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<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"> <html> <head> <title>The Political Graveyard: Sigma Alpha Mu Politicians</title> <meta name="description" content="A database of political history and cemeteries, with brief biographical entries for 320,919 U.S. political figures, living and dead, from the 1700s to the present."> <meta name="keywords" content="political biography history genealogy cemeteries politics candidates congress senators legislators governors politicians biographies ancestors mayors birthplace geography elections"> <meta name="author" content="Lawrence Kestenbaum"> <script type="text/javascript"> var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-7383562-1']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'https://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); </script> </head> <body bgcolor="#FFFFDD" text="#000000" link="#cc0000" alink="#ff0000" vlink="#760000"> <style type="text/css"> p {font-family:georgia,garamond,serif} td {font-family:georgia,garamond,serif} A:link {text-decoration: none} A:visited {text-decoration: none} A:active {text-decoration: none} A:hover {text-decoration: underline} </style> <p align=center style="font-size:28pt; font-family:garamond,serif"> <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">PoliticalGraveyard.com</span><br> <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/index.html" border=0> <img src="https://politicalgraveyard.com/images/tpgmain6.gif" width=450 height=216 border=0 alt="The Political Graveyard: A Database of American History"></a><br> Sigma Alpha Mu<br> <span style="font-size:14pt;">Politician members</span></p> <table width=100%> <td align="center" valign="center"> <script type="text/javascript"> </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script> </td></table> <table width=100%><tr><td valign="top"> <p><i>Very incomplete list!</i></p> <table align="left" cellpadding=5> <tr><td width=82 align="right" valign="top"> </td><td valign="top"><img src="rd.gif" width=13 height=13> <b>Thomas Joseph Downey (b. 1949)</b> — also known as <b>Thomas J. Downey</b> — of West Islip, <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/NY/SF-lived.html">Suffolk County</a>, Long Island, N.Y.; Amityville, <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/NY/SF-lived.html">Suffolk County</a>, Long Island, N.Y. Born in Ozone Park, Queens, <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/NY/QU-born.html">Queens County</a>, N.Y., <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/chrono/1949/01-28.html">January 28, 1949</a>. Democrat. Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/parties/D/1972/NY.html">1972</a>, <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/parties/D/1984/NY.html">1984</a>, <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/parties/D/1988/NY.html">1988</a>; <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/NY/ofc/usrep.html">U.S. Representative from New York</a> 2nd District, 1975-93; defeated, 1992. <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/group/methodist.html">Methodist</a>. Member, <b>Sigma Alpha Mu</b>; <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/group/sons-italy.html">Sons of Italy</a>. Still living as of 2014. <table width=100% align="left"><tr><td width=20> </td> <td width=26 valign="top"><img src="hand.gif" width=26 height=17></td> <td valign="top"><span style="font-size:8pt;"><i>Relatives:</i> Son of <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/down-downey.html#223.05.17">Norma Rita Morgillo Downey</a>.</span></td></tr> <tr><td width=20> </td> <td width=26 valign="top"><img src="hand.gif" width=26 height=17></td> <td valign="top"><span style="font-size:8pt;"><i>See also</i> <a href="https://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=D000471">congressional biography</a> — <a href="https://www.govtrack.us/congress/person.xpd?id=403581">Govtrack.us page</a> — <a href="https://www.nndb.com/people/881/000129494">NNDB dossier</a></span></td></tr> </table> </td></tr> <tr><td width=82 align="right" valign="top"> </td><td valign="top"><img src="rd.gif" width=13 height=13> <b>Philip Halpern (1902-1963)</b> — of Buffalo, <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/NY/ER-lived.html">Erie County</a>, N.Y. Born in Buffalo, <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/NY/ER-born.html">Erie County</a>, N.Y., <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/chrono/1902/11-12.html">November 12, 1902</a>. Republican. <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/occ/lawyer.html">Lawyer</a>; <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/occ/faculty.html">law professor</a>; <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/NY/ofc/cncn8.html">delegate to New York state constitutional convention</a> 48th District, 1938; <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/NY/ofc/nysc.html">Justice of New York Supreme Court</a> 8th District, 1948-63; died in office 1963; Justice of the Appellate Division of the New York Supreme Court, 1952-63 (3rd Department 1952-57, 4th Department 1958-63); died in office 1963. <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/group/jewish.html">Jewish</a>. Member, <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/group/aba.html">American Bar Association</a>; <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/group/zionist-org-am.html">Zionist Organization of America</a>; <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/group/knights-pythias.html">Knights of Pythias</a>; <b>Sigma Alpha Mu</b>; <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/group/bnai-brith.html">B'nai B'rith</a>. Died in Buffalo, <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/NY/ER-died.html">Erie County</a>, N.Y., <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/chrono/1963/08-25.html">August 25, 1963</a> (age <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/death/age/60.html">60 years, 286 days</a>). Interment at <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/NY/ER-buried.html#cms00118">Forest Lawn Cemetery</a>, Buffalo, N.Y. <table width=100% align="left"><tr><td width=20> </td> <td width=26 valign="top"><img src="hand.gif" width=26 height=17></td> <td valign="top"><span style="font-size:8pt;"><i>Relatives:</i> Son of Samuel M. Halpern and Rebecca L. (Yatzkan) Halpern; married, <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/chrono/1928/09-02.html">September 2, 1928</a>, to Goldene Friedman.</span></td></tr> <tr><td width=20> </td> <td width=26 valign="top"><img src="hand.gif" width=26 height=17></td> <td valign="top"><span style="font-size:8pt;"><i>See also</i> <a href="https://findagrave.com/memorial/124923339">Find-A-Grave memorial</a></span></td></tr> </table> </td></tr> <tr><td width=82 align="right" valign="top"> </td><td valign="top"><img src="rd.gif" width=13 height=13> <b>Thomas Peter Lantos (1928-2008)</b> — also known as <b>Tom Lantos</b>; <b>Tamas Peter Lantos</b> — of Millbrae, <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/CA/SM-lived.html">San Mateo County</a>, Calif.; Hillsborough, <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/CA/SM-lived.html">San Mateo County</a>, Calif.; San Mateo, <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/CA/SM-lived.html">San Mateo County</a>, Calif. Born in Budapest, <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/ZZ/HU-born.html">Hungary</a>, <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/chrono/1928/02-01.html">February 1, 1928</a>. Democrat. <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/occ/faculty.html">University professor</a>; <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/occ/radiotv.html">television</a> news commentator; delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/parties/D/1976/CA.html">1976</a>, <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/parties/D/1988/CA.html">1988</a>, <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/parties/D/1996/CA.html">1996</a>, <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/parties/D/2000/CA.html">2000</a>, <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/parties/D/2004/CA.html">2004</a>; <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/CA/ofc/usrep.html">U.S. Representative from California</a>, 1981-2008 (11th District 1981-93, 12th District 1993-2008); died in office 2008. <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/group/jewish.html">Jewish</a>. Member, <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/group/phi-beta-kappa.html">Phi Beta Kappa</a>; <b>Sigma Alpha Mu</b>. <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/trouble/index.html">Arrested</a> for disorderly conduct in April 2006, while taking part <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/trouble/protest.html">civil disobedience action</a> to <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/trouble/protest.html">protest</a> genocide in Darfur, in front of the Sudanese <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/trouble/diplomatic-offenses.html">embassy</a> in Washington, D.C. Died, of <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/death/stomach-cancer.html">cancer of the esophagus</a>, in <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/death/walter-reed.html">Bethesda Naval Medical Center</a>, Bethesda, <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/MD/MO-died.html">Montgomery County</a>, Md., <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/chrono/2008/02-11.html">February 11, 2008</a> (age <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/death/age/80.html">80 years, 10 days</a>). Interment at <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/DC/wa-buried.html#cms00416">Congressional Cemetery</a>, Washington, D.C. <table width=100% align="left"><tr><td width=20> </td> <td width=26 valign="top"><img src="hand.gif" width=26 height=17></td> <td valign="top"><span style="font-size:8pt;"><i>Relatives:</i> Married <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/chrono/1950/">1950</a> to Annette Tillemann; father of <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/sweetland-swinburne.html#844.04.84">Katrina Lantos</a> (who married <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/sweetland-swinburne.html#136.73.12">Richard Nelson Swett</a>).</span></td></tr> <tr><td width=20> </td> <td width=26 valign="top"><img src="hand.gif" width=26 height=17></td> <td valign="top"><span style="font-size:8pt;"><i>See also</i> <a href="https://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=L000090">congressional biography</a> — <a href="https://www.govtrack.us/congress/person.xpd?id=400231">Govtrack.us page</a> — <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom Lantos">Wikipedia article</a> — <a href="https://www.nndb.com/people/324/000024252">NNDB dossier</a> — <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0487192">Internet Movie Database profile</a> — <a href="https://findagrave.com/memorial/24552755">Find-A-Grave memorial</a></span></td></tr> </table> </td></tr> <tr><td width=82 align="right" valign="top"> </td><td valign="top"><img src="rd.gif" width=13 height=13> <b>Joseph Albert Ottenheimer (b. 1905)</b> — also known as <b>Joseph A. Ottenheimer</b> — of Salt Lake City, <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/UT/SL-lived.html">Salt Lake County</a>, Utah; Holladay, <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/UT/SL-lived.html">Salt Lake County</a>, Utah. Born in Salt Lake City, <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/UT/SL-born.html">Salt Lake County</a>, Utah, <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/chrono/1905/04-07.html">April 7, 1905</a>. Republican. <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/occ/insurance.html">Insurance executive</a>; delegate to Republican National Convention from Utah, <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/parties/R/1944/UT.html">1944</a> (alternate), <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/parties/R/1948/UT.html">1948</a>. <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/group/jewish.html">Jewish</a>. Member, <b>Sigma Alpha Mu</b>. Burial location unknown. </td></tr> <tr><td width=82 align="right" valign="top"> </td><td valign="top"><img src="rd.gif" width=13 height=13> <b>Michael E. Reiburn (b. 1893)</b> — of Manhattan, <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/NY/NY-lived.html">New York County</a>, N.Y. Born in New York, <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/NY/NY-born.html">New York County</a>, N.Y., <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/chrono/1893/09-12.html">September 12, 1893</a>. Democrat. Member of <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/NY/ofc/asmbly.html">New York state assembly</a> from New York County 22nd District, 1921-22; member of <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/NY/ofc/stsen.html">New York state senate</a> 20th District, 1923-26. Member, <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/group/masons.html">Freemasons</a>; <b>Sigma Alpha Mu</b>; <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/group/delta-sigma-rho.html">Delta Sigma Rho</a>; <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/group/woodmen.html">Modern Woodmen</a>. Burial location unknown. </td></tr> <tr><td width=82 align="right" valign="top"> </td><td valign="top"><img src="rd.gif" width=13 height=13> <b>Kenneth Joel Rothman (b. 1935)</b> — also known as <b>Kenneth J. Rothman</b> — of University City, <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/MO/SS-lived.html">St. Louis County</a>, Mo.; Clayton, <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/MO/SS-lived.html">St. Louis County</a>, Mo. Born in <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/MO/sl-born.html">St. Louis</a>, Mo., <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/chrono/1935/10-11.html">October 11, 1935</a>. Democrat. <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/occ/lawyer.html">Lawyer</a>; member of <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/MO/ofc/sthse.html">Missouri state house of representatives</a>, 1963-80; <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/MO/ofc/ltgov.html">Lieutenant Governor of Missouri</a>, 1981-85. <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/group/jewish.html">Jewish</a>. Member, <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/group/masons.html">Freemasons</a>; <b>Sigma Alpha Mu</b>; <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/group/phi-delta-phi.html">Phi Delta Phi</a>. Still living as of 1993. <table width=100% align="left"><tr><td width=20> </td> <td width=26 valign="top"><img src="hand.gif" width=26 height=17></td> <td valign="top"><span style="font-size:8pt;"><i>Relatives:</i> Married, <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/chrono/1965/04-10.html">April 10, 1965</a>, to Geraldine Jaffe.</span></td></tr> </table> </td></tr> </table> </td> <td width=180 align="center" valign="center"> <script type="text/javascript"> </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script> </td></tr></table> <table width=100%> <td align="center" valign="center"> <script type="text/javascript"> </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script> </td></table> <table width=100%> <tr><td align="center"><span style="font-size:20pt;"> <span style="font-family:garamond,serif"> <i>"Enjoy the hospitable entertainment of a political graveyard."</i></span></span><br> <span style="font-size:8pt;">Henry L. Clinton, Apollo Hall, New York City, February 3, 1872</span></td> <td><a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/"> <img src="https://politicalgraveyard.com/images/tpgsub.gif" width=450 height=71 align="right" border=0 alt="The Political Graveyard"></a></td></tr></table> <br clear="all"> <table width=100% cellpadding=2> <tr><td colspan=3><span style="font-size:10pt;"> <b><a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/index.html">The Political Graveyard</a></b> is a web site about U.S. political history and cemeteries. Founded in 1996, it is the Internet's most comprehensive free source for American political biography, listing 320,919 politicians, living and dead.</span></td></tr> <tr><td colspan=3><span style="font-size:8pt;"> </span></td></tr> <tr><td width=32 align="right" valign="top"> </td> <td valign="top"><span style="font-size:8pt;"> <img src="rd.gif" width=10 height=10> The coverage of this site includes (1) the President, Vice President, members of Congress, elected state and territorial officeholders in all fifty states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories; and the chief elected official, typically the mayor, of qualifying municipalities; (2) candidates at election, including primaries, for any of the above; (3) all federal judges and all state appellate judges; (4) certain federal officials, including the federal cabinet, diplomatic chiefs of mission, consuls, U.S. district attorneys, collectors of customs and internal revenue, members of major federal commissions; and political appointee (pre-1969) postmasters of qualifying communities; (5) state and national political party officials, including delegates, alternate delegates, and other participants in national party nominating conventions; (6) Americans who served as "honorary" consuls for other nations before 1950. Note: municipalities or communities "qualify", for Political Graveyard purposes, if they have at least half a million person-years of history, inclusive of predecessor, successor, and merged entities.</span></td> <td width=100 align="right" valign="top"> </td></tr> <tr><td width=32 align="right" valign="top"> </td> <td valign="top"><span style="font-size:8pt;"> <img src="rd.gif" width=10 height=10> The listings are <b>incomplete</b>; development of the database is a continually ongoing project.</span></td> <td width=100 align="right" valign="top"> </td></tr> <tr><td width=32 align="right" valign="top"> </td> <td valign="top"><span style="font-size:8pt;"> <img src="rd.gif" width=10 height=10> Information on this page — and on all other pages of this site — is believed to be accurate, but is <b>not</b> guaranteed. Users are advised to check with other sources before relying on any information here.</span></td> <td width=100 align="right" valign="top"> </td></tr> <tr><td width=32 align="right" valign="top"> </td> <td valign="top"><span style="font-size:8pt;"> <img src="rd.gif" width=10 height=10> The official URL for this page is: <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/group/sigma-alpha-mu.html">https://politicalgraveyard.com/group/sigma-alpha-mu.html</a>.</span></td> <td width=100 align="right" valign="top"> </td></tr> <tr><td width=32 align="right" valign="top"> </td> <td valign="top"><span style="font-size:8pt;"> <img src="rd.gif" width=10 height=10> Links to this or any other Political Graveyard page are welcome, but specific page addresses may sometimes change as the site develops.</span></td> <td width=100 align="right" valign="top"> </td></tr> <tr><td width=32 align="right" valign="top"> </td> <td valign="top"><span style="font-size:8pt;"> <img src="rd.gif" width=10 height=10> If you are searching for a specific named individual, try the <a href="https://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html">alphabetical index of politicians</a>.</span></td> <td width=100 align="right" valign="top"> </td></tr> <tr><td colspan=3 align="left" valign="top"><span style="font-size:10pt;"> <b>Copyright notices:</b> (1) Facts are not subject to copyright; see <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/copyright/cases/499_US_340.htm">Feist v. Rural Telephone</a>. (2) Politician portraits displayed on this site are 70-pixel-wide monochrome thumbnail images, which I believe to constitute <b>fair use</b> under applicable copyright law. Where possible, each image is linked to its online source. However, requests from owners of copyrighted images to delete them from this site are honored. (3) Original material, programming, selection and arrangement are © 1996-2023 Lawrence Kestenbaum. (4) This work is also licensed for free non-commercial re-use, with attribution, under a <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/">Creative Commons License</a>.</span></td></tr> <tr><td colspan=3 align="left" valign="top"><span style="font-size:10pt;"> <b>Site information:</b> The Political Graveyard is created and maintained by <b>Lawrence Kestenbaum</b>, who is solely responsible for its structure and content. — The mailing address is <b>The Political Graveyard, P.O. Box 2563, Ann Arbor MI 48106.</b> — This site is hosted by <b><a href="https://www.hdl.com">HDL</a></b>. — The Political Graveyard opened on <b>July 1, 1996</b>; the last full revision was done on <b>March 8, 2023</b>. </span></td></tr> </table> <hr> <table align="center" cellpadding=5><tr> <td align="center" valign="center"> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/"><img alt="Creative Commons License" border="0" src="https://creativecommons.org/images/public/somerights.gif" width=88 height=31></a></td> <td align="center" valign="center"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/politicalgraveyard" target="_TOP" title="The Political Graveyard"><img src="https://badge.facebook.com/badge/40475596932.4982.1015512377.png" width="120" height="84" style="border: 0px;" /></a></td> <td align="center" valign="center"><a href="https://www.twitter.com/polgraveyard"> <img src="https://twitter-badges.s3.amazonaws.com/follow_us-a.png" border=0 alt="Follow polgraveyard on Twitter"/></a></td> <td align="center" valign="center"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=thepoliticalg-20&path=subst/home/home.html"> <img src="https://politicalgraveyard.com/images/a150X70b.gif" border=0 alt="[Amazon.com]" align="center"></a></td> </tr></table> </body> </html>