Representative Alfred Dennis Sieminski

Alfred Dennis Sieminski (August 23, 1911 – December 13, 1990) was an American Democratic Party politician who represented New Jersey’s 13th congressional district, centered on Hudson County, in the United States House of Representatives for four terms from 1951 to 1959. Over the course of his congressional career, he contributed to the legislative process during a period marked by the Korean War, the early Cold War, and the beginnings of the modern civil rights movement, and he was closely identified with the interests and concerns of his urban, industrial constituency.

Sieminski’s early life and formative years preceded his entry into public office, though detailed records of his family background and upbringing are limited in the public record. Born on August 23, 1911, he came of age in the early twentieth century, a time of rapid economic and social change in the United States. His later political focus on working-class and urban issues reflected the character of Hudson County, New Jersey, and suggests an early familiarity with the challenges facing immigrant and labor communities in the region.

Information about Sieminski’s formal education is not extensively documented in widely available sources. However, his subsequent public service and legislative work indicate a grounding in the political and economic issues of mid‑century America. By the time he sought federal office, he had established himself sufficiently within the Democratic Party and local political networks of New Jersey to secure nomination and election to Congress from a competitive, densely populated district.

Sieminski began his congressional career after winning election as a Democrat to the United States House of Representatives from New Jersey’s 13th congressional district in 1950, taking office on January 3, 1951. He served four consecutive terms, sitting in the Eighty‑second, Eighty‑third, Eighty‑fourth, and Eighty‑fifth Congresses, and remained in office until January 3, 1959. During these years, he participated fully in the democratic process, engaging in debates, voting on major national legislation, and working on matters of particular concern to his Hudson County constituents, including urban development, transportation, and labor‑related issues that were central to the economy of northern New Jersey.

As a member of the House of Representatives, Sieminski’s tenure coincided with significant national and international developments, including the Korean War, the intensification of Cold War policies, and domestic debates over economic growth and social welfare. Within this context, he contributed to the legislative process as part of the Democratic minority and majority at different points in the 1950s, reflecting the shifting political balance in Congress during the Eisenhower administration. His role as a representative from a heavily industrial and ethnically diverse district placed him at the intersection of national policy and local concerns, and he worked to represent the interests of his constituents in federal decision‑making.

Sieminski’s congressional service came to an end following the 1958 election cycle, when he was defeated in the Democratic primary. This loss was notable in the political history of New Jersey: as of 2022, Alfred Dennis Sieminski was the last incumbent Representative from the state to lose a primary election, other than those who were defeated by another incumbent as a result of redistricting. His primary defeat marked the close of his eight‑year tenure in the House and underscored the competitive and often volatile nature of intraparty politics in urban New Jersey.

After leaving Congress in January 1959, Sieminski did not return to the House of Representatives, and his subsequent activities were conducted outside the arena of federal elective office. While detailed accounts of his later professional or civic roles are sparse in standard reference sources, his congressional record and long association with Hudson County politics left a legacy within New Jersey’s mid‑twentieth‑century political history. Alfred Dennis Sieminski died on December 13, 1990, closing a life that had spanned nearly eight decades and included service during a pivotal era in the United States Congress.