Hamilton Fish III
Hamilton Fish III (
December 7,
1888 -
January 18,
1991) was a
U.S Congressman from
New York. He served in
World War I by commanding an all
African American regiment known as the "
Harlem Hellfighters". Fish was elected to Congress in
1920 and served until
1945. He was opposed to
F.D.R's New Deal policies before and after
Pearl Harbor. Fish was a member of one of New York's most prominent political families. His grandfather,
Hamilton Fish, served as a
Senator and as President
Ulysses S. Grant's
Secretary of State.
After his tenure in Congress, Fish wrote his autobiography and a short history of World War I. When Fish celebrated his 102nd birthday in 1990, he was the oldest living American politician.
Although he was the third Hamilton Fish in direct line in his family, like his father (1849 - 1936) and son (1926 - 1996) he was known as Hamilton Fish Jr. during his time in Congress. His grandson has also been known as Hamilton Fish III, and ran for Congress as "Hamilton Fish Jr." in 1994.