Steven Boghos Derounian as born in Sofia, Bulgaria, April 6, 1918. He was brought to the United States at the age of three by his parents who settled in Mineola, N.Y. He attended the public schools and graduated from New York University in 1938 and from the Fordham Law School in 1942. He was admitted to the New York bar in 1942 and began practice in Mineola, N.Y., the same year. Derounian entered the United States Army as a private in July 1942 and graduated from officers school as an Infantry officer and was assigned to the 103rd Infantry. He served overseas from October 1944 to March 1946 and separated from the service as a captain in May 1946. He was awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star with oak leaf.
He was elected as a Republican to the Eighty-third and to the five succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1953-January 3, 1965). Thereafter, he served as justice of the Supreme Court of New York State, 1969-1981. He now is a resident of Austin, Texas.
As a Congressman, Derounian was part of the Congressional Subcommittee that investigated the 1950's Quiz show scandals. This event is presented in Robert Redford's 1994 film Quiz Show, where Derounian is shown harsly criticizing Charles Van Doren, after he admits to cheating on the TV game show Twenty One. When his fellow Congressmen praise Van Doren for his statement, Douranian dissents saying:
"I'm happy that you've made the statement. But I cannot agree with most of my colleagues. See, I don't think an adult of your intelligence should be commended for simply, at long last, telling the truth."
In the film, Derounian is played by Joseph Attanasio.
