Elizabeth Ann "Betty" Connelly (June 19, 1928 – May 25, 2006) was a politician from

Staten Island, New York Staten Island ( ) is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey b ...

who represented the North Shore community from 1973 to 2000. She was the first woman to win elective office to any district encompassing Staten Island.

Life and career

She was born Elizabeth Ann Keresey on June 19, 1928, in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

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. She grew up in Brooklyn and

the Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

. She and her husband, Robert V. Connelly, moved to Staten Island in 1954 and raised a family of four children. She worked as a secretary for the

New York Life Insurance Company New York Life Insurance Company (NYLIC) is the third-largest life insurance company in the United States, the largest mutual life insurance company in the United States and is ranked #67 on the 2021 Fortune 500 list of the largest United State ...

, and as a telephone sales associate for

Pan American World Airways Pan American World Airways, originally founded as Pan American Airways and commonly known as Pan Am, was an American airline that was the principal and largest international air carrier and unofficial overseas flag carrier of the United States ...

. She entered politics as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, and was elected in November 1973 to 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 ...

, to fill the vacancy caused by the appointment of Edward J. Amann Jr. to the New York Court of Claims. Connelly was re-elected several times and remained in the Assembly until 2000, sitting in the 180th, 181st, 182nd, 183rd, 184th, 185th, 186th, 187th, 188th, 189th, 190th, 191st, 192nd and 193rd New York State Legislatures. An advocate for mentally disabled people, Connelly was appointed chairwoman of the Assembly Committee on Mental Health, Mental Retardation, Developmental Disabilities, Alcoholism and Substance Abuse in 1977. Betty Connelly died on May 25, 2006, at her home in

Westerleigh, Staten Island Westerleigh is a residential neighborhood in the northwestern part of Staten Island in New York City. Geography Westerleigh is located in the northwest quadrant of the borough and is bounded in the east by Manor Road, the west by the Martin Luthe ...

.''Elizabeth A. Connelly, 77, Longtime Assemblywoman, Is Dead''
by Dennis Hevesi, in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' on May 26, 2006 Staten Island University Hospital opened the Elizabeth A. Connelly Emergency and Trauma Center in 2009. Connelly had been a volunteer at the hospital prior to her election in 1973. A community center, named for her was also opened around the same time. The NYS Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities holds the Elizabeth A. Connelly Memorial Conference on Autism & Related Conditions annually.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Connelly, Elizabeth 1928 births 2006 deaths Deaths from cancer in New York (state) American disability rights activists Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly Mental health activists People from Brooklyn People from Staten Island People from the Bronx Women state legislators in New York (state) Activists from New York (state) 20th-century American women politicians 20th-century American politicians 21st-century American women