[1] Weiss was born in 1927 in the Hungarian village of Gáva (now Gávavencsellő) and emigrated to the United States in 1938.

Hoffman High School in South Amboy in 1946, Weiss served in the United States Army from 1946 to 1947.

[2] Between 1955 and 1959, he was an assistant New York County District Attorney, before leaving the position to return to private practice.

Weiss was elected to Congress in 1976, representing most of Manhattan's West Side, and served from January 3, 1977, until his death.

In 1983, he and seven other representatives sponsored a resolution to impeach Ronald Reagan over his sudden and unexpected invasion of Grenada.