Representative Leonard Farbstein

Leonard Farbstein (October 12, 1902 – November 9, 1993) was an American lawyer and Democratic politician who served seven consecutive terms as a U.S. Representative from New York from 1957 to 1971. His congressional service spanned a significant period in mid‑twentieth‑century American history, during which he participated in the legislative process and represented the interests of his New York constituents in the House of Representatives.

Farbstein was born on October 12, 1902, in New York City to Louis and Yetta (Schlanger) Farbstein. His father, Louis, was a Jewish immigrant from the Russia‑Poland region and worked as a tailor, and the family’s background placed him within New York’s growing Jewish community. As a boy, Farbstein contributed to the family’s support by selling newspapers and handkerchiefs after school. During his youth, he also worked for the Audubon Society, reflecting an early exposure to civic and organizational life. In his teenage years, during the World War I era, he served in the United States Coast Guard Reserve, gaining early experience in uniformed public service.

Farbstein was educated in New York City’s public schools and graduated from the High School of Commerce. He went on to attend the City College of New York and Hebrew Union Teachers College, combining secular and Jewish educational training. Pursuing a career in law, he enrolled at New York University School of Law, where he received an LL.B. degree in 1924. After his admission to the bar, he practiced law in New York City, establishing himself professionally in the legal field before entering elective politics.

Farbstein’s political career began at the state level. Running as a Democrat, he was elected to the New York State Assembly in 1932 and took office in 1933. He served continuously in the Assembly from 1933 to 1956, a span of more than two decades that covered the New Deal, World War II, and the early Cold War years. During this period, he developed legislative experience and a reputation within New York’s Democratic Party that would later support his bid for national office.

In 1956, Farbstein was elected as a Democrat to the 85th United States Congress, and he was subsequently re‑elected to the six succeeding Congresses. He held office in the U.S. House of Representatives from January 3, 1957, to January 3, 1971, serving seven terms in total. As a member of the House, he participated actively in the democratic process and contributed to the legislative work of the chamber during a transformative era that included the civil rights movement, the expansion of federal social programs, and the escalation of the Cold War. By 1966, Farbstein had become a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, where he played a role in shaping and overseeing U.S. foreign policy. In that capacity, he was an open supporter of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s policy on the Vietnam War, aligning himself with the administration’s approach to the conflict. In 1970, amid changing political currents and rising antiwar sentiment, he was defeated for renomination in the Democratic primary by Bella Abzug, bringing his congressional career to a close at the start of 1971.

In his personal life, Farbstein married Blossom Langer on September 18, 1947. The couple had one son, whom they named after Farbstein’s father, reflecting the importance of family and heritage in his life. Outside of politics and law, he was known as an avid tennis player and golfer and also enjoyed swimming as a form of exercise, pursuits that he maintained as part of an active lifestyle.

Leonard Farbstein died on November 9, 1993, at the age of 91, in New York City. He was interred in Cedar Park Cemetery in Paramus, New Jersey. As a Jewish American who rose from modest beginnings to long service in the New York State Assembly and the U.S. House of Representatives, he is remembered among the Jewish members of the United States Congress who helped shape mid‑twentieth‑century American legislative history.