Monday, August 8, 2011
Former governor of New York Hugh Carey has died at the age of 92. Carey was the 51st governor of the state and held office from 1975 until 1982 as a Democrat. During his tenure he held more power over the finances of New York City than any other governor, before or after Carey’s term. He saw the city through the financial crisis of the 1970’s.
The office of current governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced the death. In a statement, Cuomo said “Governor Carey led our state during a time of great financial turmoil and pulled us back from the brink of bankruptcy and economic ruin.”
Carey ran for Governor during the 1974 election after being urged by his wife Helen. Helen was battling cancer and died 18 days before Carey announced his intentions to run. During his first year in office, the state was in a financial crisis and banks had stopped giving the city access to credit due to a $5 billion deficit. He managed to come to a agreement with the bankers that heavy spending cuts needed to be made.
Carey was a father of 14 children and grandfather to 25. His is survived by 11 of his children. Two of his sons died in a car accident in 1969. Another son, Paul became a commissioner for the Securities Exchange Commission and died in 2001 after a battle with cancer.