[2] His maternal grandmother, Alžběta Seberová (1868–1948), was born in village Hracholusky, southern Bohemia (then part of the Austria-Hungary).

The district, located on Cleveland's East Side, was evenly divided between African Americans, who were then solidly Republican voters, and whites, who were mostly Democrats.

[4] In the Democratic primary, Vanik defeated longtime incumbent Congressman Robert Crosser as well as African-American challenger John Holly, founder of the Negro Future Outlook League.

[5][6] In the general election, Vanik defeated African-American Republican Francis E. Young, who helped organize the Cleveland branch of the NAACP.

[citation needed] In 1974, Vanik sponsored the Jackson–Vanik amendment with Sen. Henry "Scoop" Jackson, which denied normal trade relations to certain countries with non-market economies that restricted the freedom of emigration.