Gov. Hugh L. Carey (D-NY), who was Governor of New York from 1975-1983.
Governor Carey presided over New York during years of a divided legislature. He was the driving force behind the measures that resolved New York City's fiscal crisis in the mid-1970s, enabling it to avoid default and bankruptcy. He was a Labor-Liberal Democrat with a conservative persona who governed New York and resolved the major issues of New York City's fiscal crisis and it's transit strikes, both of which had the potential to cripple New York City.
There are very few public officials that I have had more respect for than I do for Hugh Carey. He governed in ways that were not designed to be popular. He was not overly popular with most Democratic politicians, in that he didn't give them everything they wanted. (I was a member of my county's Democratic Committee during Carey's Administration, and can vouch for the opinion of insiders; Carey appointed my County Chairman the Chairman of the State Committee.) He brought New York through a very difficult time and he did so by making necessary compromises in order to foster needed achievement to ensure that New York City did not go down the fiscal drain, taking the rest of New York State with it.
Carey left office with low popularity. He was considered not likely to win a third term, and he married a woman late in his second term (whom he later divorced) who appeared to be something of an influence seeker; this drove his popularity even lower. That was too bad; he was the responsible leader that would have been an excellent President if he had sought the position. He represented the best of responsible liberalism. There have been too few public officials like him in either party.
Is the controversial marriage the reason why Carey did NOT seek reelection in 1982 ?
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