Rosemary R. Gunning (February 7, 1905 – October 4, 1997) 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

Gunning was born on February 7, 1905, 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 ...

. She attended St. Brigid's School and Richmond High School. She graduated

LL.B. A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

from

Brooklyn Law School Brooklyn Law School (BLS) is a Private university, private law school in New York City. Founded in 1901, it has approximately 1,100 students. Brooklyn Law School's faculty includes 60 full-time faculty, 15 emeriti faculty, and adjunct faculty. ...

in 1927, was admitted to the bar in 1930, and practiced law in New York City. She married Lester Moffett, and they lived in

Ridgewood, Queens Ridgewood is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It borders the Queens neighborhoods of Maspeth to the north, Middle Village to the east, and Glendale to the southeast, as well as the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Bushwick to ...

. They had no children. She became one of the leaders of the fight against forced

desegregation busing Desegregation busing (also known as integrated busing, forced busing, or simply busing) was an attempt to diversify the racial make-up of schools in the United States by transporting students to more distant schools with less diverse student pop ...

, and in 1962 was a founding member of the

Conservative Party of New York The Conservative Party of New York State is an List of political parties in the United States, American political party founded in 1962 following conservative dissatisfaction with the New York Republican State Committee, Republican Party in New Y ...

. In November 1965, she ran on the Conservative ticket for President of the City Council, but was defeated by Democrat

Frank D. O'Connor Frank D. O'Connor (December 20, 1909 – December 2, 1992) was an American lawyer and politician from New York (state), New York. Life O'Connor was born on December 20, 1909, in Manhattan, New York City, the son of Irish immigrants. He grew up i ...

. She 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. In November 1968, she was elected with Republican endorsement 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 ...

, one of the first two Conservatives to win an elective state office. She was re-elected three times, and remained in the Assembly until 1976, sitting in the 178th, 179th, 180th and

181st New York State Legislature The 181st New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 8, 1975, to August 5, 1976, during the first and second years of Hugh Carey's governorship in Albany. Background ...

s. She died on October 4, 1997, at the home of one of her nieces in

Roslyn, New York Roslyn ( ) is a village in the Town of North Hempstead in Nassau County, on the North Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. It is the Greater Roslyn area's anchor community. The population was 2,988 at the time of the 2020 census. ...

, of

liver cancer Liver cancer, also known as hepatic cancer, primary hepatic cancer, or primary hepatic malignancy, is cancer that starts in the liver. Liver cancer can be primary in which the cancer starts in the liver, or it can be liver metastasis, or secondar ...

''Rosemary R. Gunning, 92, Foe of School Busing''
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 October 7, 1997 at age 92.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gunning, Rosemary R. 1905 births 1997 deaths Lawyers from Queens, New York Politicians from Queens, New York Conservative Party of New York State politicians Members of the New York State Assembly Deaths from cancer in New York (state) Women state legislators in New York (state) Brooklyn Law School alumni 20th-century American women politicians 20th-century members of the New York State Legislature