John J. McNulty, Jr.
John J. McNulty, Jr. (“Jack” or “Big Jack”) (1922 – 2009) was a Northern New York State, U.S.A. political power broker, who held a series of local political offices in Albany County, New York from 1949 and in 6 ensuing decades until the year 2002 and whose crowning political achievement was succeeding at having his son Michael R. McNulty elected to several successive terms as a United States Congressman. Jack McNulty is said to have been a “co-congressman” for the 2 decades that his son served in the U.S. Congress, before his retirement from the U.S. House of Representatives in 2008. A fellow Democrat, Jack was a staunch opponent of the entrenched old guard Albany County Democratic political machine Democratic Party (U.S.A.), which was run by Dan O’Connell and which in a political in-fight had unseated his father John J. McNulty, Sr. as Sheriff of Albany County, New York back in 1937. The high point of Jack’s personal political career was when he recaptured that Sheriff’s office, being, himself, elected Sheriff of the County of Albany, New York in 1973.[1] In later life, Jack was a beloved and respected elder statesman of Northern New York State. The mention of his name at a year 2000 Democratic convention at the Times Union Center[2] caused the full arena crowd of 11,000 people to rise in a spontaneous standing ovation.[3] “Jack McNulty’s word was his bond.” – Democratic New York State Senator Neil Breslin, “For being 87, Jack knew how to change with the time. Jack connected to people in their 20s.” – Albany County Democratic Chairman Dan McCoy, “the man I often introduced at Democratic Party events as the greatest Democrat I know.” – Rensselaer County Democratic Chairman Thomas Wade
References and Notes
- ↑ TimesUnion
- ↑ which was then known as the Pepsi Arena
- ↑ TroyRecord
External links
- McNulty patriarch has died - Times Union