Joseph Rhodes Hanley (May 30, 1876 Davenport, Iowa - September 4, 1961[1]) was an American lawyer and Republican politician who served as Lieutenant Governor of New York from 1943 to 1950.
He served in the U.S. Army during the Spanish-American War. In 1941 and 1942, he was Commander-in-Chief of the United Spanish War Veterans.[2]
He was a member of the New York State Assembly from Wyoming County, New York from 1927 to 1931, and a member of the New York State Senate from the 44th District from 1932 to 1943. After the death of Perley A. Pitcher, he was elected Majority Leader of the New York State Senate on February 27, 1939. When Charles Poletti succeeded to the governor's office upon the resignation of Herbert H. Lehman in December 1942, Hanley became Acting Lieutenant Governor of New York for four weeks.
When Thomas W. Wallace died in office on July 17, 1943, he became again Acting Lieutenant Governor. In November 1943, he defeated Democrat William N. Haskell in a special election for Lieutenant Governor and, re-elected in 1946, continued in office until the end of 1950. He was a delegate to the 1944 and 1948 Republican National Conventions.
Early in 1950, Governor Thomas E. Dewey announced he would not seek another term as governor. Hanley was the leading candidate to succeed him. Then Dewey decided to run after all and was re-elected. For the record, Hanley claimed he had bowed out of the campaign voluntarily to clear the way for Dewey. But, in a "Dear King" letter to W. Kingsland Macy, Hanley said Dewey had persuaded him to run for U.S. Senator from New York instead and had promised him a state job if he lost the Senate race.[3] He lost the senate race and was appointed special counsel to the State Division of Veterans' Affairs.[4]
| New York Assembly | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Webb Joiner |
New York State Assembly, Wyoming County 1927–1931 |
Succeeded by Harold C. Ostertag |
| New York State Senate | ||
| Preceded by John Knight |
New York State Senate, 44th District 1932–1943 |
Succeeded by Austin Erwin |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Perley A. Pitcher |
Majority Leader of the New York State Senate 1939 - 1943 |
Succeeded by Benjamin F. Feinberg |
| Preceded by Charles Poletti Lieutenant Governor |
Acting Lieutenant Governor of New York 1942 |
Succeeded by Thomas W. Wallace Lieutenant Governor |
| Preceded by Thomas W. Wallace |
Lieutenant Governor of New York 1943 - 1950 |
Succeeded by Frank C. Moore |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by John Foster Dulles |
Republican Nominee for U.S. Senate from New York (Class 3) 1950 |
Succeeded by Jacob K. Javits |
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