Editing Hamilton Fish III (section)

==Family and early life==
{{Further|Fish family|Stuyvesant family}}
Hamilton Stuyvesant Fish was born on December 7, 1888, in [[Garrison, New York]] to [[Hamilton Fish II]] and the former Emily Mann. Hamilton Fish II had been a Republican member of the New York Assembly and would later serve as Speaker of the Assembly and a United States Representative. [[Hamilton Fish]], the paternal grandfather of this article's subject, was [[United States Secretary of State]] under President [[Ulysses S. Grant]].{{sfn|Fish|1991|pp=7–12}}

In 1898, the young Fish's cousin, also named [[Hamilton Fish II (Rough Rider)|Hamilton Fish]] and a volunteer in [[Theodore Roosevelt]]'s [[Rough Riders]], was the first American soldier killed in action in the [[Spanish–American War]]. In his honor, Fish's father legally changed his ten-year-old son's name from ''Hamilton Stuyvesant Fish'' to just ''Hamilton Fish''.{{sfn|Fish|1991|pp=7–12}}

During his childhood, Fish attended Chateau de Lancy near [[Geneva]], which his father had also attended. The younger Fish learned [[French language|French]], played soccer, and spent summers with his family in [[Bavaria]]. He returned to the United States to attend the [[Fay School]] in [[Southborough, Massachusetts]] and [[St. Mark's School (Massachusetts)|St. Mark's School]], a [[University-preparatory school|preparatory school]] also in Southborough. In his memoirs, Fish described himself as a "B student" at St. Mark's but successful in several different sports.{{sfn|Fish|1991|p=12–19}}
[[File:Hamilton Fish at Harvard.jpg|left|thumb|At Harvard, Fish was a star football player and was later inducted into the [[College Football Hall of Fame]].]]
Fish graduated from St. Mark's in 1906 and attended [[Harvard College]], where he graduated in the class of 1910.{{sfn|Fish|1991|p=12–19}} He was a member of the [[Porcellian Club]] and played [[tackle (position)|tackle]] for Harvard's [[American football|football]] team. Standing {{convert|6|ft|4|in|m}} and weighing {{convert|200|lb|kg}}, "Ham" Fish was highly successful as a football player; he was twice an [[College Football All-America Team|All-America]] and was inducted into the [[College Football Hall of Fame]] in 1954.<ref>{{cfbhof|id=1227|name=Hamilton Fish}}</ref> He was the only Harvard man on Yale graduate [[Walter Camp]]'s all-time All-American team.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://archive.org/details/bookoffootball00camp | page=[https://archive.org/details/bookoffootball00camp/page/346 346] |title = The Book of Foot-ball| publisher=Century Company |last1 = Camp|first1 = Walter|year = 1910}}</ref> After graduating, Fish continued his involvement in football. He donated $5,000.00 for several awards to Harvard football players and organized the [[Harvard Law School]] football team, which played exhibition games with other colleges around the country.{{sfn|Fish|1991|p=12–19}} During his time at Harvard, Fish became friends with [[Theodore Roosevelt Jr.]], the son of President [[Theodore Roosevelt]].{{sfn|Fish|1991|pp=19–24}}

In 1909, at 20, Fish graduated early from Harvard with a ''[[cum laude]]'' degree in history and government. He declined an offer to teach history at Harvard and instead attended [[Harvard Law School]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Pederson |first=William D. |date=2006 |title=Presidential Profiles: The FDR Years |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cv-kRJoXag4C&q=%22hamilton+fish%22+%22harvard+law+school%22&pg=PA84 |location=New York, NY |publisher=Facts on File, Inc. |page=84 |isbn=978-0-8160-5368-1}}</ref> He left law school before graduating, and took a job in a New York City insurance office.{{sfn|Fish|1991|p=12–19}}

===New York State Assembly (1914–16)===
Since Fish's father had served as Assistant Treasurer of the United States in Theodore Roosevelt's administration, and Fish himself had befriended Roosevelt's son at Harvard, he actively supported Roosevelt in the [[1912 Republican Party presidential primaries|1912 primaries]] against President [[William Howard Taft]]. Fish attended the [[1912 Republican National Convention]] with his father and was dismayed when Taft was nominated despite popular support for Roosevelt.{{sfn|Fish|1991|pp=19–24}}{{sfn|Troncone|1993|pp=26–39}} Fish joined Roosevelt in bolting the Republican Party and, with assistance from his father, he was appointed chair of the Putnam County [[Progressive Party (United States, 1912)|Bull Moose Party]]. They campaigned for Roosevelt in the general election but, despite Roosevelt's defeat, Fish remained a committed Progressive.{{sfn|Troncone|1993|pp=26–39}}

In 1913, Fish ran for Assembly against Republican county [[political boss]] John Yale, whom Fish later remembered as "thoroughly corrupt."{{sfn|Fish|1991|pp=19–24}} In a largely rural county facing challenges from industrialization and modernization, Fish's message of limiting private influence in government without limiting the exercise of private liberties was popular.{{sfn|Troncone|1993|pp=26–39}} Yale ultimately withdrew from the Assembly race in favor of a political ally, whom Fish easily defeated running on an anti-corruption platform.{{sfn|Fish|1991|pp=19–24}}{{sfn|Troncone|1993|pp=26–39}} As a progressive, Fish enjoyed the support of former President Roosevelt and a friendly relationship with Roosevelt's distant cousin [[Franklin D. Roosevelt|Franklin Delano Roosevelt]], a State Senator and resident of [[Hyde Park, New York|Hyde Park]] in neighboring [[Dutchess County, New York|Dutchess County]]. Before Fish's election, Fish and Senator Roosevelt collaborated on a plan to establish direct primary elections in 1912. The two men would continue cordial relations for the next two decades; after Franklin left Albany to become [[Assistant Secretary of the Navy]], he continued to assist Fish with [[patronage]] requests and securing federal contracts for his insurance firm, the John Paige Insurance Company.{{sfn|Troncone|1993|pp=26–39}}

As an Assemblyman for three terms, Fish championed progressive social and political reforms, including the reform of the New York state primary election system, a widow's pension, penal reforms, and workmen's compensation.{{sfn|Troncone|1993|pp=26–39}} With support from Theodore Roosevelt, Fish opposed a bill which would allow insurance companies to bypass the workmen's compensation scheme to settle claims and attacked the Speaker of the Assembly, [[Thaddeus Sweet]], for misuse of public funds and hiring political allies for no-show jobs. Though Fish never substantiated his allegations, he won public applause.{{sfn|Troncone|1993|pp=26–39}}