Thomas Coughlin III (February 12, 1938 – August 23, 2001) was the first commissioner of the
New York State Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities (now Office for People with Developmental Disabilities) and later served as the second longest commissioner of the
New York State Department of Correctional Services
The New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (NYSDOCCS) is the department of the New York State government that administers the state prison and parole system, including 42 prisons funded by the state government.
New ...
. He was originally appointed by former Governor
Hugh Carey
Hugh Leo Carey (April 11, 1919 – August 7, 2011) was an American politician and attorney of the Democratic Party who served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1961 to 1974 and as the 51st governor of New York from 1975 to 1982.
Early ...
as deputy commissioner for mental retardation in the
New York State Department of Mental Hygiene
The New York State Department of Mental Hygiene is a pro forma department of the New York state government and may refer to one of several autonomous agencies:
*the Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS)
*the Office of Mental Heal ...
in 1975.
Early life
Born in Brooklyn on February 12, 1938, the son of a firefighter, he grew up in Flatbush and attended
Midwood High School
Midwood High School is a high school located at 2839 Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn, New York City, administered by the New York City Department of Education. It has an enrollment of 3,938 students. Its H-shaped building, with six Ionic order, Ioni ...
. He volunteered for the Air Force and was stationed in
Watertown, N.Y., where he married and later resided and served as a New York state trooper. He graduated from
Goddard College
Goddard College was a Private college, private college with three locations in the United States: Plainfield, Vermont; Port Townsend, Washington; and Seattle. The college offered undergraduate and graduate degree programs. With predecessor ins ...
in Vermont in 1972, and briefly studied law at Syracuse University.
[
]
People with Developmental Disabilities
The Coughlins' third daughter was born with developmental disabilities, and in 1964 he founded the Jefferson County Association for Retarded Children
The Arc of the United States is an organization serving people with Intellectual disability, intellectual and Developmental disability, developmental disabilities. The organization was founded in the 1950s by parents of people with developmental ...
to press for better state facilities for people with intellectual disabilities.[
After joining the Department of Mental Hygiene, Coughlin became instrumental in implementing the Willowbrook Consent Decree which committed New York state to improving community placement for all developmentally disabled.
]
Corrections and Community Supervision
Mr. Coughlin took over the Department of Corrections when State Senate Republicans blocked the selection of Governor Carey's original nominee for the job, Richard Hongisto
Richard Duane Hongisto (December 16, 1936, Bovey, Minnesota, Bovey, Minnesota – November 4, 2004, San Francisco, California) was a businessman, politician, sheriff, and police chief of San Francisco, California, and Cleveland, Ohio.
Early ...
.[ He continued to serve in the post under Governor ]Mario Cuomo
Mario Matthew Cuomo ( , ; June 15, 1932 – January 1, 2015) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 52nd governor of New York for three terms, from 1983 to 1994. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic ...
, where
Mr. Coughlin presided over the rapid growth of the prison system. There were about 21,000 inmates when he took over in 1979 and almost 67,000 when he retired after 15 years.
Stock Car Racing
Coughlin enjoyed driving stock cars, competing for several years at the Watertown Speedway
Watertown Speedway was a 1/2 mile dirt oval raceway located at the Jefferson County fairgrounds in Watertown, New York.
History
Auto racing was first presented at the former horse track located on Coffeen St in 1936 and again in 1940, when ...
. In 1972 he joined the race track’s promotional team, and in 1975 Coughlin and his partners purchased the Can-Am Speedway in nearby LaFargeville, N.Y.Northeast Dirt Modified Hall of Fame
The Northeast Dirt Modified Hall of Fame was established in 1992 to recognize individual achievements in the sport of stock car racing. It is located at 1 Speedway Dr., Weedsport, New York.
History
The inaugural induction ceremony was held on Ap ...
for their contributions.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coughlin, Thomas
1938 births
2001 deaths
Midwood High School alumni
Northeast Dirt Modified Hall of Fame