James Fred Hastings (April 10, 1926 – October 24, 2014) was an American radio station executive and a Republican 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 * '' ...

Early life

Hastings was born on April 10, 1926, in

Olean, New York Olean ( ) is a city in Cattaraugus County, New York, United States. Olean is the largest city in Cattaraugus County and serves as its financial, business, transportation and entertainment center. It is one of the principal cities of the Southern ...

. He graduated from Allegany Central School in 1943, and joined the United States Navy for World War II. After he returned home in 1946 he worked as a carpenter, and then worked as a sales representative for Procter & Gamble. Hastings later became active in several businesses, including manager and vice president of radio station WHDL from 1952-1966, national advertising manager for the ''

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'' newspaper in Olean from 1964-1966, and a partner in the real estate and insurance firm of Hastings & Jewell. He was a member of the Allegany Town Board from 1953 to 1962, and was the town's police court justice for five years.

Political career

Hastings was a member 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 ...

(Cattaraugus Co.) from 1963 to 1965, sitting in the 174th and

175th New York State Legislature The 175th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 6 to June 23, 1965, during the seventh year of Nelson Rockefeller's governorship, in Albany. Background Under the p ...

s; and a member of the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate. Partisan com ...

from 1966 to 1968, sitting in the 176th and

177th New York State Legislature The 177th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 4, 1967, to May 25, 1968, during the ninth and tenth years of Nelson Rockefeller's governorship, in Albany. Backgro ...

s. He was a delegate to the

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Januar ...

and

1972 Republican National Convention The 1972 Republican National Convention was held from August 21 to August 23, 1972 at the Miami Beach Convention Center in Miami Beach, Florida. It nominated President Richard M. Nixon and Vice President Spiro T. Agnew for reelection. The convent ...

s. He was elected as a Republican to the 91st, 92nd, 93rd and 94th United States Congresses, holding office from January 3, 1969, to January 20, 1976, when he resigned to become the president of the Associated Industries trade group in Albany, New York. Later in 1976, Hastings was indicted for taking kickbacks from three employees while he was a legislator, and using the money to purchase vehicles, snowmobiles, and boats as well as contributing to his children's college tuition and a New York state retirement fund. He was convicted of mail fraud and filing false payroll information in December 1976 and served 14 months in the United States Penitentiary, Allenwood.

Later life

After his release from prison, Hastings lived in retirement in

Belleair Beach, Florida Belleair Beach is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. The population was 1,560 at the 2010 census. Geography Belleair Beach is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is ...

until returning to Allegany in 1998.

Death

He died on October 24, 2014, in

Allegany, New York Allegany is a town in Cattaraugus County, New York, United States. The population was 7,493 at the 2020 census. The Town of Allegany is on the south border of the county, west of the City of Olean. There is a village named Allegany inside th ...

.''Former Representative James F. Hastings remembered as a good public servant''
in the ''Olean Times Herald'' on October 28, 2014

Sources

References