Kenneth Sherbell (April 12, 1917 – January 23, 1998) was an American labor union leader 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 * ...

, known for his contributions to

labor rights Labor rights or workers' rights are both legal rights and human rights relating to labor relations between workers and employers. These rights are codified in national and international labor and employment law. In general, the ...

and

public service A public service or service of general (economic) interest is any service intended to address the needs of aggregate members of a community, whether provided directly by a public sector agency, via public financing available to private busin ...

Life

He was born on April 12, 1917, in South Coventry,

Tolland County, Connecticut Tolland County ( ) is a county in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Connecticut. As of the 2020 census, its population was 149,788. It is incorporated into 13 towns and was originally formed on October 13, 1785, from portions of east ...

. The family removed to

East New York, Brooklyn East New York is a residential neighborhood in the eastern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. Its boundaries, starting from the north and moving clockwise, are roughly the Cemetery Belt and the Queens borough line to the north; ...

. He attended the public schools and graduated from

Brooklyn College Brooklyn College is a public university in Brooklyn in New York City, United States. It is part of the City University of New York system and enrolls nearly 14,000 students on a campus in the Midwood and Flatbush sections of Brooklyn as of fall ...

. While still in college, he began to work in a dry-goods store, and joined Local 65 of the Wholesale and Warehouse Workers Union, affiliated with the CIO. Later he became a union leader and became active in politics as a member of the

American Labor Party The American Labor Party (ALP) was a political party in the United States established in 1936 that was active almost exclusively in the state of New York. The organization was founded by labor leaders and former members of the Socialist Party of ...

. In 1939, he married Evelyn Berkowitz, and they had two children. From May 1943 to December 1945, he served in the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest displacement, at 4.5 million tons in 2021. It has the world's largest aircraft ...

as an

aviation machinist's mate Aviation Machinist's Mates (abbreviated as AD) are United States Navy aircraft engine mechanics that inspect, adjust, test, repair, and overhaul aircraft engines and propellers. More specifically, ADs install, maintain, and service various aircra ...

, 2nd class. In November 1946, Sherbell was elected on the American Labor ticket, with Republican endorsement, 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 ...

(10th D.), defeating the Democratic incumbent James A. Corcoran. Sherbell was a member of the State Senate in 1947 and 1948. At the

1948 United States presidential election Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 2, 1948. The Democratic ticket of incumbent President Harry S. Truman and Senator Alben Barkley defeated the Republican ticket of New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey and Californ ...

, he supported

Henry A. Wallace Henry Agard Wallace (October 7, 1888 – November 18, 1965) was the 33rd vice president of the United States, serving from 1941 to 1945, under President Franklin D. Roosevelt. He served as the 11th U.S. secretary of agriculture and the 10th U.S ...

and ran on the American Labor/Wallace– Progressive ticket for re-election, but was defeated by Democrat Herbert I. Sorin. Afterwards he remained active in organized labor, worked in

group insurance Group insurance is an insurance that covers a group of people, for example the members of a society or professional association, or the employees of a particular employer for the purpose of taking insurance. Group coverage can help reduce the proble ...

, and was president of a company which offered health insurance plans for unions. He died on January 23, 1998, in Parkway Hospital 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 ...

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 ...

.''Kenneth Sherbell, 80, Legislator, Official of Union and Executive''
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 February 2, 1998

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sherbell, Kenneth 1917 births 1998 deaths Politicians from Brooklyn American Labor Party politicians New York (state) state senators Brooklyn College alumni People from Coventry, Connecticut 20th-century members of the New York State Legislature