James Raymond Tallon Jr. (October 21, 1941 – July 9, 2024) was an American politician and health-care expert.

Education

Tallon received a B.A.,

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 from

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

and an M.A. in international relations from Boston University. He has done additional graduate work at the

Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs The Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs (Maxwell School) is the professional public policy school of Syracuse University, a private research university in Syracuse, New York. The school is organized in 11 academic departments and 13 ...

at Syracuse University. In 1995, he was awarded honorary doctorates of humane letters from the College of Medicine and School of Graduate Studies of the State University of New York Health Science Center at Brooklyn, and from New York Medical College.

Career

Tallon entered politics as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

. 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 1975 to 1993, sitting in the 181st, 182nd, 183rd, 184th, 185th, 186th, 187th, 188th, 189th and

190th New York State Legislature The 190th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 6, 1993, to December 31, 1994, during the eleventh and twelfth years of Mario Cuomo's governorship, in Albany. Back ...

s. He was Majority Leader from 1987 to 1993, and was Acting Speaker for 3 days in 1991 after

Mel Miller Melvin Howard Miller (July 24, 1939 – March 8, 2019) was an American lawyer and politician. Life Miller was born on July 24, 1939, in Brooklyn, New York City. He graduated from Brooklyn College in 1961 and the New York University School of La ...

lost his seat upon a felony conviction until the election of

Saul Weprin Saul Weprin (August 5, 1927 – February 11, 1994) was an American attorney and politician. He was a Democratic member from Queens County of the New York State Assembly, and served as its Speaker from December 1991 until his death. Biography ...

. He was Chairman of the Assembly's Health Committee from 1979 to 1987, and spearheaded efforts to reform the Medicaid program while expanding eligibility for pregnant women and children. In 1993, he joined the

Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation), also known as The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, is an American non-profit organization, headquartered in San Francisco, California. It prefers KFF since its legal name can cause confusion as it is no longer a ...

, and served as Chairman of the Kaiser Commission on the Future of Medicaid and was a member of the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. He also served as Secretary for the Alpha Center and for the Association for Health Services Research, and was on the boards of the Alliance for Health Reform, The Commonwealth Fund, and the

New York Academy of Medicine The New York Academy of Medicine (the Academy) is a health policy and advocacy organization founded in 1847 by a group of leading New York metropolitan area physicians as a voice for the medical profession in medical practice and public health ...

. He concluded a three-year term as a member of the Prospective Payment Assessment Commission (ProPAC), and has held visiting lecturer appointments at the Columbia University and Harvard University Schools of Public Health. He was Chairman of the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured. Tallon was President of the United Hospital Fund of New York, the nation's oldest federated charity. The Fund addresses critical issues affecting hospitals and health care in New York City through health services research and policy analysis, education and information activities, and grantmaking and volunteerism. In 2007, Tallon was elected Chairman of the Commonwealth Fund after serving as director for over a decade. Tallon died from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in Endicott, New York on July 9, 2024, at the age of 82.

Sources

Bio at the Kaiser Family FoundationBio at United Hospital Fund

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tallon, James R. 1941 births 2024 deaths Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs alumni Boston University alumni Speakers of the New York State Assembly Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly Politicians from Binghamton, New York 20th-century American legislators 20th-century New York (state) politicians