Alexander Pirnie (April 16, 1903 – June 12, 1982) was an American politician.

Life and career

Pirnie was born in

Pulaski, New York Pulaski () is a village in Oswego County, New York, United States. The population was 2,365 at the 2010 census. The village is within the town of Richland, and lies between the eastern shore of Lake Ontario and the Tug Hill region. The villag ...

, on April 16, 1903. He received his undergraduate degree from

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

in 1924 and his law degree from

Cornell Law School Cornell Law School is the law school of Cornell University, a private university, private, Ivy League university in Ithaca, New York. One of the five Ivy League law schools, Cornell Law School offers four degree programs (Juris Doctor, JD, Maste ...

in 1926. While at Cornell, Pirnie was also a member of the

Quill and Dagger Quill and Dagger is a senior honor society at Cornell University, founded in 1893. In 1929, ''The New York Times'' stated that election into Quill and Dagger and similar societies constituted "the highest non-scholastic honor within reach of unde ...

Society. After attaining admission to the bar, Pirnie practiced law in

Utica, New York Utica () is the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The tenth-most populous city in New York, its population was 65,283 in the 2020 census. It is located on the Mohawk River in the Mohawk Valley at the foot of the Adiro ...

. In 1924, he was commissioned a second lieutenant of

Infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

in the

Officers Reserve Corps The United States Army Reserve (USAR) is a reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the Army element of the reserve components of the United States Armed Forces. History Origi ...

. He later transferred to the

Judge Advocate General's Corps The Judge Advocate General's Corps (JAG or JAG Corps) is the military justice branch or specialty of the United States Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, and Navy. Officers serving in the JAG Corps are typically called judge advocates ...

, and volunteered to serve in Europe during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Pirnie served as a

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

on the staff of Theater Service Forces. He received the

Bronze Star Medal The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious a ...

for his wartime service, and he continued to serve until retiring as a

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

. In 1951, he was elected president of the Judge Advocate's Association. He was a longtime member of the board of visitors at the Judge Advocate General's School. Pirnie received the

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States military, military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievemen ...

at his 1963 retirement ceremony. In 1958, Pirnie was a successful Republican candidate for the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

. He served six terms, 1959 to 1973. While in Congress, Pirnie was the ranking Republican member of the subcommittee that oversaw the 1969 draft for the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

. In this capacity he drew the first of the 366 capsules used to determine draft eligibility. (The capsules contained birth dates from January 1 to December 31, including February 29, and individuals born on those days were subject to the draft based on the order in which their birth dates were drawn. The first capsule contained the date September 14, so those born on September 14 were assigned draft number 1. The last capsule drawn was June 8, and those born on that date were assigned draft number 366.) Pirnie was a member of the

Inter-Parliamentary Union The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU; , UIP) is an international organization of national parliaments. Its primary purpose is to promote democratic governance, accountability, and cooperation among its members; other initiatives include advancing g ...

from 1965 to 1982. After leaving Congress he practiced law in Utica and was president of a Mohawk, New York, clothing company from 1977 to 1980. In retirement Pirnie resided in Utica. He died in

Canastota, New York Canastota is a village within the town of Lenox in Madison County, New York, United States. The population was 4,556 at the 2020 census, down from 4,804 in 2010. The village was incorporated in 1835, but was reorganized in 1870. Located along ...

, on June 12, 1982, aged 79. Pirnie was found behind the wheel of his car on the side of the road, and authorities presumed he had a heart attack and died while driving. He was buried in Pulaski Village Cemetery. The federal office building at Utica was named for Pirnie in 1984. From 1964 until Pirnie's retirement,

Sherwood Boehlert Sherwood Louis Boehlert (September 28, 1936September 20, 2021) was an American politician from New York. He represented a large swath of central New York in the United States House of Representatives from 1983 until 2007. Boehlert, a Republica ...

served on his Congressional staff. Boehlert later served as Oneida County Executive, and was a Member of Congress from 1983 to 2007.

References

External links

* *Chittenango-Bridgeport Times
Editorial: Al Pirnie
June 16, 1982 *Joseph P. Bottini, James L. Davis
Utica
2007, page 40 {{DEFAULTSORT:Pirnie, Alexander 1903 births 1982 deaths United States Army personnel of World War II Cornell Law School alumni Recipients of the Legion of Merit People from Pulaski, New York Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) Politicians from Utica, New York United States Army colonels United States Army Judge Advocate General's Corps United States Army reservists 20th-century New York (state) politicians 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives