US representative, born in New York City, New York, USA. A political activist in high school, he became Fiorello LaGuardia's protégé, and became a law clerk in his congressional office, assistant United States attorney general (1930–4), and member of the US House of Representatives (Republican, New York, 1935–7, 1939–51). An overt leftist, he was a critical supporter of the New Deal, and in 1947 he raged against the House Committee on Un-American Activities. His opposition to the Korean War led to his defeat in 1951.