Fingerhut, Eric, 1959-

Eric David Fingerhut (born May 6, 1959) is an American lawyer, academic administrator, and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he notably served as the U.S. Representative from Ohio's 19th congressional district from 1993 to 1995.

Born in University Heights, Ohio, he earned a B.S. from Northwestern University and J.D. from Stanford University. Admitted to the Ohio bar in 1984, he practiced law at Hahn Loeser & Parks LLP in Cleveland until becoming associate director of Cleveland Works, where he served from 1987 to 1989. In 1989 Fingerhut served as the campaign manager for Michael R. White, then a candidate for Mayor of Cleveland. After the successful campaign, Fingerhut became the director of White's mayoral transition team. Fingerhut served as member of the Ohio Senate from 1991 to 1993. In 1992, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio's 19th congressional district and took office in 1993. While serving in the House, Fingerhut was the co-sponsor of four bills in support of Israel. In his re-election bid in 1994, however, Fingerhut was defeated by Lake County Prosecutor Steve LaTourette.

After losing his seat in Congress, Fingerhut easily won a seat again in the Ohio Senate, representing district 25. He served two full terms from 1999 through 2007, retiring due to term limits. In 2004, Fingerhut was the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate seat of Republican George V. Voinovich. Both candidates were from the Cleveland area, but Fingerhut apparently could not dent Voinovich's longstanding popularity there and elsewhere in the state. Voinovich was handily re-elected, defeating Fingerhut 64%-36%. He later served as the corporate Vice President of Education and STEM Learning business at Battelle Memorial Institute and Chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents. From 2013 to 2019, Fingerhut served as president and CEO of Hillel International. Since 2019, he has served as president and CEO of the Jewish Federations of North America.