Cornelius "Neil" W. Kelleher (May 9, 1923 – September 4, 2008) 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

Kelleher was born on May 9, 1923, in

Troy Troy ( el, Τροία and Latin: Troia, Hittite language, Hittite: 𒋫𒊒𒄿𒊭 ''Truwiša'') or Ilion ( el, Ίλιον and Latin: Ilium, Hittite language, Hittite: 𒃾𒇻𒊭 ''Wiluša'') was an ancient city located at Hisarlik in prese ...

Rensselaer County, New York Rensselaer County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 161,130. Its county seat is Troy. The county is named in honor of the family of Kiliaen van Rensselaer, the original Dutch owner of the l ...

, the son of Cornelius J. Kelleher and Helen Fleming Kelleher. He attended St. Augustine's School and Lansingburgh High School. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

he served in the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...

fighting in the Pacific theater. He entered politics as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

. In 1957, he was appointed to fill a vacancy as alderman of Troy (17th Ward), and in 1960 he was elected Mayor of Troy. 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 1967 to 1992, sitting in the 177th, 178th, 179th, 180th, 181st, 182nd, 183rd, 184th, 185th, 186th, 187th, 188th and

189th New York State Legislature The 189th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 9, 1991, to December 31, 1992, during the ninth and tenth years of Mario Cuomo's governorship, in Albany. Backgroun ...

s. He was a member of the New York State Board of Elections from 1998 to 2008."News Release"
by the Board of Elections, September 4, 2008 He died on September 4, 2008, in St. Mary's Hospital in

Troy, New York Troy is a city in the U.S. state of New York and the county seat of Rensselaer County. The city is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany a ...

; and was buried at the Gerald B. H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery, in

Schuylerville Schuylerville () is a village in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The village is located in the northeastern part of the Town of Saratoga, east of Saratoga Springs. The Village of Victory is adjacent to Schuylerville to the southwest ...

. His son, Neil J. Kelleher, was elected to the Rensselaer County Legislature in 1989, subsequently serving in that body for 20 years. In 1995 he became Chairman of the Legislature, and would serve in that capacity until losing his re-election bid in 2009.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kelleher, Neil W. 1923 births 2008 deaths Politicians from Troy, New York Mayors of places in New York (state) Republican Party members of the New York State Assembly United States Navy sailors United States Navy personnel of World War II Burials at Gerald B. H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery 20th-century American politicians