Jonathan B. Bingham
Jonathan Brewster Bingham | |
---|---|
Benjamin A. Gilman (redistricting) | |
Constituency | 23rd district (1965–73) 22nd district (1973–83) |
Personal details | |
Born | War Department citation | April 24, 1914
Military service | |
Branch/service | United States Army |
Jonathan Brewster Bingham (April 24, 1914 – July 3, 1986) was an American politician and diplomat. He was the US delegate to the United Nations General Assembly and was elected to Congress from The Bronx, serving in the House of Representatives from 1965 to 1983.
Early life
Bingham was born in New Haven, Connecticut. His father,
Bingham attended
Diplomat
On his return he was appointed chief of the newly created Alien Enemy Control Section of the State Department. The Alien Enemy Control Section was unpopular and short-lived. Bingham got off the boat before it sank, resuming the practice of law in New York City in 1946.
He left the practice of law again in 1951 to become assistant director of the Office of International Security Affairs. Bingham left in the same year to become deputy administrator of the
In 1961 Bingham entered the world of diplomacy, as a United States representative on the United Nations Trusteeship Council with rank of Minister in 1961 and 1962, serving as President in 1962. During this period he was also principal adviser to the U.S. ambassador to U.N. on colonial and trusteeship questions. From 1963 to 1964 he was a United States representative on the United Nations Economic and Social Council with rank of Ambassador. He was also alternate representative to the 15th and 18th United Nations General Assemblies.
Congress
In 1964 he was elected to the House of Representatives from the 23rd District of New York, a district in the Bronx, at a time when elections in the Bronx were decided in the Democratic primaries in contests between "regular" or machine Democrats, and "reform" or challenger Democrats. Bingham defeated Charles Buckley, the leader of the Bronx "regular" Democrats and a powerful, senior committee chairman in Congress, in a rematch following Bingham's defeat in his first try against the incumbent Buckley in the 1962 Democratic primary.[citation needed]
Bingham represented the 23rd District from January 3, 1965 until January 3, 1973, when, as a result of redistricting following the 1970 census, he was elected to the House from the 22nd District of New York following a bruising primary with neighboring Democratic incumbent congressman James H. Scheuer. He served the 22nd District from January 3, 1973 until January 3, 1983,[3] but did not pursue reelection when, in 1982, his district essentially disappeared as a result of another post-census redistricting.
In the House, Bingham served on the Foreign Affairs and Interior and Insular Affairs Committees and chaired the Subcommittee on International Economic Policy and Trade. He was particularly dedicated to nuclear non-proliferation, national security, foreign assistance, and environmental protection. Bingham was instrumental in formulating and obtaining passage of the
Family
He was married to June Rossbach,[5] an author, playwright,[6] and member of the Lehman family (her great-grandfather was Mayer Lehman, one of the founders of the Lehman Brothers firm).[7] They had four children: Sherrell Bingham Downes; Timothy Woodbridge Bingham; Claudia Bingham Meyers; and June Mitchell (Micki) Esselstyn (d. 1999).[8]
After Jonathan Bingham's death, Mrs. Bingham married Robert Birge and was then known as June Bingham Birge.[9]
Death
Bingham died from complications of pneumonia, aged 72, at the Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan on July 3, 1986.
References
- ^ Alexandra Robbins, Secrets of the Tomb: Skull and Bones, the Ivy League, and the Hidden Paths of Power, Little, Brown and Company, 2002, p. 165
- ^ "Jonathan Brewster Bingham". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
- ^ "Jonathan Brewster Bingham". Govtrack US Congress. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
- ^ Records and recollections of Bingham legislative and subcommittee staff R. Roger Majak and Gerald F. Warburg
- ^ "Jonathan Brewster Bingham". The Political Graveyard. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
- ^ "June Bingham Birge, Who Wrote Books and Plays, Dies at 88", The New York Times, August 29, 2007. Accessed May 4, 2008. "June Bingham Birge, the author of books and plays, died August 21 at her home in the Riverdale section of the Bronx. She was 88."
- ^ Lehman College: "June Bingham Birge, 1919 - 2007" Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine August 27, 2007
- ^ Gainesville Sun: "Local reverend dies of cancer" By GARY KIRKLAND October 28, 1999
- ^ New York Times: "June Bingham Marries Robert B. Birge" March 29, 1987
External links
- United States Congress. "Jonathan B. Bingham (id: B000472)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.