Maryanne Krupsak

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Mary Anne Krupsak is the first woman to be elected to statewide office in New York. She served as lieutenant governor from 1975 to 1979.

Born in Schenectady, New York, Krupsak grew up in Amsterdam, New York, the daughter of Ambrose M. and Mamie Wytrwal Krupczak. Her parents operated a pharmacy and her father served as a Democratic member of the Montgomery County New York Board of Supervisors, representing the City of Amsterdam's Fourth Ward.

Krupsak served one term each in the New York State Assembly and New York State Senate before running for Lieutenant Governor of New York in 1974. Reportedly Democratic Party leaders encouraged Krupsak to run for U.S. Senate instead of lieutenant governor, fearing her presence on the ticket would hurt Brooklyn Congressman Hugh Carey, the nominee for governor.

Elected with Carey, Krupsak became upset with how Carey treated her in office and felt she was not given enough to do. After committing to run for a second term with Carey in 1978, Krupsak decided to withdraw from the ticket and instead challenge Carey for the Democratic nomination for governor. She lost the primary to Carey and after running unsuccessfully for Congress, retired from politics.

After her tenure as Lt. Governor, Mary Anne was a senior partner at Krupsak and Mahoney, P.C., Attorneys at Law in Albany and was senior partner and co-founder of Krupsak, Wass de Czege and Associates, an Economic Development Consulting firm based in Buffalo.