Edward Alexander Garmatz | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMaryland's3rd district | |
| In office July 15, 1947 – January 3, 1973 | |
| Preceded by | Thomas D'Alesandro Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Paul Sarbanes |
| Chairman of theUnited States House Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries | |
| In office 1965–1973 | |
| Preceded by | Herbert Covington Bonner |
| Succeeded by | Leonor Sullivan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1903-02-07)February 7, 1903 |
| Died | July 22, 1986(1986-07-22) (aged 83) Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
Edward Alexander Garmatz (February 7, 1903 – July 22, 1986), aDemocrat, was aU.S. Congressman who represented the3rd congressional district ofMaryland from 1947 to 1973.
Born inBaltimore, Maryland; his father and maternal grandparents wereGerman immigrants.[1] Garmatz attended the public schools, including theBaltimore Polytechnic Institute. He engaged in the electrical business from 1920 to 1942, and was associated with the Maryland State Racing Commission from 1941 to 1944. He served as police magistrate from 1944 to 1947.
Garmatz was elected July 15, 1947, byspecial election to fill the vacancy left byThomas D'Alesandro Jr., who had resigned the seat to becomeMayor of Baltimore. He was re-elected to the twelve succeeding Congresses and served from July 15, 1947, to January 3, 1973. From the Eighty-ninth through the Ninety-second Congresses, Garmatz served as chairman of theCommittee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries. Garmatz did not sign the 1956Southern Manifesto, and voted in favor of theCivil Rights Acts of 1957,[2]1960,[3]1964,[4] and1968,[5] as well as the24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and theVoting Rights Act of 1965.[6][7]
He was not a candidate for reelection in 1972 to the Ninety-third Congress, and became employed by the International Organization of Masters, Mates, and Pilots Union. He was a resident of Baltimore until his death there.
In 1978, a federal bribery conspiracy case against Garmatz was dismissed at the urging of Justice Department officials who said they had discovered that their key witness had lied to a grand jury and forged documents.[8] This information was brought to their attention through the investigation of Garmatz's attorney,Arnold M. Weiner.[9]
Thefederal courthouse in Baltimore is named after Garmatz. After his acquittal, Garmatz stood before the courthouse that bears his name, took out his handkerchief and began wiping the courthouse sign. When asked what he was doing he replied that he was wiping the tarnish from his name.[10]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromMaryland's 3rd congressional district 1947–1973 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Herbert C. Bonner North Carolina | Chairman ofHouse Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee 1966–1973 | Succeeded by Leonor K. Sullivan Missouri |
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Italics indicates acting chairman | ||
