WASHINGTON – The Senate has voted to name the Middletown Post Office on Fulton Street in that city in honor of the late Congressman Benjamin Gilman.
Gilman, who died on December 17, 2016 at age 94, was born in Poughkeepsie and raised in Middletown.
The World War II veteran was an assistant attorney general from 1953 to 1955, served in the State Assembly from 1967 to 1972, and in the US House of Representatives from 1972 to 2003.
While in Washington, he served as chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and was founder of the House Human Rights Caucus.
“Congressman Gilman deserves to be honored for his relentless commitment to public service, from answering the call of duty during WWII, to his long and storied career as a legislator in the New York State Assembly and the US House of Representatives and to his endless commitment to the Hudson Valley,” said Senator Charles Schumer, who sponsored the post office naming along with Senator Kirsten Gillibrand.
“Throughout his distinguished 50 years of service, he championed diplomacy and advocated for human rights,” said Gillibrand. “This post office designation would help honor his memory in the community that he fought for and represented, and I am pleased that this bill is now one step closer to becoming law.”
The House of Representatives has yet to take up the resolution.
