Leonard Farbstein (October 12, 1902 – November 9, 1993) was an American lawyer and politician who served seven terms as a

U.S. Representative 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 they c ...

from

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

from 1957 to 1971.

Early life and career

Farbstein was born on October 12, 1902, 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 Un ...

to Louis and Yetta (Schlanger) Farbstein. His father, Louis, was a Jewish immigrant from Russia-Poland and worked as a tailor. During Farbstein's childhood, he sold newspapers and handkerchiefs after school. In the World War I era, Farbstein as a teenager, served in the

United States Coast Guard Reserve The United States Coast Guard Reserve is the reserve component of the United States Coast Guard. It is organized, trained, administered, and supplied under the direction of the Commandant of the Coast Guard through the Assistant Commandant for ...

. At war's end, he graduated from High School of Commerce in New York and worked at the

Audubon Society The National Audubon Society (Audubon; ) is an American non-profit environmental organization dedicated to conservation of birds and their habitats. Located in the United States and incorporated in 1905, Audubon is one of the oldest of such organ ...

during those years. He attended

City College of New York The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a public university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York City. Founded in 1847, Cit ...

and Hebrew Union Teachers College. He received an

LL.B. Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

from the

New York University School of Law New York University School of Law (NYU Law) is the law school of New York University, a private research university in New York City. Established in 1835, it is the oldest law school in New York City and the oldest surviving law school in New ...

in 1924, and practiced law in New York City.

Political career

State legislature

Farbstein ran for the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Assemb ...

and won his first election in 1932. He was a member of the New York State Assembly from 1933 to

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Jim ...

Congress

He was elected as a Democrat to the

85th United States Congress The 85th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from January 3, 1957 ...

and the six succeeding Congresses, holding office from January 3, 1957, to January 3, 1971. In 1966, Farbstein was a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. He was an open supporter of

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...

's policy on the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam and ...

. In 1970, he was defeated for re-nomination by

Bella Abzug Bella Savitzky Abzug (July 24, 1920 – March 31, 1998), nicknamed "Battling Bella", was an American lawyer, politician, social activist, and a leader in the women's movement. In 1971, Abzug joined other leading feminists such as Gloria Steinem, ...

Death

Farbstein died on November 9, 1993, aged 91, in

, and was interred in Cedar Park Cemetery in

Paramus, New Jersey Paramus ( Waggoner, Walter H ''The New York Times'', February 16, 1966. Accessed October 16, 2018. "Paramus – pronounced puh-RAHM-us, with the accent on the second syllable – may have taken its name from 'perremus' or 'perymus,' Indian for ...

Personal life

On September 18, 1947, Farbstein married Blossom Langer, and they had one son whom they named after Farbstein's father. Farbstein was an avid tennis player and golfer. He also enjoyed swimming as a form of exercise.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Farbstein, Leonard 1902 births 1993 deaths Jewish American military personnel United States Coast Guard enlisted People from Manhattan Jewish American people in New York (state) politics Hebrew Union College alumni City College of New York alumni New York University School of Law alumni Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly Jewish members of the United States House of Representatives Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) 20th-century American politicians Burials at Cedar Park Cemetery (Emerson, New Jersey) United States Coast Guard reservists 20th-century American Jews