Representative Jacob H. Gilbert

Jacob H. Gilbert (June 17, 1920 – February 27, 1981) was an American lawyer and Democratic politician who represented New York in the United States House of Representatives for six terms during a pivotal era in mid‑20th‑century American history. Born on June 17, 1920, in the Bronx, New York City, he was raised in the borough he would later represent in public office. His early life in New York City’s public school system helped shape his familiarity with urban issues and the concerns of working- and middle-class constituents that would later inform his legislative priorities.

Gilbert pursued higher education at St. John’s College in New York, from which he graduated before continuing on to St. John’s University School of Law. He completed his legal studies and was admitted to the bar in 1944. Following his admission, he entered private practice in New York City, establishing himself as an attorney at a time when the city was undergoing significant demographic and economic change in the years surrounding the end of World War II.

Gilbert’s public career began in municipal service. From January 1949 to December 1950, he served as an Assistant Corporation Counsel of New York City, a role in which he contributed to the city’s legal affairs and gained experience in public law and administration. He then advanced to state-level office, winning election as a member of the New York State Assembly from Bronx County’s 4th District. He served in the Assembly from 1951 to 1954, sitting in the 168th and 169th New York State Legislatures. Building on this legislative experience, he was elected to the New York State Senate from the 27th District, serving from 1955 to 1960 and participating in the 170th, 171st, and 172nd New York State Legislatures.

Gilbert entered national politics in 1960. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected to the 86th United States Congress in a special election to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Representative Isidore Dollinger. He took his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives on March 8, 1960, representing a New York district that included portions of the Bronx. He was subsequently re-elected to the 87th, 88th, 89th, 90th, and 91st Congresses, serving continuously until January 3, 1971. Over the course of these six terms, from 1959–1971 as reflected in contemporary congressional records and from March 8, 1960, to January 3, 1971, as formally dated in the official rolls, Gilbert participated in the legislative process during a significant period in American history, which encompassed the civil rights movement, the Great Society programs, and the Vietnam War era.

During his tenure in the House of Representatives, Gilbert took part in the democratic process by debating, voting on, and helping to shape federal legislation affecting both his New York constituents and the nation at large. As a Democratic representative from an urban district, he was identified with the concerns of city residents and worked within his party’s caucus during a time of major federal initiatives in social policy, housing, and economic development. His service in Congress reflected the broader engagement of Jewish Americans in national politics, and he is included in historical listings of Jewish members of the United States Congress.

After leaving Congress at the conclusion of his final term on January 3, 1971, Gilbert returned to private life and resumed the practice of law in New York City. Drawing on his extensive experience in municipal, state, and federal government, he continued his legal career in the city where he had been born, educated, and long served in public office.

Jacob H. Gilbert died on February 27, 1981, in the Bronx, New York City. He was buried at Mount Hebron Cemetery in Flushing, Queens, New York. His career, spanning local, state, and national service, left a record of more than two decades in elected office, during which he represented the interests of his constituents and contributed to the legislative work of both the New York State Legislature and the United States Congress.