James Haas Scheuer ( ) (February 6, 1920 – August 30, 2005) was an American lawyer and military veteran who served as a Democratic member of 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

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. He was also affiliated with the

Liberal Party of New York The Liberal Party of New York is a political party in New York (state), New York. Its political platform, platform supports a standard set of socially liberal policies, including abortion rights, increased spending on education, and universal h ...

Family and education

Scheuer was born and raised in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, where he attended the Ethical Culture Fieldston School. He received a bachelor's degree from

Swarthmore College Swarthmore College ( , ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1864, with its first classes held in 1869, Swarthmore is one of the e ...

in 1942, a master's degree from

Harvard Business School Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate school, graduate business school of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university. Located in Allston, Massachusetts, HBS owns Harvard Business Publishing, which p ...

in 1943, and a law degree from

Columbia University Law School Columbia Law School (CLS) is the law school of Columbia University, a private Ivy League university in New York City. The school was founded in 1858 as the Columbia College Law School. The university is known for its legal scholarship dating ba ...

in 1948. His brothers were Richard J. Scheuer, a scholar and philanthropist, Walter Scheuer, an investor and documentary-maker, and Steven H. Scheuer, a television and film critic. His sister is Amy Scheuer Cohen of Larchmont, NY. He was married in 1948 to interior designer Emily Malino (1925–2007) and had four children. Scheuer contracted polio while on his honeymoon, and recuperated for a year at 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 ...

's Warm Springs facility in

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

. He walked with a cane for the rest of his life.

Early career

Scheuer served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

from 1943 until 1945. After returning home, he was hired by the Foreign Economic Administration, and in 1951 he became employed by the Office of Price Stabilization.

Congress

After an unsuccessful run for the House in 1962, Scheuer was elected to Congress in 1964. He originally served from January 3, 1965, until January 3, 1973. He also headed the National Housing Conference. Scheuer was an early and outspoken opponent of the Vietnam War and opposed governmental interference in private matters such as contraception and abortion. A strong liberal, he supported legislation for the Head Start early education program, environmental protection and automotive safety. He also was a staunch supporter of Israel and the cause of

Soviet Jews The history of the Jews in the Soviet Union is inextricably linked to much earlier expansionist policies of the Russian Empire conquering and ruling the eastern half of the European continent already before the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. "Fo ...

. He introduced a bill (HR 10638) to "provide for the establishment of the Negro History Museum Commission." He was "the first high-ranking American official to meet with

refuseniks Refusenik (, ; alternatively spelled refusnik) was an unofficial term for individuals—typically, but not exclusively, Soviet Jews—who were denied permission to emigrate, primarily to Israel, by the authorities of the Soviet Union and othe ...

" and in 1972 was detained and then expelled from the Soviet Union for meeting with Jews who were trying to emigrate from that country. Scheuer ran for Mayor of New York City in 1969, but finished last in a field of five in the Democratic primary.

Defeat and return to office

Population loss in the Bronx and redistricting in 1970 and again in 1972 pitted Scheuer against two other incumbent Congressmen in succession. In 1970 he defeated Representative Jacob H. Gilbert, but two years later he was defeated by Representative Jonathan Bingham. Scheuer ran for Congress once again in 1974, moving to Neponsit, Queens in a different New York City district to succeed retiring Democrat Frank J. Brasco, who represented parts of south Queens and

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

. He served his second stint as Representative from January 3, 1975, until January 3, 1993. In the 1980 Census his district was once again eliminated and he again moved to an open seat, this time based in Northeast Queens.

Later life

Following his retirement, he served as the United States Director of the

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, shortened to EBRD ( French: ''Banque européenne pour la reconstruction et le développement'' or ''BERD''), is an international financial institution founded in 1991 in Paris. As a multilat ...

from 1994 until 1996. Scheuer died of heart and kidney failure at age 85.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Scheuer, James H. 1920 births 2005 deaths American people of German-Jewish descent Harvard Business School alumni Columbia Law School alumni Swarthmore College alumni Ethical Culture Fieldston School alumni Jewish members of the United States House of Representatives Politicians from Manhattan United States Army soldiers People from Rockaway, Queens Politicians from Queens, New York Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) 20th-century New York (state) politicians 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives