Frederick W. Thiele Jr. (born August 8, 1953) is an American politician who serves in 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 ...
from the 1st district since 2013 and the 2nd district from 1992 to 2012, as a member of multiple political parties. Thiele was originally elected as a member of the
Republican Party
Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party.
Republican Party may also refer to:
Africa
*Republican Party (Liberia)
* Republican Part ...
, but switched to the
Independence Party of New York
The Independence Party is a political party in the U.S. state of New York. The party was founded in 1991 by Dr. Gordon Black, Tom Golisano, and Laureen Oliver from Rochester, New York, and acquired ballot status in 1994. They lost their ballot ...
in 2009. He joined the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*Demo ...
after the Independence Party lost its ballot position.
Political career
Thiele began his political career as counsel to former Assemblyman John L. Behan, a position in which he served until 1982. Subsequent to his service as a legislative assistant he became Southampton Town Attorney and East Hampton Town Planning Board Attorney, from 1982 to 1987 and 1982 to 1986 respectively.
In 1987, Thiele won a bid to represent the 16th District within the
Suffolk County Legislature, a position he would hold for the subsequent four years. After serving in the Suffolk County Legislature he would go on to be elected as Southampton town supervisor, where he would serve until winning a 1995 special election to succeed his former boss in the State Assembly.
Although elected as a Republican, after being elected to the Suffolk County Legislature, he joined the chamber's nine
Democrats to elect a Democrat as presiding officer.
New York Assembly
In 1995, Republican Governor
George Pataki
George Elmer Pataki (; born June 24, 1945) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 53rd governor of New York from 1995 to 2006. An attorney by profession, Pataki was elected mayor of his hometown of Peekskill, New York, and went on ...
appointed Assemblyman
John L. Behan as New York State Commissioner of Veterans' Affairs. Behan resigned from the
New York 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 in the United ...
, leaving a vacant seat in the 2nd District. Thiele ran for the seat and defeated Democratic nominee Leo Davis 69%–28% in the March 1995 special election.
He won re-election to his first full term with 62% of the vote. Between 1998 and 2006, he never won re-election with less than 59% of the vote. In 2008, he defeated Democratic nominee Michael Pitcher 62%–38%. He won re-election for the first time as a member of the Independence Party, defeating Republican nominee Richard A. Blumenthal 59%–41%.
Thiele announced on October 1, 2009, that he was joining the Independence Party, saying the Republicans no longer stood for "pocketbook issues" and was given permission to caucus with the Democratic supermajority along with the other Independence Party assemblyman,
Timothy P. Gordon Thiele, the only Independent in the Assembly, supports an
open primary
Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the ...
in New York State and supported
Bernie Sanders
Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician who has served as the junior United States senator from Vermont since 2007. He was the U.S. representative for the state's at-large congressional district from 1991 to 2007 ...
in the 2016 Democratic Primary. Before his switch, Thiele had been ranking minority member on the Assembly Education Committee and vice chairman of the Assembly Minority Joint Conference Committee.
Thiele was a member of the Democratic Party during his time in college. In 2022, left the Independence Party after its lost its automatic ballot line and joined the Democratic Party.
He currently sits on the House Committee on Education, House Committee on Election Law, House Committee on Environmental Conservation, House Committee on Oversight, House Committee on Transportation, and House Committee on Ways and Means.
Personal life
Thiele is a native of
Sag Harbor, New York
Sag Harbor is an incorporated village in Suffolk County, New York, United States, in the towns of Southampton and East Hampton on eastern Long Island. The village developed as a working port on Gardiner's Bay. The population was 2,772 at the ...
, and graduated from
Pierson Middle-High School
Pierson Middle-High School is a middle and high school located in Sag Harbor, Suffolk County, New York. Serving students in grades 6 through 12, it is the sole secondary school in the Sag Harbor Union Free School District.
Pierson Middle-High S ...
in 1971. He graduated from
Southampton College
Stony Brook Southampton is a campus location of Stony Brook University, located in Southampton (town), New York, Southampton, New York between the Shinnecock Indian Reservation and Shinnecock Hills Golf Club on the eastern end of Long Island.
H ...
of
Long Island University
Long Island University (LIU) is a private university with two main campuses, LIU Post and LIU Brooklyn, in the U.S. state of New York. It offers more than 500 academic programs at its main campuses, online, and at multiple non-residential. LIU ...
in 1976 with a
B.A.
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
''
summa cum laude
Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sou ...
'' in political science and history. Thiele received a
Juris Doctor
The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law
and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...
degree from
Albany Law School
Albany Law School is a private law school in Albany, New York. It was founded in 1851 and is the oldest independent law school in the nation. It is accredited by the American Bar Association and has an affiliation agreement with University at A ...
in 1979 and was
admitted to the bar
An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...
in New York in 1980.
Thiele resides in Sag Harbor. He has a daughter and two sons.
Electoral history
References
External links
New York State Assembly, 1st District: Fred W. Thiele Jr.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thiele, Fred
1953 births
Living people
Albany Law School alumni
Independence Party of New York politicians
Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly
Southampton College alumni
New York (state) lawyers
People from Sag Harbor, New York
21st-century American politicians
Republican Party members of the New York State Assembly