Erastus Corning 2nd
Encyclopedia
Erastus Corning 2nd was an American politician. He was Mayor of Albany, New York for more than 40 years, from 1942 to 1983, when Albany County
was controlled by one of the last two classic urban political machine
s in the United States. Albany
's longest serving mayor, the Democrat
died in office in 1983. His great-grandfather, Erastus Corning
, was an industrialist who founded the New York Central Railroad
and served as Albany's mayor from 1834 to 1837. His father, Edwin Corning
, was Lieutenant Governor of New York
from 1927 to 1928.
and Groton School
before attending Yale University
. After earning his college degree, Corning started an insurance company and soon entered politics with his election to the New York State Assembly
in 1935. He was elected to the New York State Senate
in 1936.
Corning won the first of his 11 terms as mayor in 1941 - easily defeating the Republican
candidate, Benjamin R. Hoff, by nearly 46,000 votes. Corning was re-elected in landslides for most of the rest of his career. The most notable exception was 1973 when a prominent businessman and reform candidate, Carl Touhey, ran a well-financed campaign and came within 3,200 votes of defeating the mayor.
Touhey's campaign was not the first major challenge to Corning's administration. Shortly after his first term began, the newly elected Governor Thomas E. Dewey had the powerful Albany Democratic
political machine
, run by "Boss" Daniel P. O'Connell
, investigated. The investigations proved largely unsuccessful and left Corning and O'Connell unscathed. This political machine proved to be one of the most durable in American history, even outlasting the Daley family
machine in Chicago.
During Governor Dewey's investigation, Corning was drafted into the United States Army
and served as a private in World War II
; he did not seek to use his official status to avoid service or to get any favorable treatment. During his absence, Frank Harris, a councilman, served as Acting Mayor, appointed to this post by Corning.
In 1946, Corning ran for Lieutenant Governor of New York
with James M. Mead
for Governor, but they were defeated by the incumbent Republicans Dewey and Joe R. Hanley
.
Corning served ten full consecutive terms after his return from the war. His insurance firm profited from being the sole bidder on Albany County insurance contracts for many years. Corning defended this apparent conflict of interest by noting that he himself was not a county official.
His last mayoral re-election came in 1981. During his last term he began to show health problems and, on May 28, 1983, he died of heart failure at University Hospital in Boston. He is interred in Albany Rural Cemetery
.
The Erastus Corning Tower
, the tallest building in Albany and the tallest in the state outside New York City
, is named for him, as is the "Corning Preserve", a nature trail and fishing site on the western banks of the Hudson River
in Albany. The tower is part of the Empire State Plaza
, a 98 acres (396,592.3 m²), 11-building state government office and cultural complex. Some believe that the building was named after Corning because it has 42 floors (which is the same as the number of years he served as mayor), but the building actually has 44 floors with an observation deck
on Floor 42. Completed in 1973, the skyscraper was dedicated to Corning upon his death in 1983.
of the Netherlands
named Corning an officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau
, the country's highest citizen honor, in gratitude for his aid to Nijmegen following World War II.
Albany County, New York
Albany County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, and is part of the Albany-Schenectady-Troy Metropolitan Statistical Area. The name is from the title of the Duke of York and Albany, who became James II of England . As of the 2010 census, the population was 304,204...
was controlled by one of the last two classic urban political machine
Political machine
A political machine is a political organization in which an authoritative boss or small group commands the support of a corps of supporters and businesses , who receive rewards for their efforts...
s in the United States. Albany
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
's longest serving mayor, the Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
died in office in 1983. His great-grandfather, Erastus Corning
Erastus Corning
Erastus Corning I , American businessman and politician, was born in Norwich, Connecticut. Corning moved to Troy, New York at the age of 13 to clerk in the hardware store of an uncle; six years later he moved to Albany, New York, where he joined the mercantile business under James Spencer...
, was an industrialist who founded the New York Central Railroad
New York Central Railroad
The New York Central Railroad , known simply as the New York Central in its publicity, was a railroad operating in the Northeastern United States...
and served as Albany's mayor from 1834 to 1837. His father, Edwin Corning
Edwin Corning
Edwin Corning was an American businessman and politician from New York. He was Lieutenant Governor of New York from 1927 to 1928.-Life:...
, was Lieutenant Governor of New York
Lieutenant Governor of New York
The Lieutenant Governor of New York is a constitutional office in the executive branch of the government of New York State. It is the second highest ranking official in state government. The lieutenant governor is elected on a ticket with the governor for a four year term...
from 1927 to 1928.
Name
Corning referred to himself as "Erastus Corning 2nd", preferring that moniker to "Erastus Corning II".Biography
Corning was educated at The Albany AcademyThe Albany Academy
The Albany Academy is an independent college preparatory day school for boys in Albany, New York, USA, enrolling students from Preschool to Grade 12. It was established in 1813 by a charter signed by Mayor Philip Schuyler Van Rensselaer and the city council of Albany...
and Groton School
Groton School
Groton School is a private, Episcopal, college preparatory boarding school located in Groton, Massachusetts, U.S. It enrolls approximately 375 boys and girls, from the eighth through twelfth grades...
before attending Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
. After earning his college degree, Corning started an insurance company and soon entered politics with his election to the New York State Assembly
New York State Assembly
The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature. The Assembly is composed of 150 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 128,652...
in 1935. He was elected to the New York State Senate
New York State Senate
The New York State Senate is one of two houses in the New York State Legislature and has members each elected to two-year terms. There are no limits on the number of terms one may serve...
in 1936.
Corning won the first of his 11 terms as mayor in 1941 - easily defeating the Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
candidate, Benjamin R. Hoff, by nearly 46,000 votes. Corning was re-elected in landslides for most of the rest of his career. The most notable exception was 1973 when a prominent businessman and reform candidate, Carl Touhey, ran a well-financed campaign and came within 3,200 votes of defeating the mayor.
Touhey's campaign was not the first major challenge to Corning's administration. Shortly after his first term began, the newly elected Governor Thomas E. Dewey had the powerful Albany Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
political machine
Political machine
A political machine is a political organization in which an authoritative boss or small group commands the support of a corps of supporters and businesses , who receive rewards for their efforts...
, run by "Boss" Daniel P. O'Connell
Daniel P. O'Connell
Daniel Patrick O'Connell was the leader of the Democratic Party political machine in Albany County, New York, from about 1919 until his death....
, investigated. The investigations proved largely unsuccessful and left Corning and O'Connell unscathed. This political machine proved to be one of the most durable in American history, even outlasting the Daley family
Daley family
The Daley family is an American political family from Chicago that is deeply entrenched the vast political machine system of Illinois. Two family members have held the office of the Mayor of Chicago....
machine in Chicago.
During Governor Dewey's investigation, Corning was drafted into the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
and served as a private in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
; he did not seek to use his official status to avoid service or to get any favorable treatment. During his absence, Frank Harris, a councilman, served as Acting Mayor, appointed to this post by Corning.
In 1946, Corning ran for Lieutenant Governor of New York
Lieutenant Governor of New York
The Lieutenant Governor of New York is a constitutional office in the executive branch of the government of New York State. It is the second highest ranking official in state government. The lieutenant governor is elected on a ticket with the governor for a four year term...
with James M. Mead
James M. Mead
James Michael Mead represented New York in the United States Senate from 1938 until 1947.Born in Mount Morris, Livingston County, New York, Mead moved to Buffalo with his family at the age of four...
for Governor, but they were defeated by the incumbent Republicans Dewey and Joe R. Hanley
Joe R. Hanley
Joseph Rhodes Hanley was an American lawyer and Republican politician who served as Lieutenant Governor of New York from 1943 to 1950.-Life:He served in the U.S. Army during the Spanish-American War...
.
Corning served ten full consecutive terms after his return from the war. His insurance firm profited from being the sole bidder on Albany County insurance contracts for many years. Corning defended this apparent conflict of interest by noting that he himself was not a county official.
His last mayoral re-election came in 1981. During his last term he began to show health problems and, on May 28, 1983, he died of heart failure at University Hospital in Boston. He is interred in Albany Rural Cemetery
Albany Rural Cemetery
The Albany Rural Cemetery was established October 7, 1844, in Menands, New York, just outside of the city of Albany, New York. It is renowned as one of the most beautiful, pastoral cemeteries in the United States, at over . Many historical American figures are buried there.-History:On April 2,...
.
Legacy
Erastus Corning Tower
The Erastus Corning Tower, also known as the Mayor Erastus Corning 2nd Tower or simply the Corning Tower, is a skyscraper located in downtown Albany, New York. Completed in 1966 and sided with Vermont Pearl marble and glass, the state office building is part of the Empire State Plaza...
, the tallest building in Albany and the tallest in the state outside New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, is named for him, as is the "Corning Preserve", a nature trail and fishing site on the western banks of the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
in Albany. The tower is part of the Empire State Plaza
Empire State Plaza
The Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller Empire State Plaza is a complex of several state government buildings in downtown Albany, New York....
, a 98 acres (396,592.3 m²), 11-building state government office and cultural complex. Some believe that the building was named after Corning because it has 42 floors (which is the same as the number of years he served as mayor), but the building actually has 44 floors with an observation deck
Observation deck
__FORCETOC__ An observation deck, observation platform or viewing platform is an elevated sightseeing platform usually situated upon a tall architectural structure such as a skyscraper or observation tower...
on Floor 42. Completed in 1973, the skyscraper was dedicated to Corning upon his death in 1983.
Awards and honors
Queen WilhelminaWilhelmina of the Netherlands
Wilhelmina was Queen regnant of the Kingdom of the Netherlands from 1890 to 1948. She ruled the Netherlands for fifty-eight years, longer than any other Dutch monarch. Her reign saw World War I and World War II, the economic crisis of 1933, and the decline of the Netherlands as a major colonial...
of the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
named Corning an officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau
Order of Orange-Nassau
The Order of Orange-Nassau is a military and civil order of the Netherlands which was created on 4 April 1892 by the Queen regent Emma of the Netherlands, acting on behalf of her under-age daughter Queen Wilhelmina. The Order is a chivalry order open to "everyone who have earned special merits for...
, the country's highest citizen honor, in gratitude for his aid to Nijmegen following World War II.