Fish’s career in politics was relatively unremarkable. He was known for his conservative views on fiscal policy and his support for rural agricultural issues. But Fish’s private life was far more colorful than his public persona suggested. He was a devotee of the occult, and he claimed to communicate with spirits and even to have seen ghosts. He also had a penchant for collecting strange and unusual objects, including bones, vintage medical equipment, and taxidermy animals.
But it was Fish’s connection to a series of gruesome murders that would make him infamous. In 1928, the body of 10-year-old Grace Budd was discovered in an abandoned house in New York. The case quickly made national headlines when it was revealed that the killer had written a letter to Grace’s parents, in which he detailed how he had killed and eaten the girl. The letter was signed “Albert Fish.”
At , investigators were skeptical that Fish was the actual killer. He was, after all, a respected member of Congress with no known history of violence. But as evidence mounted, it became clear that Fish was indeed responsible for the murder. In addition to the letter, forensic analysis revealed that Fish’s handwriting matched that of the author of the letter. He was arrested and eventually confessed to killing Grace Budd, as well as several other children.
Fish’s confession shocked the public and earned him the nickname “The Werewolf of Wysteria.” He was eventually tried and found guilty of murder, and he was sentenced to death. But Fish’s bizarre behavior continued even on death row. He reportedly attempted to escape from prison by squeezing his way through the bars of his cell, and he claimed to have inserted needles into his own body as a form of self-punishment.
Today, Albert Fish’s name is often mentioned in the same breath as other notorious serial killers like Ted Bundy and Jeffrey Dahmer. But what sets Fish apart is his unexpected connection to politics. He was, by all accounts, a successful and respected lawmaker, and his involvement in such a heinous crime was a shock to everyone who knew him. Fish’s story is a reminder that even the most seemingly respectable people can harbor dark secrets and that evil can lurk in unexpected places.