Benjamin Gilman | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chair of theHouse International Relations Committee | |
| In office January 3, 1995 – January 3, 2001 | |
| Preceded by | Lee H. Hamilton |
| Succeeded by | Henry Hyde |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromNew York | |
| In office January 3, 1973 – January 3, 2003 | |
| Preceded by | Ogden Reid |
| Succeeded by | John E. Sweeney |
| Constituency | 26th district (1973–1983) 22nd district (1983–1993) 20th district (1993–2003) |
| Member of theNew York State Assembly from the95th district | |
| In office January 1, 1967 – December 31, 1972 | |
| Preceded by | Benjamin Altman |
| Succeeded by | Eugene Levy |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Benjamin Arthur Gilman (1922-12-06)December 6, 1922 Poughkeepsie, New York, U.S. |
| Died | December 17, 2016(2016-12-17) (aged 94) |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | 5(With Prizant) |
| Alma mater | University of Pennsylvania (BS) New York Law School (LLB) |
Gilman, as chair of theHouse International Relations Committee, on legislation allowing formerWarsaw Pact nations to joinNATO Recorded July 23, 1996 | |
Benjamin Arthur Gilman (December 6, 1922 – December 17, 2016) was an American politician and Republican member of theUnited States House of Representatives from Middletown,New York, from January 3, 1973, to January 3, 2003.
Gilman was born inPoughkeepsie, New York, the son of Esther (Gold) and Harry Gilman. His parents were Austrian Jewish immigrants.[citation needed] Gilman graduated fromMiddletown High School inMiddletown, New York, in 1941 and received a B.S. from theWharton School of Business at theUniversity of Pennsylvania in 1946. He also earned anLL.B. fromNew York Law School. He was a brother ofZeta Beta Tau.[1] Gilman served in theUnited States Army Air Corps from 1942 until 1945 duringWorld War II. During that conflict, he flew 35 missions over Japan, earning theDistinguished Flying Cross and theAir Medal with Oak Leaf Clusters.[2]
After graduatingNew York Law School in 1950, Gilman served as assistant attorney general to theAttorney General of New York from 1953 until 1955. Following this, he practiced law privately in his hometown of Middletown, New York.
Gilman was a member of theNew York State Assembly from 1967 to 1972, sitting in the177th,178th and179th New York State Legislatures. He was a member of the New York State Southeastern Water Commission.
Gilman first won election to Congress in 1972 to representNew York's 26th congressional district. New York's congressional districts had been redrawn in reapportionment, and in the general election Gilman defeated incumbent congressmanJohn G. Dow, a Democrat who had been serving inNew York's 27th congressional district, (which included most of the territory and population of the new 26th district). Gilman subsequently served in Congress from January 3, 1973, until January 3, 2003. During his time in Congress, he was chair of theHouse Committee on International Relations (104th through106th Congresses).
He was widely regarded as a moderate Republican in the mold of New York'sNelson Rockefeller[3] He was active on foreign affairs issues, serving as a Congressional delegate to the United Nations, serving under AmbassadorJeane Kirkpatrick in 1981. He was a Member of theUkraine Famine Commission, a member of the U.S., European, Canadian and Mexican Interparliamentary conferences, and a Congressional Advisor to the U.N. Law of the Sea Conference. He was co-chair of the Committee on Irish Affairs and participated on the International Task Force on Narcotics. He was a recipient of theSecretary's Distinguished Service Award, a gold medal and certificate which represents the highest civilian honor bestowed by the State Department.
Throughout his years in Congress, he was a member of the House Post Office and Civil Service Committee, the name of which evolved into the Government Reform and Oversight Committee in the 1990s. As a co-founder of the House Select Committee on Narcotics, he served as a senior member on that Committee (1977–1989) and continued to serve as a member until the committee was abolished in 1993.
During the 1970s, Gilman became closely identified with the issue of Prisoners of War and Missing in Action inSoutheast Asia. He served on the Select Congressional Committee on that problem, and was one of only two Members of Congress to vote in opposition to closing the book on the POW/MIA situation.
He also became involved withworld hunger in the 1970s, authoring the legislation creating a presidential Commission Against Hunger, to which he was subsequently appointed by PresidentJimmy Carter.
As the chair of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, from 1995 to 2002, Congressman Gilman consistently advocated stronger ties withIndia[4][5], as a counterweight against Chinese influence in the region, particularly inPakistan. During theKargil War against Pakistan, he urged American lawmakers to pressure the Pakistani government to withdraw from the conflict, stating that he held Pakistan solely responsible for the conflict.[6] During a Hearing on the Status of Negotiations between China and Tibet in April 2000, Congressman Gilman said, “The Tibetan cause enjoys the global support that it does because it is a courageous attempt by a Nation and a people who are trying to regain what is rightfully theirs by throwing off the repression of colonization. It is in the interest of international stability to have Tibet once again serve as it had for 2000 years as a buffer zone strategically placed between India and China.”[7] In recognition of his contribution to furthering U.S. ties with India, he was awarded that country's second-highest civilian honor, thePadma Vibhushan, in 2001.[8] He is one of only 12 foreigners, and one of only 3 Americans not of Indian origin, to have received the award. In his later years in Congress, Gilman was a vociferous and frequent critic of PresidentBill Clinton, particularly on matters related to American foreign policy.[9]
Congressman Gilman helped gain passage of the International Academic Opportunity Act of 2000, establishing exchange programs for American students to study abroad. Named after Gilman is theBenjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship, a program for Pell Grant eligible American college students to study or intern abroad administered by theUnited States Department of State.[10]
Study abroad is a special experience for every student who participates. Living and learning in a vastly different environment of another nation not only exposes our students to alternate views, but also adds an enriching social and cultural experience. It also provides our students with the opportunity to return home with a deeper understanding of their place in the world, encouraging them to be a contributor, rather than a spectator in the international community.
— Benjamin A. Gilman
Congressman Gilman retired from Congress in 2003 afterNew York's 20th congressional district, which he had represented, was broken up and dispersed among the 17th, 18th, 19th and 22nd Congressional Districts in theredistricting that followed the 2000 census andreapportionment. At the time of his retirement, Gilman was the oldest sitting representative in the U.S. House (in all of Congress, only SenatorsStrom Thurmond andRobert Byrd were older). He was the senior Republican representing New York, and the second-most senior Member from New York overall, behind onlyCharles B. Rangel. In 2003, following his retirement from Congress, the Dalai Lama bestowed upon Congressman Gilman the International Campaign for Tibet's Light of Truth Award.[12]
On March 28, 2008, Gilman participated in the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Gilman Center for International Education in his hometown of Middletown, New York, on the campus of SUNY Orange, also known asOrange County Community College.[13] This modern new facility for international studies is expected to attract students from throughout the world, and houses Gilman's public papers from throughout his 36 years in elective office. Various photographs and memorabilia from throughout his career are on display.
On Jun 14, 2011, Gilman was awarded the Top Honor Prize, and recognized by theWorld Peace Prize Awarding Council for being a lifelong champion of human rights: fighting world hunger, narcotic abuse and trafficking.[14]
Gilman was married three times: to the former Jane Prizant (1927–2000), a lawyer and daughter of a well-known actor of theYiddish theater,Hyman Prizant, to Rita Kelhofer, and to Georgia Tingus. His children from the first marriage were Jonathan Gilman, Susan Gilman-Harts, Harrison Gilman, David Gilman (deceased) and Ellen Gilman (deceased). After his retirement, he continued to live in Middletown, his home in theHudson Valley district that he represented.
Gilman was a 33 DegreeScottish RiteFreemason.[15] A local Scottish Rite organization in Middletown, New York, the Benjamin Gilman Lodge of Perfection, is named in his honor and memory.[16]
Gilman died on December 17, 2016, at the Castle Point Veteran's Hospital inFishkill (town), New York from surgical complications, eleven days after his 94th birthday.[17] He was married three times and had five children.[18]
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| New York State Assembly | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theNew York State Assembly from the95th district 1967–1972 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromNew York's 26th congressional district 1973–1983 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromNew York's 22nd congressional district 1983–1993 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromNew York's 20th congressional district 1993–2003 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Gene Taylor Missouri | Ranking Member ofHouse Post Office and Civil Service Committee 1989–1993 | Succeeded by John T. Myers Indiana |
| Preceded by William Broomfield Michigan | Ranking Member of theHouse International Relations Committee 1993–1995 | Succeeded by Lee H. Hamilton Indiana |
| Preceded by Lee H. Hamilton Indiana | Chairman of theHouse International Relations Committee 1995–2001 | Succeeded by Henry Hyde Illinois |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
