Gejdenson, Samuel, 1948-

Samuel Gejdenson (born May 20, 1948) is an American farmer, broker, businessman, and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he notably served as the U.S. Representative for Connecticut's 2nd congressional district from 1981 to 2001.

Born in a displaced persons camp in Eschwege, Allied-occupied Germany, he grew up on a dairy farm in Bozrah, Connecticut, near Norwich. He attended Mitchell College for two years and finished his studies at the University of Connecticut. From 1970 to 1973, he worked for the FIA Company. He was elected as a Democrat to the Connecticut House of Representatives that same year and served two terms. He then worked as the president of the Montessori School in Norwich, Connecticut. Gejdenson won a seat in the United States House of Representatives in November 1980.

In the House, Gejdenson served as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations of the House Interior Committee (now House Resources Committee). In that capacity, he conducted oversight over the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Beginning in 1989, Gejdenson assumed the Chairmanship of the Subcommittee on International Economic Policy and Trade of the House Foreign Affairs Committee (now International Relations Committee). In November 2000, Gejdenson lost his bid for re-election to the 107th Congress to State Representative Rob Simmons. Three major issues may have caused this defeat. In 1998, he had prominently written a counter-letter urging President Clinton to continue his peacemaking. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which had circulated a letter among Congressman to oppose putting any pressure on Israel, opposed his re-election despite the fact that he was Jewish. It was alleged that Gejdenson had moved out of the district.

Gejdenson now resides in Branford, Connecticut and is now involved in international trade with his own company, Sam Gejdenson International. He endorsed Joe Courtney in the 2006 election for the seat he once held, in which Courtney defeated Simmons in an extremely close race. Gejdenson is on the Board of Directors of the National Democratic Institute and was a Commissioner on the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom from 2012 to 2014.