Samuel S. Stratton
Samuel S. Stratton | |
---|---|
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York | |
In office January 3, 1959 – January 3, 1989 | |
Preceded by | Bernard W. Kearney |
Succeeded by | Michael McNulty |
Constituency | 32nd district (1959–63) 35th district (1963–71) 29th district (1971–73) 28th district (1973–83) 23rd district (1983–89) |
Mayor of Schenectady, New York | |
In office 1956–1959 | |
Preceded by | Archibald Wemple |
Succeeded by | Kenneth S. Sheldon |
Personal details | |
Born | September 27, 1916 Bronze Star (2) |
Samuel Studdiford Stratton (September 27, 1916 – September 13, 1990) was an American Democratic political figure in Upstate New York. He is notable for his service as Mayor of Schenectady, and his 30-year career as a member of the United States House of Representatives.
Born in
After returning to Schenectady, he was re-elected to the city council in 1953. In 1955 he was elected mayor. In 1958, Stratton ran successfully for Congress; he was reelected fourteen times, and served from 1959 to 1989. After unsuccessful attempts to run for higher office and surviving efforts by the New York State Legislature to remove him through unfavorable redistricting, Stratton settled into a long career as a senior member of the Armed Services Committee. In addition to paying attention to local defense concerns, including manufacturing contracts for General Electric and the Watervliet Arsenal, Stratton took a lead role on other military-related issues, including admitting women to the service academies.
Stratton abandoned his last reelection campaign in 1988 because of health issues, and retired to his home in Maryland. He died in Maryland in 1990, and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
Early life
Stratton was born in
Military
In mid-1942, Stratton joined the
During the Korean War, Stratton was recalled to active duty, serving as an instructor at the Naval Intelligence School in Washington, D.C. from 1951 to 1953.[3][5] He attained the rank of commander in 1955,[6] and retired as a captain in 1976.[3][5]
Schenectady politics
After
Following his Korean War service, Stratton returned to Schenectady and was re-elected to the city council, where he served from 1953 to 1956.[3] In 1955, he was elected mayor of Schenectady as a conservative Democrat.[3] For a period of time while he was mayor, he supplemented his salary by working as an on-air announcer, newscaster, and commentator on politics and current events for WRGB, the NBC television affiliate in Schenectady, as well as other local television and radio stations.[3] His television career included appearances as the children's character Sagebrush Sam, which required dressing as a cowboy and playing a harmonica.[3] From 1957 to 1958, Stratton was also a financial services representative with the First Albany Corporation.[5]
Congressional career
In 1958, Stratton was elected to the U.S. Congress. He rose through seniority to become the third-ranking Democrat on the
For his first two terms, Stratton represented a relatively compact district centered around Schenectady. In the early 1960s, the Republican-controlled legislature tried to defeat him through unfavorable redistricting.
In 1962, Stratton was a candidate for
He was a proponent of the Equal Rights Amendment,[10] and also introduced successful legislation, as a rider to the 1975 defense appropriations bill, which mandated the admission of women to the service academies.[11]
In 1976, Stratton led an unsuccessful effort to cite journalist Daniel Schorr for Contempt of Congress after Schorr refused to identify his source for a copy of the Pike Committee report on the clandestine activities of the Central Intelligence Agency.[12] Schorr had provided the report to The Village Voice, which made its contents public.[12][13]
Retirement and death
In 1988, Stratton announced his bid for reelection, and circulated nominating petitions to appear as a candidate for renomination in the Democratic primary.
After retiring, Stratton lived in Bethesda, Maryland.[3] He had a stroke in October 1989, after which he resided in a Potomac, Maryland nursing home.[17] Stratton died in Gaithersburg, Maryland on September 13, 1990,[3] and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Section 7A, Grave 58.[18]
Legacy
After Stratton's death, both the Air National Guard base in Scotia, New York[19] and the Veterans Affairs hospital in Albany, New York were named in his honor.[20]
In popular culture
The 1998 film The Pentagon Wars includes a scene in which Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger fields a phone call from an unseen and unheard Stratton about the procurement of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle.[21] After deflecting Stratton's concerns, Weinberger directs his subordinates to complete their investigation of the Bradley's field testing quickly and brief him on the results so he will not be surprised by more calls from members of Congress.[21]
Family
In 1947, Stratton was married to Joan Harris (1921–2009).[3][22] They were the parents of five children: daughters Lisa, Debra, and Kim; and sons Kevin and Brian.[3][22]
His son,
See also
References
- ^ a b c New York Red Book.
- ^ "Obituary: Paul Stratton, '03".
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w "Samuel S. Stratton, 73, Former Congressman, Dies".
- ^ a b Samuel S. Stratton: A Story of Political Gumption.
- ^ a b c d "Congressional biography, Samuel Studdiford Stratton".
- ^ a b c d Bushmanders and Bullwinkles.
- ^ "Greater Voter Perception Stimulates New Election Patterns".
- ^ "Kennedy Wins, Jabs at Keating", p. 1.
- ^ "Dow, Stratton a Race of Opposites", p. 40.
- ^ "History: Admission of Female Cadets".
- ^ a b "Schorr Might Face Charges On CIA Report", p. 12A.
- ^ "Stratton Foes Ask Schorr Write-In", p. 11A.
- ^ a b c d e "Rep. Stratton Won't Seek 16th Term", p. 9A.
- ^ "McNulty won't run again".
- ^ "DioGuardi Trails", p. 7.
- ^ "Obituaries: Samuel S. Stratton".
- ^ "Samuel S. Stratton at Arlington Cemetery.mil".
- ^ "109th Airlift Wing: History".
- ^ "Locations: Albany VA Medical Center: Samuel S. Stratton".
- ^ a b "Subtitles, The Pentagon Wars". Amara.org. Retrieved May 11, 2019.
- ^ a b "Obituary, Joan Harris Stratton".
- ^ a b "Mayor Would Rather Stay in Schenectady".
Sources
Newspapers
- "Stratton Gets Navy Promotion". Newspapers.com.
- "Schorr Might Face Charges On CIA Report". Newspapers.com.
- "Stratton Foes Ask Schorr Write-In". Newspapers.com.
- "Rep. Stratton Won't Seek 16th Term; Health Cited". Ithaca Journal. Ithaca, NY. Associated Press. July 19, 1988 – via Newspapers.com.
- Coy, Peter (September 5, 1982). "Dow, Stratton a Race of Opposites". The Journal-News. White Plains, NY. Associated Press.
- Lamendola, Michael (February 12, 2008). "Mayor Would Rather Stay in Schenectady". Schenectady Gazette. Schenectady, NY.
- McQuiston, John T. (September 14, 1990). "Samuel S. Stratton, 73, Former Congressman, Dies". New York Times. New York, NY.
- "DioGuardi Trails In Tight Westchester Race". Newspapers.com.
- Pearson, Richard (September 15, 1990). "Obituaries: Samuel S. Stratton". Washington Post. Washington, DC.
- Van Fleet, Robert (September 2, 1964). "Kennedy Wins, Jabs at Keating: Stratton Asks Demo Unity". Newspapers.com.
Internet
- "Obituary, Joan Harris Stratton". Schenectady, NY: Schenectady Gazette. September 30, 2009.
- "109th Airlift Wing: History". 109aw.ang.af.mil/. Scotia, NY: New York Air National Guard. Retrieved December 30, 2016.
- "Locations: Albany VA Medical Center: Samuel S. Stratton". www.va.gov/. Washington, DC: US Department of Veterans Affairs. Retrieved December 30, 2016.
- "Samuel S. Stratton at Arlington Cemetery.mil". Arlington Cemetery.mil. Washington, DC: US Department of the Army. Retrieved December 30, 2016.
- "Greater Voter Perception Stimulates New Election Patterns". library.cqpress.com/. Washington, DC: CQ Almanac 1962. 1962.
- Estelle, William. "History: Admission of Female Cadets". History: Class of '75. US Air Force Academy Class of 1975.
- Karlin, Rick (October 26, 2007). "McNulty won't run again: 10-term congressman plans announcement; move creates wide-open race for seat". Albanyweblog.com. Albany, NY: Lynne Jackson, Jackson's Computer Services. Albany Times Union.
Books
- Cross, Wilbur (1964). Samuel S. Stratton: A Story of Political Gumption. J.H. Heineman: New York, NY. pp. 26, 42.
- New York Red Book. Menands, NY: Williams Press. 1963. p. 1047.
- Monmonier, Mark (2001). Bushmanders and Bullwinkles: How Politicians Manipulate Electronic Maps and Census Data to Win Elections. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. pp. 90–95. ISBN 978-0-226-53424-4.
- United States Congress. "Samuel S. Stratton (id: S000997)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved on 2008-02-19
Magazine
- Osborne, Frederick S. (November 20, 1942). "Obituary: Paul Stratton, '03". Princeton Alumni Weekly. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. p. 19.