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. He served as the dean of the United States House of Representatives from 1965 to 1973. Celler chaired the House Committee on the Judiciary for eleven terms between 1949 and 1973 and was a leading advocate for the liberalization of immigration and naturalization laws, from his early stand against the Immigration Act of 1924 to his sponsorship of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965. He ranks as the fifth longest-serving congressman in history and the longest-serving member of either house of Congress in New York's history.