Erastus Corning 2nd

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Erastus Corning 2nd
New York Senate from the 30th district
In office January 1, 1937 – August 1, 1941
Preceded by	William T. Byrne
Succeeded by	Julian B. Erway
Member of the New York State Assembly from Albany's 1st district
In office January 1, 1936 – August 1, 1936
Preceded by	John H. Cahill
Succeeded by	George W. Foy
Personal details
Born	(1909-10-07)October 7, 1909 Albany, New York, U.S.
Died	May 28, 1983(1983-05-28) (aged 73) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Elizabeth Norris Platt (m. 1932-1983, his death)
Relations	Erastus Corning (great-grandfather) Amasa J. Parker (great-grandfather) Parker Corning (uncle) Edwin Corning Jr. (brother)
Children	Erastus Corning III Bettina Corning Dudley
Parent(s)	Edwin Corning Louise Maxwell
Alma mater	Yale University
Profession	Insurance broker
Civilian awards	Order of Orange-Nassau (Officer)
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1944–1945
Rank	Private First Class
Unit	38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division
Battles/wars	World War II Ardennes-Alsace Central Europe
Military awards	Bronze Star Medal Combat Infantryman Badge

Erastus Corning 2nd (October 7, 1909 – May 28, 1983) was an American politician. A

Corning hailed from a prominent Albany family. His great-grandfather, Erastus Corning, was an industrialist who founded the New York Central Railroad and served in Congress and as Albany's mayor from 1834 to 1837. Another great-grandfather, Amasa J. Parker, was a member of Congress and prominent judge. Corning's father, Edwin Corning, was Lieutenant Governor of New York from 1927 to 1928. His uncle, Parker Corning, served as a member of the United States House of Representatives. His brother, Edwin Corning Jr., served as a member of the New York State Assembly. Corning was educated at The Albany Academy, Groton School, and Yale University (class of 1932). The Corning family was involved in several Albany-area businesses, and Corning started an insurance agency after his college graduation. While he served as mayor, his agency did not do business with the city of Albany, but did do business with Albany County, which Corning argued presented no conflict of interest, since he was not a county official.

Corning's father was one of the leaders of the Democratic Party organization formed by

In the early 1980s, Corning's health began to deteriorate. In January 1983, he was moved to University Hospital in Boston, where he died on May 28. Corning was buried at Albany Rural Cemetery in Menands, New York. At over 41 years, Corning's tenure makes him Albany's longest-serving mayor, as well as the longest-tenured mayor ever of any large city in the United States.^{[citation needed]}

Early life

Erastus Corning 2nd was born in Albany, New York on October 7, 1909, the son of Louise Maxwell and Edwin Corning.^[1] Corning's mother was born to American parents in Cawnpore, India, where her father Allan was serving as a missionary.^[2] After the 1890 death of Allan Maxwell, her mother Ellen became a successful novelist and married U.S. Navy admiral Albert S. Barker.^[3]

Corning's father was from an Albany-area family prominent in business and politics.

After graduating from college, Corning started an insurance company and soon entered politics. He was a member of the New York State Assembly (Albany Co., 1st D.) in 1936; and of the New York State Senate (30th D.) from 1937 to 1941, sitting in the 160th, 161st, 162nd and 163rd New York State Legislatures. He resigned his seat on August 1, 1941, to seek the Democratic nomination for Mayor of Albany.^[11]

Corning won the first of his 11 terms as mayor in November 1941, easily defeating the Republican candidate, Benjamin R. Hoff, by nearly 46,000 votes. Corning took office on January 1, 1942.

Shortly after his first term began, the newly elected Governor

Military service

After having been previously classified as ineligible for military service during World War II, in 1944, Corning's draft status was changed and he was found eligible. Opting not to apply for an officer's commission or specialty training in a field such as civil affairs, he joined the United States Army as a private.^[12] During his absence, Frank Harris, a member of the city council, served as acting mayor.

Corning underwent training as an Infantryman at Fort Dix, New Jersey, and Camp Blanding, Florida.^[13] Assigned to the 38th Infantry Regiment, a unit of the 2nd Infantry Division, he arrived in France with his unit in October, 1944.^[14] In France, Corning was initially attached to an organization that performed rebuilding duties in towns and villages that had been liberated from German occupation.^[15] During late 1944 and early 1945, he took part in the Battle of the Bulge and the Western Allied invasion of Germany and attained the rank of private first class.^[16]

In the fall of 1945, Corning was discharged and returned to Albany.

Corning was re-elected in landslides for most of his career. The most notable exception was 1973 when a prominent businessman and reform candidate, Carl Touhey, ran a well-financed Republican campaign and came within 3,500 votes of defeating him.[19]^[20] In 1977, Corning faced a primary election challenge from State Senator Howard C. Nolan Jr.,^[21] defeating him by a comfortable margin.^[22]

Corning's last mayoral re-election came in 1981, when he defeated Charles Touhey (the son of 1973 mayoral candidate Carl Touhey) by a two-to-one margin. During his final term in office, his health deteriorated. He died in office in 1983.^[23]

Personal life

In 1932, Corning married Elizabeth Norris Platt (1912–1993).^[24] They were the parents of two children, Erastus Corning III and Bettina Corning Dudley.^[25][26]

Corning's extended family was prominent in Albany-area business in politics for several generations. In addition to his father Edwin, who served as lieutenant governor, Corning's family included: Erastus Corning (great-grandfather); Amasa J. Parker (great-grandfather); Parker Corning (uncle); and Edwin Corning Jr. (brother).

Dorothea "Polly" Noonan—a onetime secretary to Corning, a vice chairwoman of the Democratic State Committee, and a longtime president of the Albany Democratic Women's Club—was Corning's "closest confidante". According to author Paul Grondahl, the lives of Corning and Noonan were "'inextricably linked through politics and personal devotion'". Author William Kennedy recalled in his book “O Albany!” that at Corning's funeral, members of the media were asked not to "'focus undue attention'" on Noonan. According to The New York Times, Corning, "in effect, disinherited his wife and children. He left the Noonan family his insurance business, which generously sold policies to anyone who wanted to do business with the government".^[27]

Corning referred to himself as "Erastus Corning 2nd", preferring it to "Erastus Corning II" or "Erastus Corning Jr."^[28][29]

On May 28, 1983, following a year-long illness, Corning died of cardio-pulmonary failure at University Hospital in Boston.^[23] He is interred at Albany Rural Cemetery.^[30]

Legacy

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 Riverfront Park, 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-acre (400,000 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.

Queen Wilhelmina 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.^[31]

References