Alfred Dennis Sieminski (August 23, 1911 – December 13, 1990) was an American

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

politician who represented

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

's 13th congressional district, centered on

Hudson County Hudson County is the most densely populated county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It lies west of the lower Hudson River, which was named for Henry Hudson, the sea captain who explored the area in 1609. Part of New Jersey's Gateway Region in ...

, in the

United States 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 house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

for four terms from 1951 to 1959. , Sieminski was the last incumbent Representative to lose a primary election in New Jersey, other than those who lost to another incumbent due to redistricting.

Early life and career

Sieminski was born in

Jersey City, New Jersey Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.New York Military Academy New York Military Academy (NYMA) is a college preparatory, co-ed boarding school in the rural town of Cornwall, north of New York City, and one of the oldest military schools in the United States. Originally a boys' school, it started admitting ...

Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York Cornwall-on-Hudson is a riverfront village in the town of Cornwall, Orange County, New York, United States. It lies on the west bank of the Hudson River, approximately north of New York City. The population as of the 2010 census was 3,018. It ...

and the

Hun School of Princeton The Hun School of Princeton is a private, coeducational, secondary boarding school located in Princeton in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. The school serves students from sixth through twelfth grades. Currently, the head of school is ...

, in

Princeton, New Jersey Princeton is a municipality with a borough form of government in Mercer County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It was established on January 1, 2013, through the consolidation of the Borough of Princeton and Princeton Township, both of whi ...

. He graduated from

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

in 1934 and was a student at

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

in 1935 and 1936. He was of Polish origin and spoke his ancestor's language. He worked as comptroller and vice president of Brunswick Laundry in Jersey City starting in 1937. He entered the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

as a private in 1942, served in the Italian Campaign with the 92nd Infantry Division in 1944 and 1945, was a captain, Military Government Division in Austria, in 1945 and 1946, served with Tenth Corps in Korea in 1950, was discharged to the Infantry Reserve as a major in 1950 and promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1956.

Congress

Sieminski 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 Eighty-second and to the three succeeding Congresses, serving in office from January 3, 1951, to January 3, 1959, and was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1958. To date, he is the last incumbent New Jersey congressman to lose in a non-redistricting primary election.

After Congress

He was administrative vice president of the Hun School, engaged in administrative education and project development, and worked at the Medical and General Reference Library of the

Veterans Administration The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government charged with providing life-long healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers and ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

from 1962-1973. Sieminski was a resident of

Vienna, Virginia Vienna () is a town in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. census, Vienna has a population of 16,473. Significantly more people live in ZIP codes with the Vienna postal addresses (22180, 22181, and 22182), bordered approx ...

, until his death on December 13, 1990, at the age of 79 due to a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sieminski, Alfred Dennis 1911 births 1990 deaths 20th-century American politicians United States Army personnel of the Korean War United States Army personnel of World War II American politicians of Polish descent Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New Jersey Harvard Law School alumni Hun School of Princeton alumni New York Military Academy alumni Military personnel from New Jersey Politicians from Jersey City, New Jersey People from Vienna, Virginia Princeton University alumni