John H. Farrell (October 23, 1919 – April 20, 1995) 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 * ...

Life

He was born on October 23, 1919, 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 ...

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. He attended St. Columba School and Xavier High School. He graduated from

Fordham College Fordham University is a private Jesuit research university in New York City, United States. Established in 1841, it is named after the Fordham neighborhood of the Bronx in which its original campus is located. Fordham is the oldest Catholic a ...

and

Fordham Law School Fordham University School of Law is the law school of Fordham University. The school is located in Manhattan in New York City, and is one of eight ABA-approved law schools in that city. According to Fordham University School of Law's ABA- ...

. He practiced law in New York City and 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 (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

. He married Ellen K. Stanton (died 2007), and they had three sons. He was employed as a research counsel by State Senate Minority Leader Francis J. Mahoney. Farrell was elected in November 1955 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 ...

, to fill the vacancy caused by the appointment of John J. Mangan to the Municipal Court, and took his seat in the

170th New York State Legislature The 170th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 5, 1955, to March 23, 1956, during the first and second years of W. Averell Harriman's governorship, in Albany. B ...

at the beginning of the session of 1956. He was re-elected in November 1956, and took his seat in the

171st New York State Legislature The 171st New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 9, 1957, to March 26, 1958, during the third and fourth years of W. Averell Harriman's governorship, in Albany. B ...

on January 9, 1957. He was elected on February 14, 1957, to 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 ...

(25th D.), to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Francis J. Mahoney. He resigned his seat in the Assembly on February 27, when the result of the special election was certified, and took his seat in the State Senate. He was re-elected in November 1958, and remained in the Senate until the end of the

172nd New York State Legislature The 172nd New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 7, 1959, to April 1, 1960, during the first and second years of Nelson Rockefeller's governorship, in Albany. Bac ...

in 1960. On June 7, 1960, Farrell ran for re-nomination, but was defeated in the Democratic primary by Manfred Ohrenstein. In November 1960, Farrell ran on the

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * Generally, a supporter of the political philosophy liberalism. Liberals may be politically left or right but tend to be centrist. * An adherent of a Liberal Party (See also Liberal parties by country ...

ticket for re-election, but was defeated by Ohrenstein. On March 24, 1962, Farrell was elected as Chairman of the New York County Democratic Executive Committee, to succeed

Carmine DeSapio Carmine Gerard DeSapio (December 10, 1908 – July 27, 2004) was an American politician from New York City. He was the last head of the Tammany Hall political machine to dominate municipal politics. Early life and career DeSapio was born in ...

.''Tammany Picks Regular to Fill De Sapio's Post as Chairman''
in the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' on March 25, 1962 (subscription required) In 1965, Farrell moved to Cohoes,

Albany County, New York Albany County ( ) is a county (United States), county in the U.S. state, state of New York (state), New York, United States. Its northern border is formed by the Mohawk River, at its confluence with the Hudson River, which is to the east. As ...

, the hometown of his wife. He died on April 20, 1995, at his home in Cohoes; and was buried at the St. Agnes Cemetery in

Menands Menands is a village in Albany County, New York, United States. The population was 4,554 at the 2020 census. The village is named after Louis Menand. The village lies inside the town of Colonie and borders the northern city line of Albany. ...

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Farrell, John H. 1919 births 1995 deaths Politicians from Manhattan Democratic Party New York (state) state senators Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly Fordham University School of Law alumni People from Cohoes, New York 20th-century members of the New York State Legislature