Mary Donohue
Encyclopedia
Mary O’Connor Donohue is a Judge of the New York Court of Claims
and a former Lieutenant Governor of New York State
. She was first elected lieutenant governor in 1998 and reelected 2002 on a ticket with Gov. George Pataki
.
. She graduated from The College of New Rochelle
and received a master's degree in Education from Russell Sage College
. In 1983, she received a law degree from Albany Law School
.
In addition to working for Bruno, Donohue was an assistant county attorney in Rensselaer County. During her time in the county attorney's office, she worked on Family Court and juvenile justice issues.
of Rensselaer County for several years in the 1990s. During her two terms as district attorney, she prosecuted over 5000 cases a year. She handled several cases herself. In 1996 she was elected as a Justice of the New York State Supreme Court. While serving as a state judge, Donohue handled both civil and criminal cases. She resigned from her judgeship in 1998 when Pataki picked her as a running mate
.
. She was not known to be a powerful lieutenant governor or to enjoy a close relationship with Pataki. She has been loyal to Pataki and never publicly opposed him, unlike her predecessor.
In 2005 it was reported that she was spending less time in Albany, because of her dissatisfaction with Pataki and her hope that he would leave office early and make her governor. Donohue denied these rumors.
Since 1999, Donohue has spent time traveling the state promoting school violence prevention and to implement the recommendations of her task force. In 2005, Donohue led a state program, comprising several agencies, to determine best practices in the area of school violence prevention. Part of the recommendations made by Donohue's task force include giving teacher authority to have disruptive students removed from classrooms, creating character education curricula in school districts, and making violence against a teacher in a classroom a felony.
According to the website for the Quality Communities Clearinghouse, Donohue's panel made recommendations in the areas of neighborhood preservation, open space conservation, farmland preservation
, economic development, land use planning, transportation, and technology. Donohue has traveled the state hosting roundtable discussion on quality communities issues since 2000. In this role she has worked with Secretraies of State Alexander Treadwell
, Randy Daniels
, and Christopher Jacobs
on local government issues.
issues, drunk driving prevention, and criminal justice issues.
In 2005, Donohue was named by Pataki as the Chairwoman of the New York State Delegation to the White House Conference on Aging. In the lead up to the conference, Donohue held a series of community meetings around the state on aging issues.
from his 1998 reelection ticket. Pataki and McCaughey Ross had feuded for much of his term. McCaughey Ross would later become a Democrat and run unsuccessfully for governor
in 1998.
Following Pataki's announcement regarding McCaughey Ross, Donohue was reported as a possible replacement running mate. In addition, State Parks Commissioner Bernadette Castro
, State Sen. Mary Lou Rath
and Erie County Comptroller Nancy Naples
were reported as possible running mates. In the spring of 1998, Pataki announced his selection of Donohue.
In the 1998 general election, the Pataki/Donohue ticket defeated the Democratic ticket of New York City Council Speaker Peter Vallone for governor and Brighton Town Supervisor Sandra Frankel
for lieutenant governor.
or Erie County Executive Joel Giambra
would replace her on the Pataki ticket. Donohue beat back the challenge. There were reports that she was offered the GOP nomination for state attorney general
to challenge Eliot Spitzer
in 2002, so that she would not seek reelection. She declined this nomination, which went to Judge Dora Irizarry
instead.
In September 2002 Donohue and Pataki fought to win the nomination of the New York State Independence Party
. Donohue won her primary, but Pataki lost to Rochester businessman Tom Golisano
. This made Donohue both the running mate of Pataki and Golisano in the November election and made her the officeholder to capture the most votes in New York State in 2002.
The Pataki/Donohue ticket defeated the Democratic ticket of State Comptroller Carl McCall
for governor and businessman Dennis Mehiel for lieutenant governor.
for nomination to a United States District Court
judgeship in Upstate New York. On June 27, 2006, the White House
announced that Donohue has been nominated to the judgeship. Her nomination went to the U.S. Senate for confirmation, where it was not brought up by the Senate Judiciary Committee before the 109th Congress adjourned on December 10, 2006. Sen. Charles Schumer
indicated that he did not see Donohue's nomination being able to be confirmed by the United States Senate
in the 110th Congress, when the Democrats have the Senate majority.
. She was confirmed that day by the State Senate for term expiring in March 2015. Court of Claims Judges preside over lawsuits against the State of New York and various independent state agencies. She took office as a judge after her term as lieutenant governor expired at midnight on December 31, 2006. She retired from the Court of Claims in May, 2009.
2002 NYS Republican and Conservative Party Tickets
2002 NYS Independence Party Ticket
New York Court of Claims
The New York State Court of Claims is the court which handles all claims against the State of New York and certain state agencies. It is not a small claims court. Judges of the Court of Claims are appointed by the Governor of New York and confirmed by the State Senate for a 9-year term...
and a former Lieutenant Governor of New York State
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...
. She was first elected lieutenant governor in 1998 and reelected 2002 on a ticket with Gov. George Pataki
George Pataki
George Elmer Pataki is an American politician who was the 53rd Governor of New York. A member of the Republican Party, Pataki served three consecutive four-year terms from January 1, 1995 until December 31, 2006.- Early life :...
.
Teaching and legal career
Donohue is a former teacher and lawyer who was once an aide to State Senate Majority Leader Joseph BrunoJoseph Bruno
Joseph L. Bruno is an American businessman, and Republican politician. He was the Temporary President of the New York State Senate and its majority leader. Most recently he also served as Lieutenant Governor of New York ....
. She graduated from The College of New Rochelle
The College of New Rochelle
The College of New Rochelle is a private Catholic college with its main campus located in New Rochelle, New York. The College of St. Angela was founded by the Order of the Ursulines as the first Catholic women's college in New York state in 1904, a time when women were generally excluded from...
and received a master's degree in Education from Russell Sage College
Russell Sage College
Russell Sage College is a women's college located in Troy, New York, approximately north of New York City in the Capital District. It is one of the three colleges that make up The Sage Colleges...
. In 1983, she received a law degree from Albany Law School
Albany Law School
Albany Law School is an ABA accredited law school based in Albany, New York. It was founded in 1851 by Amos Dean , Amasa Parker, Ira Harris and others....
.
In addition to working for Bruno, Donohue was an assistant county attorney in Rensselaer County. During her time in the county attorney's office, she worked on Family Court and juvenile justice issues.
District Attorney and Judge
Donohue served as the District AttorneyDistrict attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
of Rensselaer County for several years in the 1990s. During her two terms as district attorney, she prosecuted over 5000 cases a year. She handled several cases herself. In 1996 she was elected as a Justice of the New York State Supreme Court. While serving as a state judge, Donohue handled both civil and criminal cases. She resigned from her judgeship in 1998 when Pataki picked her as a running mate
Running mate
A running mate is a person running together with another person on a joint ticket during an election. The term is most often used in reference to the person in the subordinate position but can also properly be used when referring to both candidates, such as "Michael Dukakis and Lloyd Bentsen were...
.
Lieutenant governor
Donohue was sworn in as lieutenant governor on January 1, 1999, replacing former Lt. Gov. Betsy McCaughey RossBetsy McCaughey Ross
Betsy McCaughey , formerly known as Betsy McCaughey Ross, was the Republican Lieutenant Governor of New York from 1995 to 1998, during the first term of Governor George Pataki. She unsuccessfully sought the Democratic Party nomination for Governor after Pataki dropped her from his 1998 ticket.An...
. She was not known to be a powerful lieutenant governor or to enjoy a close relationship with Pataki. She has been loyal to Pataki and never publicly opposed him, unlike her predecessor.
In 2005 it was reported that she was spending less time in Albany, because of her dissatisfaction with Pataki and her hope that he would leave office early and make her governor. Donohue denied these rumors.
School violence
When she became lieutenant governor, Pataki appointed Donohue to head a special task force on school violence issues.Since 1999, Donohue has spent time traveling the state promoting school violence prevention and to implement the recommendations of her task force. In 2005, Donohue led a state program, comprising several agencies, to determine best practices in the area of school violence prevention. Part of the recommendations made by Donohue's task force include giving teacher authority to have disruptive students removed from classrooms, creating character education curricula in school districts, and making violence against a teacher in a classroom a felony.
Quality Communities
In 2000, Pataki appointed Donohue to chair a task force looking in quality communities in New York. Donohue's task force met around the state to discuss land use policies, economic development and growth issues. The panel issued 41 recommendations regarding preserving community character statewide. Since the conclusion of the task force, Donohue has served as Chairwoman of the Quality Communities Working Group, which oversees implementation of the task force's recommendations and the awarding of quality communities grants to towns statewide. As a part of this, Donohue is in charge of the Quality Communities Clearinghouse.According to the website for the Quality Communities Clearinghouse, Donohue's panel made recommendations in the areas of neighborhood preservation, open space conservation, farmland preservation
Farmland preservation
Farmland preservation is a joint effort by non-governmental organizations and local governments to set aside and protect examples of a region's farmland for the use, education, and enjoyment of future generations...
, economic development, land use planning, transportation, and technology. Donohue has traveled the state hosting roundtable discussion on quality communities issues since 2000. In this role she has worked with Secretraies of State Alexander Treadwell
Alexander Treadwell
Alexander F. "Sandy" Treadwell is an American politician who is a longtime Republican Party political leader in New York. He is currently New York's National Committeeman on the Republican National Committee...
, Randy Daniels
Randy Daniels
Randy Daniels is an American journalist and educator who served as Secretary of State of New York from 2001 to 2005. He resides in Westchester, New York and is currently employed as Vice Chairman of , a real estate investing firm....
, and Christopher Jacobs
Christopher Jacobs (politician)
Christopher L. Jacobs was Secretary of State of New York and was twice a candidate for the Republican nomination for Lieutenant Governor of New York as the running mate of both former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld in 2006 and Steve Levy in 2010...
on local government issues.
Small business, aging, homeland security and criminal justice
In 2001, Donohue was the chairwoman of a task force on small business issues in the state. In this role, she met with small business owners and developed policy recommendations for governor on these issues. During her second term, Donohue has frequently traveled the state promoting homeland securityHomeland security
Homeland security is an umbrella term for security efforts to protect states against terrorist activity. Specifically, is a concerted national effort to prevent terrorist attacks within the U.S., reduce America’s vulnerability to terrorism, and minimize the damage and recover from attacks that do...
issues, drunk driving prevention, and criminal justice issues.
In 2005, Donohue was named by Pataki as the Chairwoman of the New York State Delegation to the White House Conference on Aging. In the lead up to the conference, Donohue held a series of community meetings around the state on aging issues.
1998
In 1997, Pataki announced that he was dropping Lt. Gov. Betsy McCaughey RossBetsy McCaughey Ross
Betsy McCaughey , formerly known as Betsy McCaughey Ross, was the Republican Lieutenant Governor of New York from 1995 to 1998, during the first term of Governor George Pataki. She unsuccessfully sought the Democratic Party nomination for Governor after Pataki dropped her from his 1998 ticket.An...
from his 1998 reelection ticket. Pataki and McCaughey Ross had feuded for much of his term. McCaughey Ross would later become a Democrat and run unsuccessfully for governor
Governor of New York
The Governor of the State of New York is the chief executive of the State of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military and naval forces. The officeholder is afforded the courtesy title of His/Her...
in 1998.
Following Pataki's announcement regarding McCaughey Ross, Donohue was reported as a possible replacement running mate. In addition, State Parks Commissioner Bernadette Castro
Bernadette Castro
Bernadette Castro is a New York politician and businesswoman who served in the Cabinet of former Governor George Pataki. She was the heir and former President and Chief Executive Officer of Castro Convertibles, a sofa business in New Hyde Park, New York. Castro sold the company to Krause...
, State Sen. Mary Lou Rath
Mary Lou Rath
Mary Lou Rath is a former state senator in New York. A Republican, she represents the state's 61st Senate District, which consists of parts of Erie County and all of Genesee County. In January 2007, she was appointed to the post of Deputy Majority Leader for State/Federal Relations, making her the...
and Erie County Comptroller Nancy Naples
Nancy Naples
Nancy A. Naples, a member of the Board of Directors of Amtrak, is the former Commissioner of Motor Vehicles in New York. Naples was appointed State Motor Vehicles Commissioner by then-Gov. George Pataki in January 2006 following a 12-year political career in Western New York...
were reported as possible running mates. In the spring of 1998, Pataki announced his selection of Donohue.
In the 1998 general election, the Pataki/Donohue ticket defeated the Democratic ticket of New York City Council Speaker Peter Vallone for governor and Brighton Town Supervisor Sandra Frankel
Sandra Frankel
Sandra L. Frankel is the Supervisor of the Town of Brighton, Monroe County, New York. A former school board member, Frankel is a longtime town supervisor....
for lieutenant governor.
2002
In 2002 there were reports that Donohue was being pushed out by Pataki as his running mate. The reports said that either Secretary of State Randy DanielsRandy Daniels
Randy Daniels is an American journalist and educator who served as Secretary of State of New York from 2001 to 2005. He resides in Westchester, New York and is currently employed as Vice Chairman of , a real estate investing firm....
or Erie County Executive Joel Giambra
Joel Giambra
Joel Giambra is the former County Executive in Erie County, New York. The county seat is Buffalo, New York, where Giambra currently resides.-Early life:...
would replace her on the Pataki ticket. Donohue beat back the challenge. There were reports that she was offered the GOP nomination for state attorney general
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...
to challenge Eliot Spitzer
Eliot Spitzer
Eliot Laurence Spitzer is an American lawyer, former Democratic Party politician, and political commentator. He was the co-host of In the Arena, a talk-show and punditry forum broadcast on CNN until CNN cancelled his show in July of 2011...
in 2002, so that she would not seek reelection. She declined this nomination, which went to Judge Dora Irizarry
Dora Irizarry
Dora L. Irizarry is a Federal Judge in New York. She was born in San Sebastian, Puerto Rico, on January 26, 1955, and was raised in the Bronx in New York City. She attended the Bronx High School of Science and went on to graduate from Yale University in 1976 and Columbia University Law School in...
instead.
In September 2002 Donohue and Pataki fought to win the nomination of the New York State Independence Party
Independence Party of New York
The Independence Party is an affiliate in the U.S. state of New York of the Independence Party of America. The party was founded in 1991 by Dr. Gordon Black, Tom Golisano, and Laureen Oliver from Rochester, New York, and acquired ballot status in 1994...
. Donohue won her primary, but Pataki lost to Rochester businessman Tom Golisano
Tom Golisano
Blase Thomas Golisano is an American businessman and philanthropist. He is the founder of Paychex, the second-largest payroll processor in the United States and former co-owner of the Buffalo Sabres hockey team and of the Buffalo Bandits lacrosse team...
. This made Donohue both the running mate of Pataki and Golisano in the November election and made her the officeholder to capture the most votes in New York State in 2002.
The Pataki/Donohue ticket defeated the Democratic ticket of State Comptroller Carl McCall
Carl McCall
Herman Carl McCall is a former Comptroller of New York State and was the Democratic candidate for state governor in 2002. He is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, and currently serves on the Board of Directors for numerous corporations. He received a B.A. degree from Dartmouth...
for governor and businessman Dennis Mehiel for lieutenant governor.
2006
After Pataki announced in 2005 that he would not seek reelection, Donohue was seen as a possible candidate for governor. However, she later announced that she would not run for office in 2006 either.Federal judgeship nomination
On March 3, 2006, Donohue informed reporters that her name had been submitted by Pataki to President George W. BushGeorge W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
for nomination to a United States District Court
United States district court
The United States district courts are the general trial courts of the United States federal court system. Both civil and criminal cases are filed in the district court, which is a court of law, equity, and admiralty. There is a United States bankruptcy court associated with each United States...
judgeship in Upstate New York. On June 27, 2006, the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
announced that Donohue has been nominated to the judgeship. Her nomination went to the U.S. Senate for confirmation, where it was not brought up by the Senate Judiciary Committee before the 109th Congress adjourned on December 10, 2006. Sen. Charles Schumer
Charles Schumer
Charles Ellis "Chuck" Schumer is the senior United States Senator from New York and a member of the Democratic Party. First elected in 1998, he defeated three-term Republican incumbent Al D'Amato by a margin of 55%–44%. He was easily re-elected in 2004 by a margin of 71%–24% and in 2010 by a...
indicated that he did not see Donohue's nomination being able to be confirmed by the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
in the 110th Congress, when the Democrats have the Senate majority.
State Court of Claims
On December 13, 2006, Pataki nominated her to a seat as a Judge of the New York Court of ClaimsNew York Court of Claims
The New York State Court of Claims is the court which handles all claims against the State of New York and certain state agencies. It is not a small claims court. Judges of the Court of Claims are appointed by the Governor of New York and confirmed by the State Senate for a 9-year term...
. She was confirmed that day by the State Senate for term expiring in March 2015. Court of Claims Judges preside over lawsuits against the State of New York and various independent state agencies. She took office as a judge after her term as lieutenant governor expired at midnight on December 31, 2006. She retired from the Court of Claims in May, 2009.
State tickets Donohue has run on
1998 NYS Republican and Conservative Party Tickets- Governor: George PatakiGeorge PatakiGeorge Elmer Pataki is an American politician who was the 53rd Governor of New York. A member of the Republican Party, Pataki served three consecutive four-year terms from January 1, 1995 until December 31, 2006.- Early life :...
- Lieutenant Governor: Mary Donohue
- Comptroller: Bruce Blakeman
- Attorney General: Dennis VaccoDennis VaccoDennis C. Vacco is an American lawyer and politician. He graduated a B.A. from Colgate University in 1974, a J.D...
- U.S. Senate: Al D'AmatoAl D'AmatoAlfonse Marcello "Al" D'Amato is an American lawyer and former New York politician. A Republican, he served as United States Senator from New York from 1981 to 1999.-Early life and family:...
2002 NYS Republican and Conservative Party Tickets
- Governor: George PatakiGeorge PatakiGeorge Elmer Pataki is an American politician who was the 53rd Governor of New York. A member of the Republican Party, Pataki served three consecutive four-year terms from January 1, 1995 until December 31, 2006.- Early life :...
- Lieutenant Governor: Mary Donohue
- Comptroller: John FasoJohn FasoJohn Faso was the Republican nominee for Governor of New York in 2006, and was defeated by Democratic nominee Eliot Spitzer in the largest defeat for a Republican gubernatorial candidate in the state's history. This followed his loss to Alan Hevesi four years earlier in his run for State Comptroller...
- Attorney General: Dora IrizarryDora IrizarryDora L. Irizarry is a Federal Judge in New York. She was born in San Sebastian, Puerto Rico, on January 26, 1955, and was raised in the Bronx in New York City. She attended the Bronx High School of Science and went on to graduate from Yale University in 1976 and Columbia University Law School in...
2002 NYS Independence Party Ticket
- Governor: B. Thomas Golisano
- Lieutenant Governor: Mary Donohue
- Comptroller: John FasoJohn FasoJohn Faso was the Republican nominee for Governor of New York in 2006, and was defeated by Democratic nominee Eliot Spitzer in the largest defeat for a Republican gubernatorial candidate in the state's history. This followed his loss to Alan Hevesi four years earlier in his run for State Comptroller...
- Attorney General: Eliot SpitzerEliot SpitzerEliot Laurence Spitzer is an American lawyer, former Democratic Party politician, and political commentator. He was the co-host of In the Arena, a talk-show and punditry forum broadcast on CNN until CNN cancelled his show in July of 2011...
Electoral history
- 2002 Race for Governor and Lieutenant Governor
- George PatakiGeorge PatakiGeorge Elmer Pataki is an American politician who was the 53rd Governor of New York. A member of the Republican Party, Pataki served three consecutive four-year terms from January 1, 1995 until December 31, 2006.- Early life :...
and Mary Donohue (R) (inc.), 49% - Carl McCallCarl McCallHerman Carl McCall is a former Comptroller of New York State and was the Democratic candidate for state governor in 2002. He is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, and currently serves on the Board of Directors for numerous corporations. He received a B.A. degree from Dartmouth...
and Dennis Mehiel (D), 34% - Tom GolisanoTom GolisanoBlase Thomas Golisano is an American businessman and philanthropist. He is the founder of Paychex, the second-largest payroll processor in the United States and former co-owner of the Buffalo Sabres hockey team and of the Buffalo Bandits lacrosse team...
and Mary Donohue (I), 14%
- George Pataki
- 2002 Independence Party Primary for Lieutenant Governor
- Mary Donohue (inc.), 64%
- William J. Neild, 36%
- 1998 Race for Governor and Lieutenant Governor
- George PatakiGeorge PatakiGeorge Elmer Pataki is an American politician who was the 53rd Governor of New York. A member of the Republican Party, Pataki served three consecutive four-year terms from January 1, 1995 until December 31, 2006.- Early life :...
and Mary Donohue (R) (inc.), 54% - Peter Vallone and Sandra FrankelSandra FrankelSandra L. Frankel is the Supervisor of the Town of Brighton, Monroe County, New York. A former school board member, Frankel is a longtime town supervisor....
(D), 33% - Tom GolisanoTom GolisanoBlase Thomas Golisano is an American businessman and philanthropist. He is the founder of Paychex, the second-largest payroll processor in the United States and former co-owner of the Buffalo Sabres hockey team and of the Buffalo Bandits lacrosse team...
and Laureen OliverLaureen OliverLaureen Oliver is an US politician who co-founded the New York State Independence Party.-Career:In 1992 Oliver Co-Founded the New York State Independence Party with B. Thomas Golisano. Prior to the Independence Party Oliver served as the Monroe County Chairwoman of United We Stand America.Oliver...
(I), 8% - Betsy McCaughey RossBetsy McCaughey RossBetsy McCaughey , formerly known as Betsy McCaughey Ross, was the Republican Lieutenant Governor of New York from 1995 to 1998, during the first term of Governor George Pataki. She unsuccessfully sought the Democratic Party nomination for Governor after Pataki dropped her from his 1998 ticket.An...
and Jonathan C. Reiter (L), 1.4%
- George Pataki