James J. Crisona (August 30, 1907 – September 4, 2003) was an American lawyer and politician. He served

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 * ...

as a

state senator A state senator is a member of a State legislature (United States), state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. History There are typically fewer state senators than there ...

; assemblyman; borough president; and Supreme Court justice.

Life

Crisona was born on August 30, 1907, in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

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 ...

. He graduated from

New York University School of Law The New York University School of Law (NYU Law) is the law school of New York University, a private research university in New York City. Established in 1835, it was the first law school established in New York City and is the oldest survivin ...

in 1931, and subsequently joined the Manhattan law firm of Crisona Brothers, where he was senior partner from 1945 to 1957. He lived in

Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

and entered politics as a Democrat. Crisona was elected on November 6, 1945, to 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 Ass ...

(Queens Co., 12th D.), to fill the vacancy caused by the death of John H. Ferril, and took his seat in the 165th New York State Legislature in January 1946. In November 1946, he ran for re-election, but was defeated by Henry Schneider Jr. Crisona 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 1955 to 1957, sitting in the 170th and 171st New York State Legislatures. Among his legislative achievements, he is credited with helping transfer control of

LaGuardia Airport LaGuardia Airport ( ) – colloquially known as LaGuardia or simply LGA – is a civil airport in East Elmhurst, Queens, East Elmhurst, Queens, New York City, situated on the North Shore (Long Island), northwestern shore of Long Island, bord ...

and Idlewild Airport (now John F. Kennedy Airport) to the

Port Authority A port authority (less commonly a port district) is a governmental or quasi-governmental public authority for a special-purpose district usually formed by a legislative body (or bodies) to operate ports and other transportation infrastructure. ...

. In November 1957, he was elected Borough President of Queens, unseating the Republican incumbent James A. Lundy. Crisona was accused of offering

bribe Bribery is the corrupt solicitation, payment, or acceptance of a private favor (a bribe) in exchange for official action. The purpose of a bribe is to influence the actions of the recipient, a person in charge of an official duty, to act contrar ...

s during the campaign by James A. Phillips, then a leader of the Queens County Democrats and a rival for the nomination. He appeared voluntarily before a

grand jury A grand jury is a jury empowered by law to conduct legal proceedings, investigate potential criminal conduct, and determine whether criminal charges should be brought. A grand jury may subpoena physical evidence or a person to testify. A grand ju ...

, which cleared him of all charges in 1959. He took office in 1958, but only stayed until the end of the year, when he stepped down to take a seat on the

New York Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the superior court in the Judiciary of New York. It is vested with unlimited civil and criminal jurisdiction, although in many counties outside New York City it acts primarily as a court of civil ju ...

. He remained on the bench until 1976 when he resumed his private practice. Crisona died on September 4, 2003, in a nursing home in

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crisona, James J. 1907 births 2003 deaths Queens borough presidents Members of the New York State Assembly New York (state) state senators New York Supreme Court justices New York University School of Law alumni 20th-century New York state court judges 20th-century members of the New York State Legislature