Representative Henry Mayer Goldfogle

Henry Mayer Goldfogle (May 23, 1856 – June 1, 1929) was an American lawyer and Democratic politician who served as a United States Representative from New York in the early twentieth century. Born in New York City, he came of age during a period of rapid urban growth and political change that would later shape his legal and political career. Details of his early family life and upbringing are not extensively documented, but his lifelong association with New York City and its institutions reflected the city’s central role in his professional and public service.

Goldfogle received his education in the public schools of New York City, an experience that grounded him in the concerns of the city’s diverse and expanding population. After completing his basic education, he studied law, was admitted to the bar, and commenced practice in New York City. As an attorney, he built a career that engaged him with the legal and civic issues of a major urban center, and his work at the bar helped establish his reputation and connections within the city’s Democratic political circles.

Transitioning from law into public life, Goldfogle became active in Democratic Party politics in New York. His legal background and familiarity with the needs of his community positioned him as a representative figure for his district. By the turn of the century, he had become sufficiently prominent within the party to seek national office, reflecting both his personal ambitions and the confidence of local Democratic leaders in his abilities as a legislator and advocate.

Goldfogle was elected as a Democrat to the United States House of Representatives and served multiple consecutive terms during a significant period in American history. According to contemporary congressional records and biographical accounts, he served as a Representative from New York in the United States Congress from 1901 to 1921, contributing to the legislative process during eight terms in office. Other historical references, including the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, record that he served seven terms as a United States Representative from New York from 1901 to 1915. During these years, he participated in the democratic process in the House of Representatives and represented the interests of his New York constituents at a time marked by industrial expansion, immigration, and the early stirrings of American involvement on the world stage.

Throughout his congressional service, Goldfogle took part in deliberations on the major issues of his era, working within the framework of the Democratic Party and the institutional structures of the House. His tenure spanned the administrations of several presidents and coincided with the Progressive Era, when questions of economic regulation, labor conditions, and urban governance were at the forefront of national debate. As a member of the House of Representatives, Henry Mayer Goldfogle participated in the legislative process and sought to give voice to the concerns of his district, which was deeply affected by the social and economic transformations of the early twentieth century.

After leaving Congress, Goldfogle returned to private life and the practice of law in New York City. His post-congressional years continued to reflect his longstanding engagement with legal and civic affairs, and he remained identified with the Democratic Party and the city that had shaped his career. He lived to see the aftermath of World War I and the beginning of a new era in American politics and society, in which many of the issues that had occupied his congressional service continued to evolve.

Henry Mayer Goldfogle died in New York City on June 1, 1929. His life and career, centered in New York and extending to the national legislature, reflected the trajectory of a lawyer-politician who rose from the city’s public schools and legal community to represent his constituents in Congress during a formative period in the nation’s history.