John J. McNulty Jr. (1922–2009) commonly known as "Jack" or "Big Jack," was an American politician who held various local political offices in

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 ...

from 1949 to 2002. His son, Michael R. McNulty, was elected to several successive terms as a

United States Congressman The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the 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 Article One of the ...

. Jack McNulty was a "co-congressman" for the two decades that his son served in the U.S. Congress, before his retirement from the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the 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 Article One of th ...

in 2008. A fellow

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 ...

, Jack was a staunch opponent of the entrenched old guard Albany County Democratic political machine, which had unseated his father John J. McNulty Sr. as Sheriff of Albany County, New York in a political in-fight in 1937. Jack recaptured that sheriff's office in 1973. McNulty was a respected elder statesman of northern New York State; the mention of his name at a 2000 Democratic convention at the

Times Union Center MVP Arena (originally Knickerbocker Arena, and then the Pepsi Arena and Times Union Center) is an indoor arena located in Albany, New York. It is configurable and can accommodate from 6,000 to 17,500 people, with a maximum seating capacity of ...

caused the full arena crowd of 11,000 people to rise in a spontaneous standing ovation.TroyRecord
/ref> "Jack McNulty's word was his bond," said Democratic New York State Senator Neil Breslin. "For being 87, Jack knew how to change with the time. Jack connected to people in their 20s," said Albany County Democratic Chairman Dan McCoy.

Rensselaer County Rensselaer County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 161,130. Its county seat is Troy. The county is named in honor of the family of Kiliaen van Rensselaer, the original Dutch owner of the ...

Democratic Chairman Thomas Wade called him "the man I often introduced at Democratic Party events as the greatest Democrat I know."

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obituary
''Times Union'' {{DEFAULTSORT:McNulty, John J. Jr. New York (state) Democrats Sheriffs of Albany County, New York 1922 births 2009 deaths 20th-century New York (state) politicians