James L. Emery (July 22, 1931– October 26, 2021) 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
* '' ...
.
Life
He was born on July 22, 1931, in
Lakeville,
Livingston County, New York
Livingston County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 61,834. Its county seat is Geneseo. The county is named after Robert R. Livingston, who helped draft the Declaration of Independence and ...
. He attended Livonia Central School. He graduated from the
University of Cincinnati's
College of Business Administration.
He entered politics as a
Republican, and was Sheriff of Livingston County.
He was a 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 ...
from 1965 to 1982, sitting in the
175th,
176th,
177th,
178th,
179th,
180th,
181st,
182nd,
183rd and
184th New York State Legislature
The 184th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 7, 1981, to December 31, 1982, during the seventh and eighth years of Hugh Carey's governorship, in Albany.
Backgro ...
s. He was Minority Leader from 1979 to 1982.
In 1982, Emery was a contender for the Republican nomination for
Governor of New York
The governor of New York is the head of government of the U.S. state of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has ...
, but eventually was nominated for
Lieutenant Governor of New York
The lieutenant governor of New York is a constitutional office in the executive branch of the Government of the State of New York. It is the second highest-ranking official in state government. The lieutenant governor is elected on a ticket wit ...
on the Republican and Conservative tickets, with Lewis Lehrman for Governor. They were defeated by the Democratic and Liberal nominees Mario Cuomo and Alfred DelBello.
In October 1983, Emery was nominated by President Ronald Reagan as Administrator of the St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation. He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in February 1984 for a term of seven years. He remained on the post until 1991 when he was succeeded by Stanford Parris.
He married Elsie McPhail, with whom he had two sons in 1957.
His second wife Jill Houghton Emery (born 1941) ran in 1984 for Congress in the New York's 34th congressional district, 34th District, but was defeated by the incumbent Democrat Stan Lundine. He was later married to Sandra Johnson Emery (born 1946).
Emery died in October 26, 2021 in Summerville, South Carolina.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Emery, James L.
1931 births
2021 deaths
People from Livonia, New York
Republican Party members of the New York State Assembly
University of Cincinnati alumni
New York (state) sheriffs