Nicholas Stuyvesant Fish (September 30, 1958 – January 2, 2020) was an American politician and lawyer who served as a Commissioner of

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populou ...

from 2008 to 2020. A Democrat, Fish worked with

Portland Parks & Recreation Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) is a Bureau of the City of Portland, Oregon that manages the city parks, natural areas, recreational facilities, gardens, and trails. The properties, which occupy a total of more than . The bureau employs a total ...

, the Portland Housing Bureau, and the Bureau of Environmental Services.

Early life

Fish was born and raised in Millbrook, New York. He is a member of the prominent Fish political family. He was the son of Julia MacKenzie and

Hamilton Fish IV 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 ...

, who represented New York in the

United States 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 the ...

from 1969 to 1995. His grandfather,

Hamilton Fish III Hamilton Fish III (born Hamilton Stuyvesant Fish and also known as Hamilton Fish Jr.; December 7, 1888 – January 18, 1991) was an American soldier and politician from New York State. Born into a family long active in the state, he served in t ...

, represented New York in the

from 1920 to 1945 and served in 369th U.S. Infantry Regiment known as the "Harlem Hellfighters." Fish's great-great grandfather was

Hamilton Fish Hamilton Fish (August 3, 1808September 7, 1893) was an American politician who served as the List of Governors of New York, 16th Governor of New York from 1849 to 1850, a United States Senate, United States Senator from New York (state), New Y ...

, the 26th

United States Secretary of State The United States secretary of state 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 office holder is one of the highest ranking members of the president's ...

Career

After graduating from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

in 1981, Fish worked as a legislative aide for

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

Congressman

Barney Frank Barnett Frank (born March 31, 1940) is a former American politician. He served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts from 1981 to 2013. A Democrat, Frank served as chairman of the House Financial Services Committ ...

. He received a

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice l ...

degree from

Northeastern University Northeastern University (NU) is a private research university with its main campus in Boston. Established in 1898, the university offers undergraduate and graduate programs on its main campus as well as satellite campuses in Charlotte, North C ...

in 1986. Fish practiced law in

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 U ...

and in

. Fish spent ten years representing health care workers and unions in

. He was appointed to Manhattan Community Board Five, a neighborhood association, serving as chair for two years. Fish championed the renovation of the Times Square Hotel. Working with community non-profit

Common Ground Common Ground may refer to: Books and periodicals * ''Common Ground'' (Lukas book), by J. Anthony Lukas * ''Common Ground'' (magazine), a literary magazine published quarterly between 1941 and 1949 * ''Common Ground'' (memoir), by Canadian po ...

, the hotel was remodeled into affordable housing and a thriving community of theater district workers, residents living with

HIV/AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual ...

, and formerly homeless individuals. The Times Square renovation received the

Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence The Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence (RBA) was established in 1986 by Cambridge, Massachusetts architect Simeon Bruner. The award is named after Simeon Bruner's late father, Rudy Bruner, founder of the Bruner Foundation. According to the Bru ...

in 1997. Fish moved to

in 1996 after his wife, Patricia Schechter, was offered a teaching position in the History Department at

Portland State University Portland State University (PSU) is a public research university in Portland, Oregon. It was founded in 1946 as a post-secondary educational institution for World War II veterans. It evolved into a four-year college over the following two decades ...

. Prior to running for elected office, Fish practiced employment law in Oregon, and hosted ''Outlook Portland with Nick Fish'', a public affairs show on KRCW. Fish served on the boards of Home Forward (formerly the Housing Authority of Portland), the

Oregon Cultural Trust Oregon Cultural Trust is a cultural promotion and preservation organization in the U.S. state of Oregon. It provides grants and funding to arts, humanities, and heritage organizations to stabilize and expand. The Trust's partners include the Ore ...

Volunteers of America Volunteers of America (VOA) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1896 that provides affordable housing and other assistance services primarily to low-income people throughout the United States. Headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, the orga ...

, and the St. Mark's Historic Landmark Fund.

Politics

Fish first ran for a seat on the Portland City Council in 2002, losing to Randy Leonard. He ran again in 2004, losing to future Mayor Sam Adams. In 2008, Fish again ran for the Council, this time in a special election for the unexpired term of resigned Commissioner

Erik Sten Erik Sten (born October 1967 in New Haven, Connecticut) is an American politician who served as a member of the Portland City Commission from 1997 to 2008. Early life and education Sten was born in New Haven, Connecticut and raised in Portlan ...

. He won the seat with 61.4% of the vote. He was re-elected to a full four-year term in 2010 with just under 80% of the vote. Until February 2013, Fish served as Commissioner-in-Charge of the Portland Housing Bureau and

. In 2010, Fish led the creation of the new Portland Housing Bureau, streamlining and consolidating the City's housing programs and services. In 2011, he celebrated the opening of Bud Clark Commons, a cornerstone of the City's 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness. In June 2013, a shuffling of bureaus among the commissioners by Mayor Hales saw Fish assigned the Bureau of Environment Services and the

Portland Water Bureau The Portland Water Bureau is the municipal water department for the city of Portland in the U.S. state of Oregon. The bureau manages a water supply that comes mainly from the Bull Run River in the foothills of the Cascade Range east of the city an ...

, and placed in charge of the Regional Arts & Culture Council.

Personal life

Fish and his wife lived in the

Goose Hollow Goose Hollow is a neighborhood in southwest Portland, Oregon, United States. It acquired its distinctive name through early residents' practice of letting their geese run free in Tanner Creek Gulch and near the wooded ravine in the Tualatin Moun ...

neighborhood of Portland. Fish was diagnosed with stomach cancer in 2017. On December 31, 2019, Fish said he was no longer able to carry out his work as a commissioner and announced his plan to resign upon the election of a successor. Two days later, Fish died at his home in Portland.Portland City Commissioner Nick Fish dead from stomach cancer
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References

External links

Commissioner Nick Fish
on City of Portland website {{DEFAULTSORT:Fish, Nick 1958 births 2020 deaths 21st-century American politicians Deaths from cancer in Oregon Deaths from stomach cancer Nicholas Stuyvesant Harvard University alumni Lawyers from New York City Lawyers from Portland, Oregon Northeastern University School of Law alumni Oregon Democrats People from Millbrook, New York Portland City Council members (Oregon) United States congressional aides