Joseph Y. Resnick

Who was Joseph Y. Resnick?

Joseph Yale Resnick was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from New York, inventor, and World War II veteran.

Resnick was born in Ellenville, New York. He served as a radio officer in the United States Merchant Marine in World War II. He also helped found Channel Master, inventing the first TV antenna that rotated.

Resnick was elected to Congress in 1964 from New York's 28th congressional district, a heavily Republican district, defeating 14-year Republican incumbent J. Ernest Wharton. He served from January 3, 1965 until January 3, 1969. During his tenure in Congress, Resnick took on the American Farm Bureau Federation and subsequently wrote a book on the subject. He was a champion of civil rights and also supported the Vietnam War. Resnick played a central role in passing the Animal Welfare Act of 1966, which empowered the United States Department of Agriculture to protect and regulate the use of animals in research facilities. He unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination for a seat in the United States Senate in 1968, finishing third behind New York City councilman Paul O'Dwyer and Nassau County executive Eugene Nickerson. Resnick's seat in the House was filled by Hamilton Fish IV, whom Resnick had defeated in the 1966 election.