William Irving Sirovich (March 18, 1882 – December 17, 1939) was an American physician and politician from
New York. From 1927 to 1939, he served six terms in the
U.S. 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 they ...
.
Early life
Sirovich was born in 1882 in
York County, Pennsylvania
York County ( Pennsylvania Dutch: Yarrick Kaundi) is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 456,438. Its county seat is York. The county was created on August 19, 1749, from part of Lancaster ...
to Hungarian-Jewish immigrants Jacob and Rose Sirovich (née Weinstock). The family moved to
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 ...
in 1888. Sirovich attended the public schools there and graduated from the
College of the City of New York in 1902 and from the
Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons (VP&S) is the graduate medical school of Columbia University, located at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan. Founded ...
in 1906. He commenced the practice of medicine in New York City in 1906 and also engaged as a lecturer, editor, and playwright, several of his plays being produced on
Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
.
Political career
In
1908
Events
January
* January 1 – The British ''Nimrod'' Expedition led by Ernest Shackleton sets sail from New Zealand on the ''Nimrod'' for Antarctica.
* January 3 – A total solar eclipse is visible in the Pacific Ocean, and is the 4 ...
and
1910
Events
January
* January 13 – The first public radio broadcast takes place; live performances of the operas '' Cavalleria rusticana'' and ''Pagliacci'' are sent out over the airwaves, from the Metropolitan Opera House in New York C ...
, he ran on the
Independence League
The Independence Party, established as the Independence League, was a short-lived minor American political party sponsored by newspaper publisher and politician William Randolph Hearst in 1906. The organization was the successor to the Munici ...
ticket for
New York State Treasurer but was defeated by Republican
Thomas B. Dunn (1908) and Democrat
John J. Kennedy (1910).
He was a member of the fifth district
school board
A board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution.
The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional are ...
from 1906 to 1926 and was appointed as a member of the commission to inquire into the subject of widows'
pensions and of the State pension commission in 1913. He was appointed a member of the State charities convention in 1914 and served as superintendent of Peoples Hospital in New York City from 1910 to 1927. He was appointed commissioner of child welfare in 1919 and served until 1931; in 1924 he was an unsuccessful candidate for election to the
69th United States Congress.
Congress
Sirovich 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 ...
to the
70th,
71st,
72nd,
73rd,
74th,
75th and
76th United States Congresses, and served from March 4, 1927 until his death. During the 72nd through 76th Congresses he was Chairman of the Committee on Patents.
He was President of the Industrial National Bank in New York City from 1929 to 1932 and was a delegate to the
Inter-Parliamentary Union Congress held at
Bucharest, Romania
Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...
, in 1931.
Death
Sirovich died 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 ...
in 1939. He was buried at the
Mount Hebron Cemetery in
Flushing
Flushing may refer to:
Places
* Flushing, Cornwall, a village in the United Kingdom
* Flushing, Queens, New York City
** Flushing Bay, a bay off the north shore of Queens
** Flushing Chinatown (法拉盛華埠), a community in Queens
** Flushin ...
.
See also
*
List of Jewish members of the United States Congress
*
List of United States Congress members who died in office (1900–49)
References
Memorial services held in the House of Representatives of the United States, together with remarks presented in eulogy of William Irving Sirovich, late a representative from New York frontispiece 1941
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sirovich, William Irving
1882 births
1939 deaths
20th-century American dramatists and playwrights
20th-century American politicians
People from York County, Pennsylvania
City College of New York alumni
Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons alumni
American people of Hungarian-Jewish descent
Jewish members of the United States House of Representatives
American bankers
Physicians from New York City
School board members in New York (state)
United States Independence Party politicians
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state)
Delegates to the Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly
Burials at Mount Hebron Cemetery (New York City)