Benjamin Gilman

Hon. Benjamin A. Gilman represented the people of the 20th district of New York as their Member of Congress for three decades, and served New York State in a variety of capacities including as Assistant Attorney General. From 1995 to 2002, Mr. Gilman served as Chairman of the House International Relations Committee.

He has been both a Congressional delegate to the U.N. and a Congressional advisor to the U.N. He also authored legislation creating the Presidential Commission Against Hunger, on which he served, and subsequently, the Select Committee on World Hunger.

His military service during World War II earned him the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal with Oak Leaf Clusters. Mr. Gilman is also noted for his advocacy of Human Rights. He was instrumental in the "prisoner exchange" program that brought freedom for many prisoners in East Germany, Mozambique, Cuba, the former Soviet Union, and several other nations. Mr. Gilman was also appointed a member of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council.