John Lesinski Sr. (January 3, 1885 – May 27, 1950) was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan. He was the father of

John Lesinski Jr. John Lesinski Jr. (December 28, 1914 in Detroit – October 21, 2005 in Dearborn) was a U.S. Congressman for seven terms from the state of Michigan. He was the son of John Lesinski Sr. He was of Polish descent. Life and career Lesinski was bo ...

, who succeeded him in the United States House of Representatives.

Early life

Lesinski was born in Erie, Pennsylvania on January 3, 1885, and his parents moved their family to Detroit, Michigan three months later. He attended the school of

St. Albertus Roman Catholic Church St. Albertus Roman Catholic Church is in the Forest Park neighborhood of Detroit, Michigan. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1974 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. History The rise of Detroit br ...

SS. Cyril and Methodius Seminary SS. Cyril and Methodius Seminary is a four-year private Polish seminary in Orchard Lake, Michigan, United States. The seminary, taking its name from Saints Cyril and Methodius, was founded in 1885 in Detroit, Michigan, to prepare candidates for ...

in Orchard Lake, and Detroit Business University.

Start of career

He engaged extensively in the building and real estate business in Detroit; established lumber and supply companies in Hamtramck and

Dearborn Dearborn may refer to: People * Dearborn (surname) ** Henry Dearborn (1751–1829), U.S. Secretary of War under President Thomas Jefferson, Senior Officer of the U.S. Army during the War of 1812 Places in the United States Forts * Fort Dearborn, ...

areas of Detroit. He was president of the Polish Citizens' Committee of Detroit from 1919 to 1932, and was credited with recruiting thousands of Polish-Americans and Polish-Canadians to join the military and fight against the Axis during World War I. In addition, he was state commissioner in charge of the sale of bonds which raised funds for rebuilding Poland when the country was re-formed following World War I, for which he was awarded the

Polonia Restituta The Order of Polonia Restituta ( pl, Order Odrodzenia Polski, en, Order of Restored Poland) is a Polish state order established 4 February 1921. It is conferred on both military and civilians as well as on foreigners for outstanding achievement ...

by the Polish Government. He was a delegate to the

Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 ...

s in

1936 Events January–February * January 20 – George V of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India, dies at his Sandringham Estate. The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King E ...

1940 A calendar from 1940 according to the Gregorian calendar, factoring in the dates of Easter and related holidays, cannot be used again until the year 5280. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January *January ...

, and

1944 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 2 – WWII: ** Free French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny is appointed to command French Army B, part of the Sixth United States Army Group in Nor ...

. He was also a delegate to the Democratic State conventions in 1936, 1940, and 1944.

Congress

In 1932, Lesinski was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

and the first person to represent Michigan's 16th congressional district to the 73rd United States Congress, and was reelected to the eight succeeding Congresses, serving in the U.S. House from March 4, 1933, until his death. He served as chairman of the Committee on Invalid Pensions in the 74th through 79th Congresses; of the Committee on Immigration and Naturalization in the 79th Congress, and of the

Committee on Education and Labor The Committee on Education and Labor is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. There are 50 members in this committee. Since 2019, the chair of the Education and Labor committee is Robert Cortez Scott of Virginia. Hi ...

in the 81st Congress. Lesinski died in

Dearborn, Michigan Dearborn is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, it had a population of 109,976. Dearborn is the seventh most-populated city in Michigan and is home to the largest Muslim population in the United States pe ...

on May 27, 1950, and was interred in Mount Olivet Cemetery in Detroit.

Family

Lesinski was married three times. His first wife, Stella died in 1919, and his second wife, Barbara, died in 1937. His third wife Estelle Geisinger, survived him. Lesinski was the father of nine children, seven of whom survived to adulthood—Joan, John, Maxine, Delphine, Raymond, Beverly, and Edwin.

References

Sources

Books

Newspapers

External links

John Lesinski
at The Political Graveyard * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lesinski, John Sr. 1885 births 1950 deaths Detroit Business Institute alumni SS. Cyril and Methodius Seminary alumni Politicians from Detroit American politicians of Polish descent Recipients of the Order of Polonia Restituta Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan 20th-century American politicians Politicians from Erie, Pennsylvania Catholics from Pennsylvania Catholics from Michigan