Representative Albert Henry Bosch

Albert Henry Bosch (October 30, 1908 – November 21, 2005) was an American jurist and politician who served as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from New York from 1953 to 1961. A member of the Republican Party, he contributed to the legislative process during four terms in office and later served as a judge of the Queens County Court and as a justice of the New York Supreme Court. His congressional service and judicial career spanned a significant period in twentieth-century American history, during which he represented the interests of his constituents and participated in the democratic process at both the federal and state levels.

Bosch was born in New York City on October 30, 1908, the son of Henry and Margaretha (Hamburger) Bosch. Of German-American background, he was raised in the city and attended New York public schools. He pursued legal studies at St. John’s University School of Law, from which he graduated with an LL.B. in 1933. On July 19, 1936, he married Theresa Hoenig. He was admitted to the New York bar in 1938 and commenced the practice of law in New York City, building a professional reputation that would support his later entry into public office.

During his legal career prior to election to Congress, Bosch was admitted to practice before the United States Treasury Department and the Supreme Court of the United States, reflecting his professional standing in the legal community. In addition to his private practice, he became a trustee of the Hamburg Savings Bank in Ridgewood, New York, a position that connected him to the financial and civic life of his community. These roles, combining legal expertise and civic engagement, helped establish him as a figure of public trust in Queens and the broader New York City area.

Bosch was elected as a Republican to the Eighty-third Congress in 1952 and was reelected to the three succeeding Congresses, serving from January 3, 1953, until his resignation on December 31, 1960. Thus, he represented New York in the United States House of Representatives from 1953 to 1961, completing four full terms in office. His tenure in Congress coincided with the early Cold War era, the Eisenhower administration, and the beginnings of the modern civil rights movement. As a member of the House of Representatives, Albert Henry Bosch participated in the legislative process and represented the interests of his constituents, voting in favor of the Civil Rights Act of 1957 and the Civil Rights Act of 1960, key measures in the federal government’s initial efforts to protect voting rights and address racial discrimination.

At the close of his congressional service, Bosch transitioned to the judiciary. He was elected judge of the Queens County Court and served from December 31, 1960, until September 1, 1962. Building on this experience, he was then elected a justice of the New York Supreme Court for the Eleventh Judicial District, which encompasses parts of New York City, including Queens. He served on the New York Supreme Court from 1962 until his retirement on December 31, 1974. In this capacity, he presided over a wide range of civil and criminal matters during a period of significant social and legal change in New York State.

Following his retirement from the bench, Bosch lived for nearly three decades, remaining active in civic and ethnic organizations. A German-American, he was active in the Steuben Society of America, a national German-American fraternal and civic organization, and served as the group’s national chairman on two occasions. He was also a member of the Bushwick Club business association and participated in other service groups, maintaining a public presence and community involvement well into his later years.

In his personal life, Bosch resided in Jamaica Estates, Queens, in the early 1970s. In 1976, he and his wife moved to Whiting, New Jersey. After the death of his wife Theresa in 1995, he relocated to Amityville in Suffolk County on Long Island, New York. Albert Henry Bosch died in Amityville on November 21, 2005, at the age of 97 years and 22 days. He was interred at Maple Grove Cemetery, leaving behind a legacy as both a legislator in the United States Congress and a long-serving jurist on the New York courts.