17 Facts About Emanuel Celler

Emanuel Celler was an American Democratic politician from New York who represented parts of the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens in the United States House of Representatives for nearly 50 years, from March 1923 to January 1973.

Emanuel Celler served as the dean of the United States House of Representatives from 1965 to 1973.

Emanuel Celler strongly supported help for Jewish refugees fleeing Europe during World War II.

Emanuel Celler was defeated in the 1972 primary by Elizabeth Holtzman, becoming the most senior Representative ever to lose a primary.

Emanuel Celler was born on May 6,1888, in Brooklyn, New York.

Emanuel Celler was vehemently opposed to the Johnson-Reed Act, which passed the isolationist Congress and was signed into law.

Emanuel Celler had found his cause and for the next four decades he vigorously spoke out in favor of eliminating the national origin quotas as a basis for immigration restriction.

Emanuel Celler was a Zionist who supported the recognition of Israel and requested the lifting of the American embargo imposed on both sides during the 1948 Palestine war.

In 1950, he was the lead House sponsor of legislation to strengthen the Clayton Antitrust Act of 1914; the bill, written with Tennessee Senator Estes Kefauver, became the Emanuel Celler-Kefauver Act, which closed key regulatory loopholes, empowering the government to prevent vertical mergers and conglomerate mergers which could limit competition.

In 1951, Emanuel Celler conducted hearings in the United States House Judiciary Committee to examine the anti-trust exemption granted to Major League Baseball.

Emanuel Celler entered the hearings believing that MLB needed laws to support the reserve clause.

At the 1952 Democratic National Convention, Emanuel Celler gave a speech in which he responded to Sen.

In January 1965, Emanuel Celler proposed in the House of Representatives the Twenty-fifth Amendment, which clarifies an ambiguous provision of the Constitution regarding succession to the presidency.

Also in 1965, he proposed and steered to passage the Hart-Emanuel Celler Act, which eliminated national origins as a consideration for immigration.

At the time, Emanuel Celler was the most senior congressman ever to have been ousted in a primary.

Emanuel Celler was on good terms with Richard Nixon and in the early part of the hearings indicated that he would have taken a less adversarial position than Rodino.

Emanuel Celler died in his home in Brooklyn on Jan 15,1981 at the age of 92.