Otto C. Neumann (born

Hartford Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

, 1936; died Hartford, Connecticut, April 8, 1991) was an American Republican politician.

Life

Neumann was born in Hartford, Connecticut, the son of Otto W. Neumann and his wife Madelyn Colby Neumann (died 1996). His mother was active in civic organizations, served as president of the Hartford Board of Education, and made an unsuccessful run for mayor as a Republican in 1973. Neumann graduated from

Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a Private university, private liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1831 as a Men's colleges in the United States, men's college under the Methodi ...

in Middletown, Connecticut and earned a master's degree from

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

. He moved to the small northern Connecticut town of Granby in 1961 to become Chief Administrative Officer (later renamed to Town Manager). In 1969 he was elected First

Selectman The select board or board of selectmen is commonly the executive arm of the government of New England towns in the United States. The board typically consists of three or five members, with or without staggered terms. Three is the most common numb ...

, a position he held until 1977. He also served a term as chairman of the Capitol Region

Council of Governments A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or nation ...

. In 1979 he was elected state representative from the 62nd House District and rose through the ranks to become chairman of the Appropriations Committee. He resigned in 1987 when Governor William A. O'Neill appointed him to the five-member commission in charge of the Connecticut Department of Public Utility Control, an office he held until his death.

Family

Neumann married his wife Diane before moving to Granby. They had four children: Otto Jr., Mark, Kurt, and Jennifer. Diane (now Diane Hernsdorf after her marriage in 1998 to Roger Hernsdorf) served as First Selectman 1987-9, and as of 2024 Mark is a selectman in Granby.https://www.granby-ct.gov/190/Board-of-Selectmen website, Granby Board of Selectmen

Death

Otto Neumann died at

Hartford Hospital Hartford Hospital is an 867-bed acute care teaching hospital located in the South End of Hartford, Connecticut. Hartford Hospital was established in 1854. The hospital campus is located on Seymour Street in Hartford and is directly adjacent to the ...

of complications following surgery. He is buried in Granby Cemetery in Granby, Connecticut.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Neumann, Otto C. 1936 births 1991 deaths Politicians from Hartford, Connecticut Wesleyan University alumni People from Granby, Connecticut Connecticut local politicians Republican Party members of the Connecticut House of Representatives 20th-century members of the Connecticut General Assembly