Herman Daniel “Denny” Farrell Jr. (February 4, 1932 – May 26, 2018) was an American politician from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. He was a Democratic 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 ...

representing the

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

neighborhoods of West Harlem, Inwood and Washington Heights from 1975 to 2017.

Early life

Farrell was born February 4, 1932, in Manhattan. His parents, Herman Sr. and Amy Gladys, owned a dress shop. He graduated from George Washington High School in Washington Heights. Before working in politics, he was an auto mechanic. He worked for Mayor John Lindsay, then, in 1966, began work as a confidential aide to a state Supreme Court justice.

Political career

In 1970, he was elected a Democratic state committeeman. First elected to the New York Assembly in 1974, Farrell was a longtime Chairman of the powerful Assembly Ways and Means Committee, as well as a member of the Assembly Rules Committee and the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Legislative Caucus. He previously served as Chairman of the Assembly Committee on Banks from 1979 to 1994. Farrell played a pivotal role in the passage of several significant pieces of legislation, including the Omnibus Consumer Protection and Banking Legislation Act, which established a toll-free number at the New York State Banking Department that dispenses information about

credit card interest Credit card interest is a way in which credit card issuers generate revenue. A card issuer is a bank or credit union that gives a consumer (the cardholder) a card or account number that can be used with various payees to make payments and borrow m ...

rates, fees and grace periods, and a mandate for banks to furnish low-cost checking accounts to its customers. He also played an important role in the passage of the Neighborhood Preservation Companies Act, whereby New York State funds community organizations that "provide tenant advocacy." However, Farrell is most widely known for having been a prominent member of the state (and to a lesser extent, national)

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 ...

. He was first elected as a Democratic State Committeeman in 1970, serving a two-year term. Subsequently, he was elected as the leader of the

New York County Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

Democratic Party (1981-2009) and Vice-Chair of the New York State Democratic Party, in which capacity he served for a decade. He was Chairman of the New York State Democratic Committee from 2001 to 2006. He also served as a member of the

Democratic National Committee The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the governing body of the United States Democratic Party. The committee coordinates strategy to support Democratic Party candidates throughout the country for local, state, and national office, as well a ...

. Farrell resigned from the State Assembly in September 2017.

Campaign for Mayor

Farrell entered the Democratic primary against Ed Koch in the 1985 election for mayor. Although Farrell's entry into the race initially created some bad blood, David Dinkins credited him for paving the way for Dinkins’ victory in

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...

. Farrell's late entry into the race was a surprise to the party and caused a split between party leaders in Manhattan and the outer boroughs and between black and Latino politicians. At the time, Bronx Borough President Herman Badillo believed he would win the endorsement of the Coalition for a Just New York, one of the city's black political organizations, to form a coalition that could unseat Koch. He recovered from an attempt by Council President Carol Bellamy to remove him from the ballot but still fared poorly taking 13% of the vote and finishing third behind Bellamy and Koch. Following the split, black leaders from around New York City met to settle past differences and focus on uniting for future elections. David Dinkins strength with black voters helped him defeat Koch in 1989 to become mayor.

Later life

A pedestrian bridge constructed in Riverside Park in late 2017 was named after Farrell as it was located within his Assembly district.Walsh, Kevin
"Herman "Denny" Farrell Bridge"
January 16, 2018 Farrell died of heart failure on May 26, 2018, at the age of 86.

References

External links