The Origins of Albert Fish

In order to fully understand the story of Albert Fish, we need to explore his childhood. Hamilton Howard Fish was born in Washington, D.C., on May 19, 1870. In 1875, Randall Fish suddenly died of a heart attack when Hamilton was only five years old. Helen put Hamilton into the care of St. John's orphanage, where he would remain until 1879. He remembers very vividly seeing the other boys whipped.