown, on the east side of the Hudson River, across from the U ...
to Hamilton Fish II and the former Emily Mann. Hamilton Fish II had been a Republican member of the New York Assembly and would later serve as Speaker of the Assembly and a United States Representative. Hamilton Fish, the paternal grandfather of this article's subject, was
United States Secretary of State The United States secretary of state (SecState) is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State. The secretary of state serves as the principal advisor to the ...
under President
Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was the 18th president of the United States, serving from 1869 to 1877. In 1865, as Commanding General of the United States Army, commanding general, Grant led the Uni ...
. In 1898, the young Fish's cousin, also named Hamilton Fish and a volunteer in
Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...
's
Rough Riders The Rough Riders was a nickname given to the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry, one of three such regiments raised in 1898 for the Spanish–American War and the only one to see combat. The United States Army was small, understaffed, and diso ...
, was the first American soldier killed in action in the
Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...
. In his honor, Fish's father legally changed his ten-year-old son's name from ''Hamilton Stuyvesant Fish'' to just ''Hamilton Fish''. During his childhood, Fish attended Chateau de Lancy near
Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...
, which his father had also attended. The younger Fish learned French, played soccer, and spent summers with his family in
Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...
. He returned to the United States to attend the Fay School in Southborough, Massachusetts and St. Mark's School, a preparatory school also in Southborough. In his memoirs, Fish described himself as a "B student" at St. Mark's but successful in several different sports. Fish graduated from St. Mark's in 1906 and attended
Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate education, undergraduate college of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Part of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Scienc ...
, where he graduated in the class of 1910. He was a member of the
Porcellian Club The Porcellian Club is an all-male Officially unrecognized Harvard College social clubs, final club at Harvard University, colloquially known as the Porc or the P.C. Its founding is traditionally dated to either 1791, when a group began meetin ...
and played tackle for Harvard's
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
team. Standing and weighing , "Ham" Fish was highly successful as a football player; he was twice an
All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...
and was inducted into the
College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive Tourist attraction, attraction devoted to college football, college American football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players ...
in 1954. He was the only Harvard man on Yale graduate Walter Camp's all-time All-American team. After graduating, Fish continued his involvement in football. He donated $5,000.00 for several awards to Harvard football players and organized the
Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, Harvard Law School is the oldest law school in continuous operation in the United ...
football team, which played exhibition games with other colleges around the country. During his time at Harvard, Fish became friends with Theodore Roosevelt Jr., the son of President
Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...
. In 1909, at 20, Fish graduated early from Harvard with a ''
cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...
'' degree in history and government. He declined an offer to teach history at Harvard and instead attended
Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, Harvard Law School is the oldest law school in continuous operation in the United ...
. He left law school before graduating, and took a job in a New York City insurance office.


New York State Assembly (1914–16)

Since Fish's father had served as Assistant Treasurer of the United States in Theodore Roosevelt's administration, and Fish himself had befriended Roosevelt's son at Harvard, he actively supported Roosevelt in the 1912 primaries against President
William Howard Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) served as the 27th president of the United States from 1909 to 1913 and the tenth chief justice of the United States from 1921 to 1930. He is the only person to have held both offices. ...
. Fish attended the
1912 Republican National Convention The 1912 Republican National Convention was held at the Chicago Coliseum, Chicago, Illinois, from June 18 to June 22, 1912. The party nominated President of the United States, President William Howard Taft and Vice President of the United States, ...
with his father and was dismayed when Taft was nominated despite popular support for Roosevelt. Fish joined Roosevelt in bolting the Republican Party and, with assistance from his father, he was appointed chair of the Putnam County
Bull Moose Party The Progressive Party, popularly nicknamed the Bull Moose Party, was a Third party (U.S. politics), third party in the United States formed in 1912 by former president Theodore Roosevelt after he lost the 1912 Republican Party presidential prim ...
. They campaigned for Roosevelt in the general election but, despite Roosevelt's defeat, Fish remained a committed Progressive. In 1913, Fish ran for Assembly against Republican county
political boss In the politics of the United States of America, a boss is a person who controls a faction or local branch of a political party. They do not necessarily hold public office themselves; most historical bosses did not, at least during the times of th ...
John Yale, whom Fish later remembered as "thoroughly corrupt." In a largely rural county facing challenges from industrialization and modernization, Fish's message of limiting private influence in government without limiting the exercise of private liberties was popular. Yale ultimately withdrew from the Assembly race in favor of a political ally, whom Fish easily defeated running on an anti-corruption platform. As a progressive, Fish enjoyed the support of former President Roosevelt and a friendly relationship with Roosevelt's distant cousin
Franklin Delano Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...
, a State Senator and resident of Hyde Park in neighboring Dutchess County. Before Fish's election, Fish and Senator Roosevelt collaborated on a plan to establish direct primary elections in 1912. The two men would continue cordial relations for the next two decades; after Franklin left Albany to become
Assistant Secretary of the Navy Assistant Secretary of the Navy (ASN) is the title given to certain civilian senior officials in the United States Department of the Navy. From 1861 to 1954, the Assistant Secretary of the Navy was the second-highest civilian office in the Depart ...
, he continued to assist Fish with
patronage Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, art patronage refers to the support that princes, popes, and other wealthy and influential people ...
requests and securing federal contracts for his insurance firm, the John Paige Insurance Company. As an Assemblyman for three terms, Fish championed progressive social and political reforms, including the reform of the New York state primary election system, a widow's pension, penal reforms, and workmen's compensation. With support from Theodore Roosevelt, Fish opposed a bill which would allow insurance companies to bypass the workmen's compensation scheme to settle claims and attacked the Speaker of the Assembly, Thaddeus Sweet, for misuse of public funds and hiring political allies for no-show jobs. Though Fish never substantiated his allegations, he won public applause.


Military service

Prior to the United States entering the First World War, Fish was captain of Company K, 15th New York Infantry. When the 15th was mobilized for Federal service, Fish accepted an offer from Col. William Hayward to retain his position in the 369th Infantry (as the 15th New York was re-designated following mobilization). The 369th was a unit of African American enlisted men with white officers (and a few African American officers at the start of the war) which came to be known as the "Harlem Hellfighters." The 369th Infantry was assigned to the 93d Division. The summer after President Wilson's declaration of war against
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
(in April 1917), Fish and about two thousand soldiers began training at Camp Whitman (in New York). In October 1917, the unit was ordered to Camp Wadsworth (in South Carolina) for further training. In November 1917, the regiment boarded the USS ''Pocahontas'', destined for
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
, although shortly thereafter the ship returned to shore due to engine problems. After another aborted departure, the ship left on December 13, 1917. Despite colliding with another ship and not having a
destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, maneuverable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy, or carrier battle group and defend them against a wide range of general threats. They were conceived i ...
escort to protect against German submarines, the regiment reached France. (Fish complained to
Assistant Secretary of the Navy Assistant Secretary of the Navy (ASN) is the title given to certain civilian senior officials in the United States Department of the Navy. From 1861 to 1954, the Assistant Secretary of the Navy was the second-highest civilian office in the Depart ...
Franklin D. Roosevelt about the lack of an escort.) Fish and his unit landed in Brest on December 26 and were placed under the control of the
French army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (, , ), is the principal Army, land warfare force of France, and the largest component of the French Armed Forces; it is responsible to the Government of France, alongside the French Navy, Fren ...
by U.S. General John J. Pershing. Altogether, the 369th Infantry spent 191 days on the front lines, the longest of any American regiment. It was also the first Allied regiment to reach the
Rhine River The Rhine ( ) is one of the major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Swiss-Austrian border. From Lake Cons ...
. Fish received the
Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against a ...
and the French War Cross 1914–1918. In addition, Fish and his sister Janet, who had been a nurse near the front lines, were both later inducted into the French
Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and civil. Currently consisting of five classes, it was ...
for their wartime service. Fish was promoted to major on March 13, 1919. He returned to the United States on April 25 and was discharged on May 14. He continued as a member of the Organized Reserve Corps until 1948, and attained the rank of
colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...
. Fish later credited his service with the 369th Infantry for his long support for civil rights in Congress. In 1922, 1937, and 1940, Fish joined with other Republicans and northern Democrats to pass anti-lynching bills, each of which was defeated in the Senate. During debate on the Military Appropriations Bill of 1941, Fish succeeded in adding an amendment to ban racial discrimination in the selection and training of military personnel, which was credited as an important step leading to desegregation of the military. Fish continued to advocate for the equal treatment of Black servicemen throughout
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, remarking in 1944, "Fourteen millions of loyal Americans have the right to expect that in a war for the advancement of the ' Four Freedoms,' their sons be given the same right as any other American to train, to serve, and to fight in combat units in defense of the United States in this greatest war in its history."


U.S. House of Representatives (1920–45)

Fish represented the
Hudson Valley The Hudson Valley or Hudson River Valley comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The region stretches from the Capital District (New York), Capital District includi ...
in the U.S. House from November 2, 1920, until January 3, 1945, after he was defeated running for what would have been his thirteenth term in office. In nearly 25 years as a Representative, Fish would become known as a strong
anticommunist Anti-communism is Political movement, political and Ideology, ideological opposition to communism, communist beliefs, groups, and individuals. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in Russia, and it reached global ...
and eventually an acerbic critic of his former ally and constituent, President
Franklin Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...
, and Roosevelt's
New Deal The New Deal was a series of wide-reaching economic, social, and political reforms enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1938, in response to the Great Depression in the United States, Great Depressi ...
, although he privately supported Roosevelt in 1932 and urged his wife to vote for him. His unapologetic opposition to the New Deal provoked Roosevelt to include him with two other Capitol Hill opponents in a rollicking taunt that became a staple of Roosevelt's 1940 re-election campaign: "
Martin Martin may refer to: Places Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Europe * Martin, Croatia, a village * Martin, Slovakia, a city * Martín del Río, Aragón, Spain * M ...
, Barton and Fish." Finally, in part under the influence of New York Governor
Thomas Dewey Thomas Edmund Dewey (March 24, 1902 – March 16, 1971) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 47th Governor of New York from 1943 to 1954. He was the Republican Party's nominee for president of the United States in 1944 and ...
, Fish's congressional career ended when he won the Republican Party primary in his district but lost the general election in 1944.


Early House career

In 1919, Fish returned home to become a founding member of the new
American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is an Voluntary association, organization of United States, U.S. war veterans headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. It comprises U.S. state, state, Territories of the United States, U.S. terr ...
. He was named chair of the three-member committee which wrote the preamble to the Legion's constitution and selected two other Roosevelt supporters as its other members. Though the three men collaborated on drafting, Fish later insisted he was primarily responsible for the preamble, which was a reflection of Rooseveltian nationalism. In November 1919, Fish attended the first American Legion convention in Minneapolis and backed the Roosevelt wing of the organization in its successful bid for control.


1920 election

After the American Legion convention, Fish returned to Garrison to plan his political future. He announced on April 15, 1920, that he would challenge incumbent United States Representative Edmund Platt in the Republican primary. Platt soon opted not to run for re-election and ultimately resigned in July to join the
Federal Reserve Board of Governors The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, commonly known as the Federal Reserve Board, is the main governing body of the Federal Reserve System. It is charged with overseeing the Federal Reserve Banks and with helping implement the mo ...
. Despite this, Fish faced a fight for the Republican nomination. Putnam County, his political base, was the smallest of the three counties in the district, and Republican organizations in the other counties endorsed their own candidates. Fish instead appealed directly to voters on a fourteen-point platform which blended progressive domestic policy, opposition to internationalism, and reactionary nativism, including "restriction of immigration based on character test" and "drastic action" against "Anarchists, I.W.Ws, Communists and ultra Socialists." Despite opposition from the party establishment, Fish enjoyed high name recognition from his and his father's time in office and support from veterans, the state Federation of Labor, and Black voters. He won the primary handily despite losing Dutchess County by 4,000 votes and very easily defeated Rosslyn Cox, the mayor of Middletown, in the general election. After his victory, Fish received congratulations from Franklin Roosevelt, who had been defeated as the Democratic nominee for vice president in the concurrent 1920 election. Roosevelt wrote,


Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Upon entering the House, the young Fish was the only veteran of World War I in Congress. On December 21, 1920, he introduced a resolution instituting Veterans Day as a national holiday. Fish also introduced House Resolution 67 of the 66th Congress, which provided for the interment of the remains of an unknown American soldier in a hallowed tomb to be constructed outside the Memorial Amphitheater in
Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System, one of two maintained by the United States Army. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia. ...
. Congress approved the resolution unanimously on March 4, 1921. The tomb, completed in 1937 with Fish's input, came to be known as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.


Fish Committee and opposition to Roosevelt

Fish was a fervent anticommunist; in a 1931 article titled ''The Menace of Communism'', he described communism as "the most important, the most vital, the most far-reaching, and the most dangerous issue in the world" and believed that there was extensive communist influence in the United States. On May 5, 1930, he introduced House Resolution 180, which proposed to establish a committee to investigate communist activities in the United States; the resulting committee, commonly known as the Fish Committee, undertook extensive investigations of people and organizations suspected of being involved with or supporting communist activities in the United States. Among those who testified before the committee were
Communist Party USA The Communist Party USA (CPUSA), officially the Communist Party of the United States of America, also referred to as the American Communist Party mainly during the 20th century, is a communist party in the United States. It was established ...
chair William Z. Foster and
Roger Nash Baldwin Roger Nash Baldwin (January 21, 1884 – August 26, 1981) was one of the founders of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). He served as executive director of the ACLU until 1950. Many of the ACLU's original landmark cases took place under h ...
, founder and director of the
American Civil Liberties Union The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is an American nonprofit civil rights organization founded in 1920. ACLU affiliates are active in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. The budget of the ACLU in 2024 was $383 million. T ...
. On January 17, 1931, the committee issued its final report, authored by Fish. Though Fish had earlier promised that the committee would request stronger immigration restrictions and deportation of communists, his report stated, "the surest and most effective way of combatting communism in the United States is to give the fullest publicity to the fundamental principles and aims of the communist... as they are not likely to prove acceptable to any considerable number of American citizens, unless camouflaged by extraneous issues." In 1933, Fish was on a committee that sponsored the publication in the United States of a translation of ''Communism in Germany'' by Adolf Ehrt, a Nazi propaganda book which claimed that Jews were responsible for communism in Germany and that only
Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
could stop it. In the prefatory note, the committee said it they did not publish it as a defense of
anti-Semitism Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...
or the
Nazi regime Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a totalitarian dictat ...
but because it believed that the struggle between Nazis and communists in Germany provided a lesson about using "effective measures" to defend against communism. Under pressure from American Jewish and liberal groups, Fish and the other committee members disavowed the book. Fish's opposition to communism and the
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
led him to break with
Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...
upon the President's decision to extend diplomatic recognition to the Soviet Union in 1933. Fish later called this decision "the first clear indication of the arrogance that would come to typify Roosevelt's administration." He also opposed the
New Deal The New Deal was a series of wide-reaching economic, social, and political reforms enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1938, in response to the Great Depression in the United States, Great Depressi ...
as "starting us down the road to socialism and dictatorship."


World War II

As the ranking Republican member on the
United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs The United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs, also known as the House Foreign Affairs Committee, is a standing committee of the U.S. House of Representatives with jurisdiction over bills and investigations concerning the foreign affair ...
in the years leading up to World War II, Fish played the leading role in advocating against American involvement in the war and Roosevelt's policy of economic aid to the Allies, especially the Soviet Union, and what Fish viewed as antagonism of Germany and Japan.


Involvement with Nazi Germany

A non-interventionist until after the
attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Empire of Japan on the United States Pacific Fleet at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, its naval base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu, Territory of ...
, Fish was among those in the U.S. Congress who went on record protesting the treatment of Jews in
Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
's Germany, but Germans touted him as friendly ally in Congress. Fish spoke from a stage decorated in swastikas at a German Day rally held at Madison Square Garden in 1938. On August 14, 1939, Fish served as president of the United States delegation to the Interparliamentary Union Congress conference in
Oslo, Norway Oslo ( or ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of towns and cities in Norway, most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a Counties of Norway, county and a Municipalities of Norway, municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a populat ...
, where he flew in the private plane of Joachim Ribbentrop. At the conference, Fish advocated better diplomatic relations with Nazi Germany and hoped to solve the " Danzig question," where he believed that German claims were "just."U.S. at War: Two Out, One to Go
" ''Time'', May 11, 1942.
Fish and his faction of the Republican Party received material support from the Germans to promote isolationism and non-interventionism in the United States, particularly at the 1940 Republican National Convention. Fish (and several others in Congress) became tools of the Nazi government in a plot designed to keep the US out of World War II. The German government wrote speeches that were delivered to congressional offices for members of Congress to give in the House and Senate. Once those speeches were made and published in the Congressional Record, German funds were used to print copies. Congressional mailing lists and "franked" envelopes were then used to mail the copies to hundreds of thousands of American homes and businesses. It was these actions that led to the trial of Fish's staffer, George Hill.


1940 election

In 1940, amid the early stages of
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the British Security Co-ordination agency focused a great deal of effort attempting to influence the United States government through front groups and influence. In 1940, British agents established and operated the Nonpartisan Committee to Defeat Hamilton Fish to "put the fear of God into every isolationist senator and congressman." The committee raised substantial sums of money for Fish's opponent, co-ordinated media attacks, created false charges of wrongdoing just before elections, and helped to distribute books that charged Fish with disloyalty. The committee as much as possible tried to make attacks on Fish appear to originate from his district, but historical documents indicate that most attacks originated outside of his district. Fish survived the attacks but won his election with less than half the margin of victory that he had earned two years earlier. In 1940, just after the presidential election, Fish sent a telegram to Roosevelt which read: "Congratulations. I pledge my support for national defense ... and to keep America out of foreign wars."


Trial of George Hill

In 1941, a judiciary panel investigating the activities of Nazi agents in the US, sent officers to the Washington headquarters of an anti-British organization, the Islands for War Debts Committee, to seize eight bags of franked congressional mail containing speeches by isolationist members of Congress. George Hill, Fish's chief of staff, had the mail taken to Fish's office storeroom just prior to their arrival.No Fish, But Foul
" ''Time'', January 26, 1942.
A
grand jury A grand jury is a jury empowered by law to conduct legal proceedings, investigate potential criminal conduct, and determine whether criminal charges should be brought. A grand jury may subpoena physical evidence or a person to testify. A grand ju ...
was convened and summoned Hill to explain why he had been so solicitous about the Islands for War Debts Committee's mail and his close association with George Sylvester Viereck, a Nazi propaganda agent. (Viereck would later be convicted of violating the
Foreign Agents Registration Act The Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) ( ''et seq.'') is a United States law that imposes Public disclosure of private facts, public disclosure obligations on Foreign agent, persons representing foreign interests.
and for having subsidized the Islands for War Debts Committee.) Hill said that he had not sent for the mail and did not know Viereck. The jury promptly indicted Hill for
perjury Perjury (also known as forswearing) is the intentional act of swearing a false oath or falsifying an affirmation to tell the truth, whether spoken or in writing, concerning matters material to an official proceeding."Perjury The act or an insta ...
. Shortly after the indictment, Fish defended Hill claiming, "George Hill is 100% O.K., and I'll back George Hill to the limit on anything." During the trial, Hill had explained that Viereck visited Capitol Hill in 1940 and arranged for wholesale distribution of congressional speeches attacking the administration's foreign policy. After hearing that a jury had reached its verdict and anticipating a conviction, Fish issued a statement: "I am very sorry to learn that George Hill, a disabled, decorated veteran of the World War and a clerk in my office, has been convicted of perjury ... Mr. Hill is of English ancestry ... He had an obsession against our involvement in war." Twenty hours later, the jury convicted Hill. He was sentenced to 2 to 6 years in prison, which was reduced to 10 months to 3 years on appeal.


Pearl Harbor attack and call for war

On December 8, 1941, the day after the
attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Empire of Japan on the United States Pacific Fleet at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, its naval base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu, Territory of ...
, Fish made the first speech in Congress asking for a declaration of war against Japan. He volunteered for Army service, "preferably with colored troops," to avenge the attack. At age 53, he did not have an opportunity to volunteer, and continued to serve in Congress.Fish later said he regretted his call for war and would not have made his speech had he been aware of Roosevelt's policy toward Japan before the attack. He published ''FDR: The Other Side of the Coin'' in 1976, arguing that Roosevelt had deliberately provoked the Japanese and had advance knowledge of the attack. In his 1991 memoirs, Fish described himself as "ashamed of his remarks" in support of Roosevelt.


1942 election

In the 1942 election, Fish, like other former isolationists, was considered vulnerable. The Orange and Putnam district, which Fish represented, had begun to turn against him. Polls predicted, incorrectly, that Fish would not even win the Republican primary. For the first time in his 22 years of political campaigning, he opened campaign headquarters. Soon thereafter, he was repudiated by the popular Republican gubernatorial candidate, Thomas Dewey. ''Time'' magazine, a persistent critic of Fish, termed him "the Nation's No. 1 isolationist." Less than two weeks before the 1942 election, Drew Pearson's nationally syndicated column ''Washington Merry-Go-Round'' described in detail how in 1939, Fish had received over $3,100 in cash from a source with German ties.


1944 defeat

However, reapportionment, which took effect in 1944, fragmented what had been his 26th District. That year, he ran in the 29th District, which no longer included his home county of Putnam but included one county (Orange) from his previous district and three new counties. Augustus W. Bennet of Newburgh defeated Fish by approximately 5,000 votes."Ham Fish Beaten for Re-Election by A.W. Bennet," Dunkirk Evening Observer, November 8, 1944, at p. 1. As ''Time'' magazine reported, "In New York, to the nation's delight, down went rabid anti-Roosevelt isolationist Hamilton Fish, after 24 years in Congress. His successor: liberal Augustus W. Bennet, Newburgh lawyer." Fish said in his concession speech that his defeat "should be largely credited to Communistic and Red forces from New York City backed by a large slush fund probably exceeding $250,000." In a farewell speech before the House on December 11, 1944, he stated, "It took most of the New Deal Administration, half of Moscow, $400,000, and Governor Dewey to defeat me." Fish also stated, "I particularly wanted to be elected to serve as chairman of the Rules Committee to stop the march toward communism and totalitarianism in America. I have no regrets whatever, as I waged the strongest possible fight that I knew how." Embittered by his defeat, Fish promptly sued Robert F. Cutler, the executive secretary of the group Good Government Committee for
libel Defamation is a communication that injures a third party's reputation and causes a legally redressable injury. The precise legal definition of defamation varies from country to country. It is not necessarily restricted to making assertions ...
, seeking $250,000 in damages for advertisements depicting Fish as a Nazi sympathizer. The ads also depicted Fish associating with the "American Führer," Fritz Kuhn. He would later discontinue the lawsuit without a settlement.


Later life

Fish was one of the witnesses portrayed in the 1981
Warren Beatty Henry Warren Beatty (né Beaty; born March 30, 1937) is an American actor and filmmaker. His career has spanned over six decades, and he has received an Academy Award and three Golden Globe Awards. He also received the Irving G. Thalberg Memor ...
film '' Reds'', which depicts the life of journalist John Reed and his experiences during Russia's 1917
October Revolution The October Revolution, also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution (in Historiography in the Soviet Union, Soviet historiography), October coup, Bolshevik coup, or Bolshevik revolution, was the second of Russian Revolution, two r ...
, which led to the creation of a communist state in
Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
and the
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
. As part of producing the film, the crew interviewed in the 1970s several individuals who had witnessed the events of 1917. The interviews were used throughout the film to describe places and events and to bridge transitions between the scenes. Fish endorsed Conservative Party nominee James L. Buckley in the 1970 United States Senate election in New York. In his 1991 memoirs, Fish would accuse the
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
of being a means for Franklin Roosevelt to "become president of the entire world." In addition, Fish would express support for
NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...
, United States invasions of Panama and Grenada, and the 1990
Gulf War , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...
, while criticizing the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
. Harshly critical of American support for France against Southeast Asian independence movements, Fish would describe
John Foster Dulles John Foster Dulles (February 25, 1888 – May 24, 1959) was an American politician, lawyer, and diplomat who served as United States secretary of state under President Dwight D. Eisenhower from 1953 until his resignation in 1959. A member of the ...
as the “worst Secretary of State in American history.”


Personal life

Fish was married four times. His first marriage in 1921 to Grace Chapin Rogers (1885–1960), daughter of former mayor of Brooklyn Alfred C. Chapin (1848–1936), produced three children. Their son, Hamilton Fish IV, was a thirteen-term U.S. Representative from New York, holding office from 1969 to 1995. The Fishes' daughter Lillian Veronica Fish married David Whitmire Hearst, son of
William Randolph Hearst William Randolph Hearst (; April 29, 1863 – August 14, 1951) was an American newspaper publisher and politician who developed the nation's largest newspaper chain and media company, Hearst Communications. His extravagant methods of yellow jou ...
. In 1976, Hamilton Fish III married Alice Desmond, the widow of his long-time colleague Thomas Desmond. In 1980, Fish and Desmond created a library for the Garrison, NY community where the Fish family had family ties. Mrs. Fish gave the funds to establish the Alice Curtis Desmond and Hamilton Fish Library. The couple divorced in 1984. Fish married his fourth and final wife, Lydia Ambrogio Fish, on September 9, 1988. They remained married until his death. She died in Port Jervis on January 12, 2015.


Death and burial

Fish died in
Cold Spring, New York Cold Spring is a Administrative divisions of New York#Village, village in the town of Philipstown, New York, Philipstown in Putnam County, New York, United States. The population was 1,986 at the 2020 census. It borders the smaller village of Ne ...
, on January 18, 1991. He was buried at Saint Philip's Church Cemetery in
Garrison, New York Garrison is a Hamlet (New York), hamlet in Putnam County, New York, Putnam County, New York (state), New York, United States. It is part of the town of Philipstown, New York, Philipstown, on the east side of the Hudson River, across from the U ...
.


Works


Books


''George Washington in the Highlands, or Some Unwritten History.''
Newburgh, NY: Newburgh News (1932). * ''The Red Plotters.'' New York: Domestic and Foreign Affairs Publishers (1947).
''The Challenge of World Communism.''
Milwaukee: Bruce Publishing Company (1946).Adams, Frank S. (September 8, 1946)
"Opinions of Hamilton Fish."
Review of ''The Challenge of World Communism'' by Hamilton Fish III. ''
New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', p. BR13.

''FDR: The Other Side of the Coin: How We Were Tricked Into World War II.''
New York: Vantage Press (1976). . * ''Lafayette in America During and After the Revolutionary War and Other Essays on Franco-American Relations.'' New York: Vantage Press (1976). .
''New York State: The Battleground of the Revolutionary War.''
New York: Vantage Press (1976). . * ''Tragic Deception: FDR and America's Involvement in World War II''. Preface by the publisher. Old Greenwich, Conn.: Devin-Adair (1983). . *


Reports


''Participation in the Preparatory Commission to Consider Questions of Reduction and Limitation of Armaments'' (To Accompany H. J. Res. 352)
(February 12, 1927).


Public addresses


"The Republican Party Keeps Faith With Lincoln."
(February 13, 1928). Delivered at the Lincoln Club in St. Paul, Minnesota.


Further reading

* Fish, Stuyvesant (1929). ''Ancestors of Hamilton Fish and Julia Ursin Niemcewicz Kean, His Wife''. New York: The Evening Post. * (Ph.D. dissertation) *


See also

* List of members of the American Legion * List of centenarians (politicians and civil servants) * Pearl Harbor advance-knowledge conspiracy theory


References


External links


Interview
for ''The Great Depression'', 1990. ::Washington University Libraries, Film and Media Archive, Henry Hampton Collection. * * * * * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Fish, Hamilton, Iii 1888 births 1991 deaths 20th-century American far-right politicians Activists for African-American civil rights All-American college football players American anti-lynching activists American anti–World War II activists American anti–Vietnam War activists American men centenarians American anti-communists American Christian Zionists American football tackles American Nazi propagandists Antisemitism in New York (state) United States Army personnel of World War I College Football Hall of Fame inductees Fay School alumni Hamilton III Founders of lineage societies Harvard College alumni Harvard Crimson football players American recipients of the Legion of Honour Republican Party members of the New York State Assembly Military personnel from New York (state) New York (state) Progressives (1912) Politicians from Putnam County, New York American recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) Recipients of the Silver Star Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) St. Mark's School (Massachusetts) alumni United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni United States Army colonels United States Army reservists Old Right (United States) 20th-century members of the New York State Legislature 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives Zionism and antisemitism