William R. Nojay (born Nogaj; November 24, 1956 – September 9, 2016) was an American politician and member of the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Assem ...

. He represented the 133rd Assembly District, which includes parts of

Steuben Steuben or Von Steuben most commonly refers to Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben (1730–1794), Prussian-American military officer, or to a number of things named for him in the United States. It may also refer to: Places *Steuben Township, Marshall C ...

and Monroe counties and all of Livingston County.

Early life and education

Nojay was born and raised in

Rochester, New York Rochester () is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, the county seat, seat of Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, ...

, where his father worked at

Eastman Kodak The Eastman Kodak Company (referred to simply as Kodak ) is an American public company that produces various products related to its historic basis in analogue photography. The company is headquartered in Rochester, New York, and is incorpor ...

. His surname was originally "Nogaj", but he changed the spelling to match the pronunciation. He earned a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

from

Colgate University Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York. The college was founded in 1819 as the Baptist Education Society of the State of New York and operated under that name until 1823, when it was renamed Hamilton Theologi ...

and graduated from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

with degrees from their law school and business school.

Career

In 1996, Nojay was appointed by Governor George Pataki as commissioner of the Rochester Genesee Regional Transportation Authority. He also served on the Executive Committee of the Genesee Transportation Council and as chairman of the Regional Trails Initiative Steering Committee for the Rochester region, and as chief operating officer of Detroit's transportation system under Mayor

Dave Bing David Bing (born November 24, 1943) is an American former professional basketball player, businessman, and politician who served as the 74th mayor of Detroit, Michigan from 2009 to 2013. He is a member of the Democratic Party. After starring a ...

. Nojay supported several international democratic movements, working in

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

, and

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya bo ...

. He also worked extensively in

Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...

on behalf of the

Khmer People's National Liberation Front The Khmer People's National Liberation Front (KPNLF, km, រណសិរ្សរំដោះជាតិប្រជាជនខ្មែរ) was a political front organized in 1979 in opposition to the Vietnamese-installed People's Republic of ...

, a right-wing opposition party to the

People's Republic of Kampuchea The People's Republic of Kampuchea (PRK), UNGEGN: , ALA-LC: ; vi, Cộng hòa Nhân dân Campuchia was a partially recognised state in Southeast Asia supported by Vietnam which existed from 1979 to 1989. It was founded in Cambodia by the Kamp ...

regime. He was the director and secretary treasurer of the

Foundation for Democracy in Iran The Foundation for Democracy in Iran is a private, non-profit organization established in 1995 with grants from the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), to promote regime change in Iran. The former board members of this NGO are David M. Beasley, ...

. After redistricting, Nojay challenged and defeated Steuben County Legislator Randy Weaver, winning a vacant seat in the newly created 133rd Assembly District. He also hosted a regionally syndicated conservative talk radio show, which predated his election to the state legislature. The program originated from

WYSL WYSL (1040 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Avon, New York, and serving the Rochester metropolitan area. It broadcasts a talk radio format and is known as "The Voice of Liberty." The station is owned by Robert C. Savage under the ...

. Nojay supported

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

2016 presidential campaign This national electoral calendar for 2016 lists the national/federal elections held in 2016 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *7 January: Kir ...

, and he served as co-chair of its New York campaign committee. He had asked Trump to run for governor of New York in 2013.

Death

On September 9, 2016, Nojay died from

suicide by firearm A suicide method is any means by which a person chooses to end their life. Suicide attempts do not always result in death, and a nonfatal suicide attempt can leave the person with serious physical injuries, long-term health problems, and brai ...

near his family's plot at Riverside Cemetery in Rochester, New York. He was due in court that day to face

fraud In law, fraud is intentional deception to secure unfair or unlawful gain, or to deprive a victim of a legal right. Fraud can violate civil law (e.g., a fraud victim may sue the fraud perpetrator to avoid the fraud or recover monetary compens ...

charges related to his legal work, which were subsequently

sealed Seal may refer to any of the following: Common uses * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, or "true seal" ** Fur seal * Seal (emblem), a device to impr ...

. Nojay was already running for re-election as assemblyman, and the following Tuesday, September 14, 2016, he posthumously defeated Richard Milne, his challenger in the primary election for the Republican nomination. As a result, a Republican party committee selected former Assemblyman Joseph Errigo to replace Nojay in the general election, which Errigo won.

Assembly committees

*Committee on Cities *Committee on Consumer Affairs and Protection *Committee on Election Law *Committee on Tourism, Parks, Arts and Sports Development *Committee on Transportation

References

External links

New York State Assembly member website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nojay, Bill 1956 births 2016 deaths Republican Party members of the New York State Assembly Politicians from Rochester, New York American chief operating officers Colgate University alumni Columbia Law School alumni Columbia Business School alumni American talk radio hosts Businesspeople from Rochester, New York New York (state) lawyers American politicians who died by suicide Suicides by firearm in New York (state) 21st-century American legislators 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American lawyers