Earl Brydges
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Earl William Brydges (May 25, 1905 – March 30, 1975) was an American lawyer and politician from
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
. He was Temporary President and Majority Leader of the State Senate from 1966 to 1972.


Early life

Earl William Brydges was born on May 25, 1905, in
Niagara Falls, New York Niagara Falls is a City (New York), city in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a total population of 48,671. It is adjacent to the Niagara River, across from the city of Niagar ...
. He graduated from
Niagara University Niagara University (NU) is a private Catholic university in the Vincentian tradition in the census-designated place Niagara University, New York, in the town of Lewiston near Niagara Falls. It is run by the Congregation of the Mission and ...
and the
University at Buffalo The State University of New York at Buffalo (commonly referred to as UB, University at Buffalo, and sometimes SUNY Buffalo) is a public university, public research university in Buffalo, New York, Buffalo and Amherst, New York, United States. ...
law school in 1926. Later he served for many years on Niagara University's
board of trustees A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulatio ...
. He was admitted to the bar in 1927.


Career

Brydges served on the
Board of Education A board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution. The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional area, ...
in
Wilson, New York Wilson is a town in Niagara County, New York, United States. The population was 5,993 at the 2010 census. The town was named after an early settler, Reuben Wilson, who built and dwelt in a log cabin on the shore of Lake Ontario at the site of ...
, during the 1940s. He also was active in educational advocacy organizations in Western New York. He was a member of the
New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature, while the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Established in 1777 by the Constitution of New York, its members are elected to two-year terms with no term l ...
from 1949 to 1972, sitting in the 167th, 168th, 169th, 170th, 171st, 172nd, 173rd, 174th, 175th, 176th, 177th, 178th and
179th New York State Legislature The 179th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 6, 1971, to May 12, 1972, during the thirteenth and fourteenth years of Nelson Rockefeller's governorship, in Alba ...
s. For the majority of his Senate career, Brydges focused mainly on educational policy and mental health issues. His focus within the area of mental health was on improving services for the mentally retarded and special education students. His education policy focus was on K-12 education policy statewide. Brydges served as Chairman of the Senate Education Committee and Chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Mental Health.


Senate Majority Leader

In 1965, when the Republican Party lost the majority in the State Senate for the only time since 1939, Brydges was elected Minority Leader of the Senate. Court ordered voting rights redistricting lead to senators serving one year terms in 1965 and 1966. The Republican Party regained the majority in 1966, and Brydges became Majority Leader. He was a delegate to the
New York State Constitutional Convention The Constitution of the State of New York establishes the structure of the government of the State of New York, and enumerates the basic rights of the citizens of New York. Like most state constitutions in the United States, New York's constituti ...
of 1967. As Majority Leader, Brydges worked closely with Gov.
Nelson Rockefeller Nelson Aldrich "Rocky" Rockefeller (July 8, 1908 – January 26, 1979) was the 41st vice president of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977 under President Gerald Ford. He was also the 49th governor of New York, serving from 1959 to 197 ...
on policy development and legislation. His main focus continued on educational issues, along with upstate economic development. He worked with Rockefeller to create the
State University of New York The State University of New York (SUNY ) is a system of Public education, public colleges and universities in the New York (state), State of New York. It is one of the List of largest universities and university networks by enrollment, larges ...
system and to develop new school state aid funding formulas. Brydges worked with Rockfeller in the creation of new state agencies and reorganization of the
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
mass transit system. As Majority Leader, Brydges remained an advocate for Western New York and tourism development in
Niagara County Niagara County is in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 212,666. The county seat is Lockport. The county name is from the Iroquois word ''Onguiaahra''; meaning ''the strait'' or ''thunder of ...
. He was an early supporter of
casino A casino is a facility for gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shops, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos also host live entertainment, such as stand-up comedy, conce ...
gambling in Niagara Falls. In 1972, Brydges successfully passed legislation to legalize casino gaming in New York State through an amendment to the state constitution. The casino amendment did not pass in the end, since the state constitution requires the passage of legislation in two consecutive legislative sessions and then passage of the majority of the state's voters in a statewide referendum. Brydges' vision in the area of casino gaming was realized with the opening of the
Seneca Niagara Casino Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel is a casino in Niagara Falls, New York, United States. It was built by the Seneca Nation to compete with Casino Niagara and Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. Formerly known as the ...
on January 1, 2003. Brydges was a fierce opponent of reproductive rights and blocked legislation to legalize abortion in
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
. In 1970, Brydges allowed the Senate to vote on legislation to legalize abortion. He did so under the belief the Senate would not pass the bill. When the Senate surprised him and passed the bill, which had already passed the Assembly and had the support of Governor Rockefeller, Brydges reportedly sat in his Senate chair and wept.


Acting Governor of New York

In 1972, both Rockefeller and Lt. Gov. Malcolm Wilson left the state on the same afternoon. Under the state constitution, this made Brydges the Acting Governor of New York for several hours. As acting governor, Brydges signed routine state paperwork and conducted Senate business. He did not sign any legislation into law, including a pending bill relating to Niagara Falls that he had sponsored. In 1972, Brydges did not seek reelection to the Senate and he retired on January 1, 1973.


Personal life

He married Eleanor C. Mahoney. Together, they had five sons and two daughters, including: *Earl W. Brydges, Jr., who married Martha Ann Shalala in 1967. *Thomas Eugene Brydges, who married Melissa MacLeod May in 1990. *William Brydges *Margaret Brydges Brydges died of
cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...
in 1975 and his funeral was attended by then Vice President Rockefeller. This was Rockefeller's first visit to Upstate New York as vice president.


Honors

The Earl W. Brydges Artpark in
Lewiston, New York Lewiston is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Niagara County, New York, Niagara County, New York (state), New York, United States. The population was 15,944 at the 2020 census. The town and its contained village are named aft ...
, an outdoor theater and concert center that he championed, was named in his honor. In addition, the main public
library A library is a collection of Book, books, and possibly other Document, materials and Media (communication), media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or electron ...
in Niagara Falls, the Earl W. Brydges Library, designed by architect Paul Rudolph, was named after him.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brydges, Earl W. 1905 births 1975 deaths Republican Party New York (state) state senators Niagara University alumni University at Buffalo alumni Politicians from Niagara Falls, New York Majority leaders of the New York State Senate 20th-century members of the New York State Legislature