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Hamilton Fish II
Hamilton Fish II
Hamilton Fish II
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Hamilton Fish II (April 17, 1849 – January 15, 1936) was an American lawyer and politician who served as Speaker of the New York State Assembly and a member of the United States House of Representatives.[1]

Key Information

Early life

[edit]

Fish was born in Albany, New York, on April 17, 1849, while his father was serving as Governor of New York.[2] Fish was the son of Julia Ursin Niemcewicz Kean (1816–1887)[3] and Hamilton Fish (1808–1893).[4] He graduated from Columbia College of Columbia University in 1869 and was a member of St. Anthony Hall.[5] He also received a Master of Arts degree from Columbia.[6][7]

His paternal grandparents were Elizabeth (née Stuyvesant) Fish and Nicholas Fish (1758–1833), a leading Federalist politician and notable figure of the American Revolutionary War,[4] who named his father after their friend Alexander Hamilton.[8][2] In 1903, he succeeded his brother Nicholas Fish II as a hereditary member of the Society of the Cincinnati.[2]

Career

[edit]

After graduating from Columbia, he served as private secretary to his father for two years.[2] He then returned to Columbia and attended Columbia Law School, graduating in 1873.[9] From 1873 to 1874 he was aide-de-camp to Governor John Adams Dix with the rank of colonel.[10]

He was elected to twelve terms as a member of the New York State Assembly,[2] representing Putnam County, in 1874, 1876, 1877, 1878, 1879, 1889, 1890, 1891, 1893, 1894, 1895 and 1896. He was the Republican leader in 1890 and Speaker in 1895 and 1896.[1]

He was selected in 1903 to serve as assistant treasurer of the United States in charge of the Wall Street sub-treasury in the administration of Theodore Roosevelt. Roosevelt's first choice, Robert Bacon, declined the position. He withdrew his second choice, William Plimley, after objections from several senators and New York bank presidents to the appointment of a political aide who had no relevant experience. Roosevelt then nominated Fish, who was promptly confirmed.[11] He resigned from the Treasury in 1908 to run for the United States House of Representatives against Andrew C. Zabriskie.[2] He defeated Zabriskie and was elected to represent New York's 21st district and served for a single term from March 4, 1909, until March 3, 1911. He was defeated for reelection.[1]

For many years Fish was considered to be one of the top Republican bosses in the State of New York, controlling Putnam County.[1]

Congressional electoral history

[edit]
New York's 21st congressional district election, 1908[12]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Hamilton Fish II 22,832 51.99
Democratic Andrew C. Zabriskie 19,725 44.92
Prohibition William W. Smith 790 1.8
Independence George Lazar 425 0.97
Socialist George H. Warner 141 0.32
Total votes 43,913 100.00
Republican hold
New York's 21st congressional district election, 1910[13]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Richard E. Connell 18,832 49.79
Republican Hamilton Fish II (incumbent) 18,315 48.42
Socialist David F. Slater 677 1.79
Total votes 37,824 100.00
Democratic gain from Republican

Personal life

[edit]

In 1880, Fish was married to Emily Maria Mann (1854–1899) at St. John's Church in Troy, New York.[14] She was the daughter of Francis N. Mann (1802–1880) and Mary J. (née Hooker) Mann (1822–1875).[15] Before her death in 1899,[16] they were the parents of:[4]

  • Janet Fish (1883–1970), who died unmarried.[17]
  • Julia Kean Fish (1884–1960),[18] who married William Lawrence Breese (1883–1915) in 1908.[19] He was killed in World War I.[20] His older sister, Eloise Lawrence Breese (1882–1953), was married to Gilbert Heathcote-Drummond-Willoughby, 2nd Earl of Ancaster (1867–1951), and his younger sister, Anne Breese (1885–1959), who was married to Lord Alastair Robert Innes-Ker (b. 1880), the second son of James Innes-Ker, 7th Duke of Roxburghe, and a first cousin of Winston Churchill. Lord Alastair's brother, Henry Innes-Ker, 8th Duke of Roxburghe, also married an American, Mary Goelet (1878–1937), the daughter of the New York real-estate millionaire Ogden Goelet.[21] His younger brother, Lord Robert Edward Innes-Ker (1885–1958), married the actress José Collins.[22]
  • Emily Rosalind Fish (1886–1975),[23] who married John Wilson Cutler (1887–1950), an investment banker,[24] in 1910.[25]
  • Hamilton Stuyvesant Fish III (1888–1991), also a U.S. Representative,[26] who married Grace Chapin Rogers (1885–1960), daughter of Brooklyn Mayor Alfred C. Chapin in 1921. After her death in 1960, he married Marie Blackton in 1967. After her death in 1974, he was married to Alice Desmond from 1976 until their divorce in 1984. He married for the fourth time in 1988 to Lydia Ambrogio, whom he remained married to until his death at the age of 102.[27]
  • Helena Livingston Fish (1893–1970), who married Henry Forster (1889–1989),[28] a son of Frederick Prentiss Forster and Edith (née Allen) Forster, in 1920.

After his first wife's death, he married Florence Delaplaine (1849–1926)[29] in 1912.[30][31][32] Florence, a widow of both James Beekman (1848–1902), a great-grandson of James Beekman, and Gustav Amsinck (1837–1909), was the daughter of Isaac C. Delaplaine and Matilda (née Post) Delaplaine (1821–1907).

In the late 19th century, he purchased the Rock Lawn and Carriage House at Garrison, New York.[33]

Fish died at the home of his daughter Julia,[2] in Aiken, South Carolina, on January 15, 1936.[34][35][36][37] He was buried at Saint Philip's Church Cemetery in Garrison.[38]

Descendants

[edit]

Through his daughter Julia, he was the grandfather of William Lawrence Breese Jr. (1909–2000), founder and chairman of the Longview Foundation for Education in World Affairs and International Understanding,[39] and Hamilton Fish Breese (1910–1920).[20]

Through his son Hamilton, he was the grandfather of Hamilton Fish IV (1926–1996),[40] a thirteen-term U.S. Representative from New York who held office from 1969 to 1995,[41] and Lillian Veronica Fish married David Whitmire Hearst (1915–1986),[42] son of William Randolph Hearst.[43]

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Hamilton Fish II

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Hamilton Fish II (April 17, 1849 – January 15, 1936) was an American lawyer and Republican politician who represented in the for one term during the 61st (1909–1911). Born in , while his father served as , he was the eldest son of , the U.S. under President . Fish II pursued a legal career after graduating from and entered politics through service in the , where he eventually rose to the position of Speaker from 1895 to 1896. His congressional tenure focused on regional interests, reflecting the political legacy of his prominent family, which included multiple generations of public servants, though he did not achieve the national prominence of his father or son, .

Early Life and Education

Family Heritage and Upbringing

Hamilton Fish II was born on April 17, 1849, in , while his father served as governor of the state. His father, (1808–1893), was a leading figure in New York and national politics, having previously acted as lieutenant governor, U.S. congressman, and U.S. senator before his gubernatorial term from 1849 to 1850, and later as U.S. under President from 1869 to 1877. His mother, Julia Ursin Niemcewicz Kean (1816–1887), was the daughter of John Kean, a U.S. senator from , linking the family to additional political lineages. The Fish family traced its heritage to early Dutch settlers in New York, with paternal roots in Nicholas Fish (1758–1833), a Revolutionary War veteran who served as an to and held posts as New York state assemblyman and U.S. marshal; Nicholas named his son Hamilton after his associate. The maternal Stuyvesant line through the elder Hamilton Fish's mother, Elizabeth Stuyvesant, connected to one of New York's oldest patrician families, reinforcing the clan's status in colonial and early republican elite circles. This heritage instilled a of and Federalist-Whig-Republican affiliation, shaping expectations for the younger Hamilton amid a household of siblings including Nicholas Fish II, Julia Kean Fish, and Susan Livingston Kean Fish. Following his father's departure from the governorship, the family relocated to the Glenclyffe estate near in , acquired in 1860 as a retreat symbolizing agrarian and proximity to political power in Albany and . Fish II's upbringing there occurred in an environment of substantial wealth from family real estate, legal practice, and investments, fostering preparation for elite education at Columbia College, though specific childhood experiences emphasized disciplined intellectual and civic development over leisure, consistent with the era's patrician norms for dynastic heirs.

Academic and Professional Preparation

Hamilton Fish II received his early education at private schools in the United States and . He graduated from Columbia College in 1869. After completing his undergraduate studies, Fish served as private secretary to his father, Nicholas Fish, a and banker, for two years. He subsequently returned to to attend , graduating in 1873. That same year, he was admitted to the New York bar. Fish began practicing law in upon gaining admission to the bar, providing him with initial professional experience in legal affairs prior to entering elective office. His legal training and brief administrative role under his father equipped him with skills in governance, policy, and that informed his later legislative service.

Political Career

Service in the New York State Assembly

Hamilton Fish II, having been admitted to the New York bar in 1873, entered Republican politics in Putnam County and was elected to the that year, representing the county in the 97th session beginning in January 1874. As a Republican assemblyman, he focused on state legislative matters pertinent to rural upstate districts like Putnam, amid a period of party competition between Republicans and Democrats in New York politics. Fish secured re-election multiple times, accumulating twelve terms in spanning 1874 to 1896, though not consecutively. His service emphasized fidelity to Republican platforms, including support for business interests and infrastructure in agricultural regions, consistent with the party's dominance in the legislature during much of the . Specific legislative initiatives from his early terms remain sparsely recorded in secondary historical accounts, reflecting the era's emphasis on committee work over individual bill sponsorship.

Speakership of the New York State Assembly


Hamilton Fish II, a Republican assemblyman from Putnam County with extensive prior service, was selected as Speaker by the Republican caucus on January 1, 1895, for the upcoming legislative session. In the caucus vote among 104 Republicans, Fish received 73 votes, defeating George R. Malby, who garnered 22 votes, and Danforth E. Ainsworth, with 6 votes. This strong majority underscored Fish's support within the party, despite speculation about factional challenges involving Malby as a potential anti-Platt figure. Fish served as Speaker for two consecutive terms, presiding over the from January 1895 through December 31, 1896. His elevation to the speakership capped over two decades of intermittent service in the , where he had represented Putnam County in multiple sessions since his initial election in 1874.

Candidacy and Service in the United States

Hamilton Fish II, leveraging his prominence as a longtime member and recent speaker-elect of the , secured the Republican nomination for in the 1892 elections for the . He defeated the Democrat, Ashbel P. Fitch, in the general election held on November 8, 1892, amid a national Republican landslide that returned President Benjamin Harrison's party to control of the . Fish took office on March 4, 1893, representing a district encompassing parts of and surrounding areas. During his single term in the 53rd (1893–1895), Fish served on the Committee on Agriculture and the Committee on Labor, focusing primarily on constituency matters rather than high-profile national legislation. His legislative record was modest, with no major bills sponsored or enacted under his name, consistent with the short duration of his service and the era's emphasis on party-line voting during debates over tariffs, silver coinage, and economic recovery from the Panic of 1893. In the 1894 midterm elections, Fish sought reelection to the 54th but lost to Democrat Samuel Wallin, reflecting the Democratic resurgence in urban districts amid economic discontent and the broader realignment favoring Republicans nationally yet challenging incumbents in competitive seats. He returned to practice in following his defeat, marking the end of his federal service.

Electoral History and Political Positions

Key Elections and Outcomes

Hamilton Fish II first won election to the New York State Assembly representing Putnam County as a Republican in November 1874, securing the seat in a district favorable to his party due to its rural, conservative base. He was reelected in subsequent cycles, including 1876 through 1879, reflecting consistent voter support in Putnam County amid Republican dominance in upstate New York during the post-Civil War era. Fish served additional nonconsecutive terms in 1889–1891 and 1894, with his 1894 victory positioning him for election as Speaker of the Assembly in 1895, a role achieved through intraparty caucus support rather than a direct popular vote. Later Assembly wins in 1907 and 1908 further demonstrated his enduring local appeal before shifting focus to federal office. In 1908, Fish resigned his Treasury post to pursue a congressional seat, receiving the Republican nomination for New York's 21st district without opposition. He defeated Democratic opponent John B. Zabriskie in the general election on November 3, entering the 61st (1909–1911) as part of the Republican majority under President William Howard . The victory aligned with national Republican gains, bolstered by Taft's presidential coattails and Fish's family prestige. Fish sought reelection in 1910 amid a midterm backlash against the Taft administration's tariff policies and growing progressive discontent within the GOP. Unanimously renominated by district Republicans on October 5, he nonetheless lost to Democrat Richard E. Connell in the November 8 general election, part of a broader Democratic surge that flipped 57 House seats nationwide. This defeat ended his federal service, though it did not diminish his prior state-level successes rooted in localized Republican loyalty.

Stances on Major Issues

Fish adhered to the conservative "stand-pat" faction within the Republican Party, emphasizing resistance to tariff reductions and defending high protective duties to shield American industries. He was characterized as a standpatter amid congressional discussions on tariff policy, consistent with support for the Payne-Aldrich Tariff Act of , which generally raised rates on imports despite some compromises. In the 61st Congress, Fish participated in the progressive-led revolt against Speaker Joseph Cannon's autocratic control over House procedures. On January 7, 1910, he voted alongside insurgents and Democrats to override Cannon-aligned regulars in assigning committee positions, aiding the push to diminish the Speaker's dominance in selecting committees and enforcing . This alignment on institutional reform contrasted with his economic conservatism, reflecting selective support for curbing executive overreach in legislative operations without broader progressive shifts. Fish's positions earned endorsement from the Republican "old guard" in his district, securing unanimous renomination for the in the traditionally conservative 21st New York district.

Personal Life and Legacy

Marriage, Family, and Descendants

Hamilton Fish II married Emily Maria Mann on April 28, 1880, in , . Emily Mann, born circa 1854, died on March 15, 1899. The couple resided primarily in , , where their family estate was located. They had five children: four daughters and one son. The daughters were Janet Mary Fish (1883–1970), who remained unmarried and served as a nurse during ; Julia Kean Fish (1884–1960), who married Lawrence Breese and was the mother of William Lawrence Breese Jr. (1909–2000), founder of the Longview Foundation for Education in World Affairs and Religions; Emily Rosalind Fish (born 1887), who married into the Cutler family; and Helena Fish, who married into the Forster family. The son, Hamilton Stuyvesant Fish III (December 7, 1888–January 18, 1991), followed in the family tradition of public service as a U.S. Representative from New York (1920–1945). Notable descendants include (June 7, 1926–July 10, 1996), son of , who served as a U.S. Representative from New York (1969–1983) and continued the family's multi-generational involvement in Republican politics. The Fish lineage traces back through prominent New York families, with Hamilton Fish II's children and grandchildren maintaining ties to estates like Glenclyffe in , which symbolized the family's enduring social and political influence.

Later Years, Death, and Family Influence

Following his defeat in the 1910 congressional election, Fish retired from public office and returned to private life in , where he had long resided at the family estate known as Rock Lawn. He maintained involvement in local affairs but largely withdrew from active politics, focusing on family and personal matters amid the prominence of the Fish dynasty in Republican circles. Fish died on January 15, 1936, at the age of 86, while visiting the winter home of his daughter, Julia Fish Schermerhorn, in ; he had been in declining health for some time, with his son, Representative , at his bedside. His remains were interred at Philip's Church-in-the-Highlands Cemetery in . Fish's political lineage exerted lasting influence through his descendants, perpetuating a multigenerational tradition of Republican service from New York's . His son, Hamilton Stuyvesant Fish (1888–1991), followed him into , representing New York's 26th District from 1920 to 1945 as a vocal advocate for and prior to U.S. entry into . The grandson, Hamilton Fish Jr. (1926–1996), extended the family's congressional tenure, serving New York's 21st and later 26th Districts from 1969 to 1995, often aligning with conservative positions on fiscal restraint and . This succession underscored the Fish family's entrenched role in regional politics, rooted in the patriarch's earlier state assembly leadership and federal service.

References

  1. https://americanaristocracy.com/people/hamilton-fish-ii-1849-1936
  2. https://bioguideretro.congress.gov/Home/MemberDetails?memIndex=F000139
  3. https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/LMQ1-K77/hamilton-fish-jr-1849-1936
  4. https://history.house.gov/People/Listing/F/FISH%2C-Hamilton-%28F000140%29/
  5. http://c250.columbia.edu/c250_celebrates/remarkable_columbians/ham_fish.html
  6. https://empirestateplaza.ny.gov/hall-governors/hamilton-fish
  7. https://www.geni.com/people/Hamilton-Fish-II-US-Congress/6000000018069595097
  8. https://americanaristocracy.com/houses/glenclyffe
  9. https://history.house.gov/People/Detail/13146
  10. https://www.nytimes.com/1994/12/14/opinion/l-fish-dynasty-calls-columbia-alma-mater-107441.html
  11. https://history.nycourts.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/County-Legal-History_Putnam-min.pdf
  12. https://dchsny.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/DCHS-YB-2018-V97.pdf
  13. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/2429/hamilton-fish
  14. https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Fish-2566
  15. https://www.nytimes.com/1895/01/02/archives/hamilton-fish-speaker-chosen-by-more-than-twothirds-in-the.html
  16. https://bioguide.congress.gov/search/bio/F000139
  17. https://www.nytimes.com/1878/10/25/archives/politics-about-newyork-fish-in-putnam-county-the-legislative.html
  18. https://spectatorarchive.library.columbia.edu/?a=d&d=cs19081008-01.2.39
  19. https://www.nytimes.com/1910/10/05/archives/hamilton-fish-renominated-gets-unanimous-vote-in-old-guard-district.html
  20. https://idnc.library.illinois.edu/?a=d&d=STR19101112.2.23&
  21. https://www.nytimes.com/1910/03/20/archives/cannon-believes-he-was-the-victor-thinks-cannonism-bugaboo-is.html
  22. https://www.nytimes.com/1910/01/08/archives/insurgents-defeat-cannon-with-democrats-help-vote-down-regulars-in.html
  23. https://www.nndb.com/people/910/000364815/
  24. https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/LH7P-ZLT/hamilton-stuyvesant-fish-iii-1888-1991
  25. https://www.wikiwand.com/en/articles/Hamilton_Fish_II
  26. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/340/hamilton-fish
  27. https://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=F000139
  28. https://www.nytimes.com/1936/01/16/archives/lton-fish-86-dis-in-aik-s-c-father-of-representative-and-son-of.html
  29. https://history.house.gov/People/Detail/13150
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