born June 8, 1877, Nastätten, Hesse-Nassau, Ger.
died May 4, 1953, New York, N.Y., U.S.
U.S. politician.
He immigrated with his family to New York City in 1885. He became active in Democratic Party politics, serving in the state legislature (1904–19) and as a justice of the state court of appeals (1919–26). In the U.S. Senate (1927–49), he became an ally of Pres. New Deal labour and social-reform legislation, including the National Industrial Recovery Act (1933), the National Labor Relations Act (known as the Wagner Act ), and the Social Security Act . He cosponsored the Wagner-Steagall Act (1937), which created the U.S. Housing Authority. His son, Robert F. Wagner, Jr. (1910–91), served as mayor of New York (1954–65).