Henry J. Nowak

Henry James Nowak
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 33rd district
In office January 3, 1983 – January 3, 1993
Preceded by	Gary A. Lee
Succeeded by	District 33 eliminated after the 1990 Census and became part of 30th District
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 37th district
In office January 3, 1975 – January 3, 1983
Preceded by	Thaddeus J. Dulski
Succeeded by	District 37 eliminated after the 1980 Census
Comptroller of Erie County, New York
In office 1964–1974
Personal details
Born	Henry James Nowak (1935-02-21) February 21, 1935 (age 86) Buffalo, New York, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Rose Lucia[1]
Children	2
Education	Canisius College (BA) University of Buffalo (JD)
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1957-1958 1961-1962
Rank	Captain[1]

Henry James Nowak (born February 21, 1935) is an American lawyer, politician and a former Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from New York between 1975 and 1993.

Early life[]

Nowak was born in Buffalo, New York attended public elementary schools in Buffalo and graduated from Riverside High School, Buffalo, in 1953. He earned a B.A. from Canisius College, Buffalo in 1957.

During his college career, he was a star basketball player for the Golden Griffs. When he graduated in 1957, he was Canisius College's all-time scoring leader. In three years as a starter he scored 1,449 points and averaged 18.6 points a game. Today, he still ranks first in rebounding and third in all-time scoring.^[2] Sportswriters dubbed him "Hammerin' Hank" for his tough aggressive play.^{[citation needed]} Nowak led the Griffs to three of their four appearances in the NCAA basketball tournament. The St. Louis Hawks subsequently drafted him with the 28th pick in the 1957 NBA Draft.^[3]

From 1957 to 1958 Nowak served in the United States Army, then earned a J.D. from the University of Buffalo Law School in 1961. He then served in the Army again from 1961 to 1962.^[4]

Political career[]

Admitted to the New York bar in 1963, he commenced practice in Buffalo, and served as assistant district attorney of Erie County, New York in 1964. Erie County Comptroller from 1964 to 1974, he was also a delegate to the New York State Democratic convention in 1970, and to the Democratic National Convention in 1972 and 1988.^[5]

Congress[]

Nowak was elected as a Democrat to represent the 33rd and the 37th districts of the state of New York during the Ninety-fourth and to the eight succeeding Congresses. He served from January 3, 1975 to January 3, 1993,^[6] and was not a candidate for renomination in 1992 to the One Hundred Third Congress. During his entire congressional career, he was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Public Works and Transportation.

Family life[]

A resident of Buffalo, New York, Nowak has a daughter, Diane (Nowak) Kent, who is also in the Canisius Sports Hall of Fame, inducted in 2002.^[7] His son, Henry Joseph Nowak, is a judge in the New York Supreme Court from the 8th district^[8] and is a former Buffalo Housing Court judge.^[9][10]

References[]

External links[]

• United States Congress. "Henry J. Nowak (id: N000163)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• Appearances on C-SPAN