Craig Hosmer

United States Member of Congress (1915–1982)

Chester Craig Hosmer (May 6, 1915 – October 11, 1982) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States representative from California from 1953 to 1974.

Hosmer was born in Brea, California, in Orange County. He attended the public schools, graduated from Long Beach Polytechnic High School. Hosmer graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 1937. Hosmer attended the University of Michigan Law School in 1938 and graduated from the University of Southern California Law School in 1940. He was admitted to the bar in 1940 and began practice in Long Beach, California.

He enlisted in the United States Navy in July 1940 and advanced to the rank of commander; rear admiral, Naval Reserve.

He was an attorney with the U. S. Atomic Energy Commission at Los Alamos, New Mexico and special assistant United States District Attorney for New Mexico in 1948. He then returned to Long Beach, California to private practice.

Hosmer was an unsuccessful Republican candidate for election in 1950 to the Eighty second Congress. He was elected as a Republican to the Eighty third and to the ten succeeding Congresses and served from January 3, 1953, until his resignation December 31, 1974. Hosmer voted in favor of the Civil Rights Acts of 1957, 1960, 1964, and 1968, as well as the 24th Amendment to the U. S. Constitution, but did not vote on the Voting Rights Act of 1965. He was not a candidate for reelection in 1974 to the Ninety fourth Congress. Representative Hosmer was outraged by the 1967 USS Liberty incident and was one of the few Congressmen to call for an investigation. He was openly angry about the attack and called for restitution and legal recourse: "I can only conclude that the coordinated attack by aircraft and motor torpedo boats on the U. S. S. Liberty 15 1/2 miles north of Sinai on June 8 which killed 34 officers and men of the Navy and wounded another 175 was deliberate. The fact that the U. S. S. Liberty was a Victory hull vessel, hundreds of which were produced and used by the U. S. Navy during World War II and since, rules out the possibility of mistaken identity. Every ship recognition book in the world has, for years, identified the characteristic Victory hull and superstructure of the U. S. S. Liberty as U. S. Navy property Whatever the reason for the attack, it was an act of high piracy. Those responsible should be court martialed on charges of murder, amongst other counts. The Israel Government should pay full reparations to the United States and indemnities to the families of the Americans killed."

He was president of the American Nuclear Energy Council from 1975 to 1979. He was a resident of Washington, D. C. until his death on October 11, 1982, aboard a cruise ship bound for Mexico. He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia.