Representative Robert Joseph Nodar

Robert Joseph Nodar Jr. (March 23, 1916 – September 11, 1974) was an American politician and a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from New York. He served as a Representative from New York in the United States Congress from 1947 to 1949, completing one term in office during a significant period in American history following World War II. As a member of the House of Representatives, he participated in the democratic process and represented the interests of his constituents as part of the Republican Party.

Nodar was born in Brooklyn, New York, on March 23, 1916. He attended the public schools of New York City and graduated from Newtown High School in Elmhurst, New York, in 1935. His early life and education in the boroughs of New York City placed him in close contact with the urban communities he would later represent in Congress.

Following his graduation from high school, Nodar entered the private sector. From 1935 to 1939 he was employed as a clerk with the Manufacturers Trust Company in New York City, gaining experience in banking and finance. He then worked with the Crucible Steel Corporation of America from 1940 to 1942, a period that coincided with the nation’s mobilization for World War II and exposed him to the industrial side of the American war effort.

During World War II, Nodar served in the United States Army Air Forces. He entered military service on March 18, 1942, and was assigned to duty in the South Pacific theater. He remained on active duty until January 6, 1946, when he was honorably discharged with the rank of master sergeant. His wartime service, including overseas deployment, placed him among the large cohort of veterans who transitioned from military to public service in the immediate postwar years.

Elected as a Republican to the Eightieth Congress in 1946, Nodar served from January 3, 1947, to January 3, 1949. His term in the House of Representatives coincided with the early Cold War era and the beginning of the postwar reconstruction period, when Congress addressed issues such as veterans’ readjustment, economic reconversion, and emerging international responsibilities. As a member of the Republican Party, Robert Joseph Nodar contributed to the legislative process during his one term in office and participated in deliberations that shaped national policy in the aftermath of World War II, representing the interests of his New York constituents in the federal legislature.

Nodar was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1948 to the Eighty-first Congress. After leaving Congress, he returned to private life and resumed work in the financial sector, becoming a clerk with the investment firm Salomon Brothers & Hutzler in New York City. His post-congressional career reflected a continuation of the business and financial experience he had accumulated before and after his military service.

Robert Joseph Nodar Jr. died in Flushing, Queens, New York, on September 11, 1974, at the age of 58. He was interred at Pinelawn Memorial Park, near Farmingdale, Long Island, New York.