Emanuel Bernard Hart

Emanuel Bernard Hart (October 27, 1809 – August 29, 1897) was an American lawyer and Democratic politician who served one term as a U.S. representative from New York from 1851 to 1853. He was born in New York City, New York, where he attended local public schools. As a young man he entered mercantile pursuits, establishing himself in business in his native city before embarking on a career in public life.

Hart became active in New York City politics in the mid-19th century. He served as a member of the New York City Board of Aldermen in 1845, participating in the municipal governance of a rapidly growing urban center. In addition to his civic responsibilities, he served as a colonel in the militia, reflecting both his local prominence and his involvement in public affairs beyond the strictly political sphere. During these years he continued his business activities while building influence within the Democratic Party in New York.

In 1850 Hart was elected as a Democrat to the Thirty-second Congress, representing New York in the U.S. House of Representatives from March 4, 1851, to March 3, 1853. As a member of the Democratic Party representing New York, he contributed to the legislative process during his single term in office, participating in the democratic process and representing the interests of his constituents during a significant period in American history marked by sectional tensions and debates over slavery and national expansion. Hart was New York’s first Jewish congressman and the third person of Jewish descent to be elected to the United States Congress, following David Levy Yulee of Florida and Lewis Charles Levin of Pennsylvania, a milestone that underscored the gradual expansion of religious and ethnic diversity in national politics.

After leaving Congress, Hart remained an active figure in Democratic politics and public service. He was a presidential elector in 1868, participating in the Electoral College during the contentious Reconstruction era. Although long involved in business and public life, he pursued formal legal training later in his career; he studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1868, adding the practice of law to his professional activities.

Hart also held a series of important administrative and civic posts. President James Buchanan appointed him surveyor of the Port of New York, a key federal customs position, in which he served from 1857 to 1861, overseeing aspects of trade and revenue collection at one of the nation’s principal ports. He later served as a member of the New York City board of assessors, contributing to the administration of the city’s tax and property assessment systems. From 1870 to 1873 he was New York City’s commissioner of immigration, a role of considerable importance at a time when large numbers of immigrants were arriving through the port of New York.

In addition to his governmental responsibilities, Hart was deeply involved in charitable and communal institutions, particularly within New York’s Jewish community. He served as president of Mount Sinai Hospital from 1870 to 1876, guiding one of the city’s leading medical institutions during a period of expansion and professionalization in hospital care. He also worked as treasurer of the Society for the Relief of Poor Hebrews, reflecting his engagement in organized efforts to assist impoverished members of the Jewish community and the broader immigrant population.

Emanuel Bernard Hart spent his entire life closely tied to New York City. He died there on August 29, 1897. He was interred in Cypress Hills Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York, closing a long career that spanned business, law, municipal and federal office, and leadership in civic and charitable organizations.