Thomas A. Duffy (April 6, 1906 – April 11, 1979) 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 April 6, 1906, 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 ...

. The family moved to

Astoria, Queens Astoria is a neighborhood in the western portion of the New York City Boroughs of New York City, borough of Queens. Astoria is bounded by the East River and is adjacent to four other Queens neighborhoods: Long Island City, Queens, Long Island C ...

, when Thomas was still a child. He graduated from Regis High School in 1926. In 1938, he married Helen M. Fisher (born 1908), and they had three children. The couple lived in

Jackson Heights, Queens Jackson Heights is a neighborhood in the northwestern part of the borough of Queens in New York City. Jackson Heights is neighbored by North Corona to the east, Elmhurst to the south, Woodside to the west, and today northern Astoria ( Ditm ...

. Duffy was a member of 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., 4th D.) from 1949 to 1956, sitting in the 167th, 168th, 169th and

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 ...

s. On February 7, 1956, he ran in a special election for the State Senate seat vacated by the resignation of

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 ...

, but was defeated by Republican

Bernard Tompkins Bernard Tompkins (February 6, 1904 – February 7, 1965) was an American lawyer and politician from New York. Life He was born on February 6, 1904, in New York City. He was an Assistant United States Attorney from 1930 to 1936 and a special assis ...

. In November 1956, Duffy defeated Tompkins who ran for re-election. Duffy 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 ...

(8th D.) from 1957 to 1965, sitting in the 171st, 172nd, 173rd, 174th and

175th New York State Legislature The 175th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 6 to June 23, 1965, during the seventh year of Nelson Rockefeller's Governor of New York, governorship, in Albany, N ...

s. He was a justice of the

New York City Civil Court The Civil Court of the City of New York is a civil court of the New York State Unified Court System in New York City that decides lawsuits involving claims for damages up to $25,000 and includes a small claims part (small claims court) for case ...

from 1967 to 1976. He died on April 11, 1979, in Calvary Hospital in

the Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

.''Thomas A. Duffy, Retired in 1976 As Judge of Civil Court in Queens''
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 April 13, 1979 (subscription required)

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Duffy, Thomas A. 1906 births 1979 deaths Lawyers from Queens, New York Politicians from Queens, New York Democratic Party New York (state) state senators Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly New York state court judges 20th-century New York state court judges 20th-century members of the New York State Legislature