Adam Benjamin, Jr.

Adam Benjamin Jr. (August 6, 1935 – September 7, 1982) was an American politician and a United States representative from Indiana's 1st congressional district, serving from 1977 until his death from a heart attack in Washington, D.C. in 1982. Benjamin was the first Assyrian-American to be elected to the United States House of Representatives in American history. Benjamin served in the Indiana Senate from 1971 to 1977, the Indiana House of Representatives from 1967 to 1971, and was a member of the Democratic Party.

Early life and career Born to an Assyrian father, Adam Benjamin, and Armenian mother, Margaret Marjanian, in Gary, Indiana, on August 6, 1935, Adam Benjamin Jr. graduated from Kemper Military School in Boonville, Missouri, in 1952. Benjamin joined the Marine Corps in 1952, and served as a corporal in the Korean War until he was honorably discharged in 1954. After serving in the Marine Corps, he gained an appointment to the United States Military Academy, West Point, New York, earning a B.S. degree in engineering in 1958. Following three years in the 101st airborne division the "Screaming Eagles", and ranger training in the U.S. Army, in 1961 Benjamin left the Army as a first lieutenant.

After his service in the Military, Benjamin returned to Gary in 1961 and began teaching math and physics at Edison High School. Two years later, he entered public service as Gary's zoning administrator from 1963 to 1965, and gained further experience in local government acting as Gary Mayor A. Martin Katz's executive secretary from 1965 through 1966.

During his work in public service, Benjamin attended Valparaiso University Law School, graduated with his Juris Doctor and was admitted to the Indiana Bar Association in 1966. Shortly after Benjamin was admitted to the Indiana Bar, he ran for a seat in the Indiana House of Representatives, winning two consecutive terms in 1966, and in 1968.

United States House of Representatives Benjamin served in the 95th, 96th, and 97th Congresses from 1977 until his death in 1982. Benjamin sat on the House Appropriations Committee, and served as the chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, aiding Northwest Indiana with projects such as improved Amtrak facilities, new South Shore Railroad commuter cars, and funding for an I-94 interchange to provide access to the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore as well as improvements in Gary's bus system and municipal airport. In addition, Benjamin chaired the executive committee of the Congressional Steel Caucus, a bi-partisan coalition of congressman that promotes the health and stability of the domestic steel industry. To encourage the Calumet Region's economic recovery, Benjamin worked to establish the Calumet Forum, with representatives of labor, industry, banking, publishing, education, politics, transportation, and the religious community seeking to promote the economic resurgence and development of the Region. Regarding the importance of the Forum, Benjamin commented, "I've put myself on the line for this ... I've got to do it. It just has to be done."

Benjamin continued to gain a reputation for hard work, dedication, effectiveness, and loyalty among both his colleagues and his constituents. He retained his seat in the 1978 and 1980 elections, and was seeking a fourth congressional term in 1982. However, on September 7, 1982, he was found dead in his Washington apartment, aged 47; the cause was arteriosclerosis. He is buried in Merrillville, Indiana's Calumet Park Cemetery. are named in his honor. Indiana State Road 51 in Hobart, Indiana is signed as the Adam Benjamin Highway.

Personal life Benjamin and his wife, Patricia, had three children.

1980