Elizabeth A. "Betty" Connelly (June 19, 1928 in Brooklyn, New York – May 25, 2006 in Staten Island, New York) was a Democratic Party politician from Staten Island, New York who represented the North Shore of that community from 1973 to 2000. She was the first woman to win elective office to any district encompassing Staten Island.[1]
Mrs. Connelly was born Elizabeth Ann Keresey, and was raised in Brooklyn and the Bronx. She and her husband Robert J. Connelly, Sr. moved to Staten Island in 1954 and raised a family. Prior to her election in 1973, Mrs. Connelly worked as a secretary for New York Life Insurance Company, and as a telephone sales associate for Pan American World Airways. An advocate for the mentally disabled, Mrs. Connelly was appointed chairwoman of the Assembly Committee on Mental Health, Mental Retardation, Developmental Disabilities, Alcoholism and Substance Abuse in 1977.
Mrs. Connelly died on May 25, 2006, at the age of 77 at her home in Westerleigh, Staten Island. She is survived by her husband, Robert J. Connelly, Sr., a son, Robert J. Connelly, Jr., her daughters Alice Lanzi, Margaret Nicholson, and Therese Shannon, as well seven grand-children.[2] Staten Island University Hospital opened the Elizabeth A. Connelly Emergency and Trauma Center in 2009. Mrs. Connelly had been a volunteer at the hospital prior to her election in 1973.[3] A community center, named for her was also opened around the same time. The NYS Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities holds the Elizabeth A. Connelly Memorial Conference on Autism & Related Conditions annually.[4]
| New York Assembly | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Edward J. Amann, Jr. |
New York State Assembly, 61st District 1973–1982 |
Succeeded by William F. Passannante |
| Preceded by Joseph Lentol |
New York State Assembly, 58th District 1983–1992 |
Succeeded by N. Nick Perry |
| Preceded by Eric Nicholas Vitaliano |
New York State Assembly, 59th District 1993–2000 |
Succeeded by John Lavelle |