John H. Mulroy

John H. Mulroy
1st Executive of Onondaga County, New York
In office
January 1, 1962 – December 31, 1987
Preceded by (office created)
Succeeded by Nicholas J. Pirro
Personal details
Born February 10, 1925
Syracuse, NY
Died September 6, 1999
Kingston, Ontario
Political party Republican
Spouse(s) Virginia Mulroy
Alma mater Syracuse University
Religion Roman Catholic

John Howard Mulroy (February 10, 1925 – September 6, 1999) was a 20th century politician most notable for having served as the first county executive of Onondaga County, New York.

Mulroy was born to Morris, a dairy farmer, and Elizabeth, a former schoolteacher. His father served as the Marcellus supervisor on the Onondaga County Board of Supervisors from 1937 to 1953, when the senior Mulroy died in office.[1]

Mulroy served as a bomber pilot in the United States Air Force for three years during World War II,[2] and was married September 15, 1945 to the former Virginia Spaulding.[3] He graduated with a degree in history from the University College of Syracuse University and initially earned a living by delivering milk from his family's dairy.[4]

His began his political career by getting elected to his father's old position on the County Board of Supervisors, starting in 1957 and rising to Chairman of the Board in 1961. In the 1961 election, Onondaga County voters approved the adoption of a new county charter which provided for the creation of the office of county executive.[5][6] The Board of Supervisors appointed then-Chairman Mulroy as the first county executive to serve a one year term before the office was to become elective.[7] In 1962, the electorate voted Mulroy into his first elected term in office, which lasted five years.[8]

His achievements in office include:[9][10]

Mulroy was investigated several times for corruption between 1977 and 1982.[11] [12][13] . He was ultimately convicted of misdemeanors and fined.[14][15]

Mulroy announced his intention to retire in 1987.[16] In his retirement, he served on the boards of several not-for-profit organizations, notably the Onondaga Historical Association, to which he donated a quarter of a million dollars.

Mulroy was stricken while on a Syracuse Newspapers-sponsored fishing trip in the Thousand Islands and was taken to Kingston General Hospital.[17] He died after two days.[18] He is buried in St. Francis Xavier Cemetery in the Town of Marcellus.[19]

The Onondaga County Civic Center is named in his honor.

His son, former Judge J. Kevin Mulroy, was felled by a mysterious, rapidly-progressing illness in 2005 and is buried alongside his parents.[20] One of his daughters, Martha E. Mulroy, currently serves as a Family Court Judge.[21]

References

  1. ^ "Mulroy Knew How Government Works", The Syracuse Herald-Journal (Syracuse, New York): A3, 1999-09-11 
  2. ^ "Mulroy Knew How Government Works", The Syracuse Herald-Journal (Syracuse, New York): A3, 1999-09-11 
  3. ^ "A Man of Few Words and a Lot of Action", The Syracuse Herald-Journal (Syracuse, New York): A1, 1999-09-12 
  4. ^ "JOHN MULROY DIES AFTER STROKE; WAS 74", The Syracuse Herald-Journal (Syracuse, New York): A1, 1999-09-07 
  5. ^ Onondaga County Charter Commission (1961-09-05), PROPOSED ONONDAGA COUNTY CHARTER ADOPTED BY THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS SEPTEMBER 5, 1961 SUBJECT TO APPROVAL BY REFERENDUM NOVEMBER 7, 1961, Syracuse, New York, pp. 3–4 
  6. ^ "County Charter Wins Approval", The Syracuse Herald-Journal (Syracuse, New York): 2, 1961-11-08 
  7. ^ "Mulroy Takes Oath of County Executive", The Syracuse Herald-Journal (Syracuse, New York): 2, 1962-01-02 
  8. ^ "County Stands by GOP", The Syracuse Herald-Journal (Syracuse, New York): 1, 1962-11-07 
  9. ^ "THE MULROY ERA ENDS AFTER 9,497 DAYS", The Syracuse Herald-Journal (Syracuse, New York): B1, 1987-12-31 
  10. ^ "JOHN MULROY DIES AFTER STROKE; WAS 74", The Syracuse Herald-Journal (Syracuse, New York): A1, 1999-09-07 
  11. ^ "3 Onondaga Officials Arraigned for Coercing County Workers for G.O.P. Contributions", The New York Times (New York City): 13, 1977-09-21 
  12. ^ "Onondaga's Executive and a G.O.P. Senator Charged with Felony", The New York Times (New York City): 24, 1979-02-17 
  13. ^ "Onondaga's Executive Is Indicted After Gaining Vote of Confidence; Guilty Plea to Bribery", The New York Times (New York City): 38, 1980-05-11 
  14. ^ "A State Senator And Two Others Guilty Upstate; G.O.P. Leaders Convicted in Onondaga Inquiry Acquittal on Another Charge", The New York Times (New York City): B2, 1980-02-20 
  15. ^ "County Head Fined In Insurance Scheme", The New York Times (New York City), 1980-02-20, http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9806E5DD1539F934A35750C0A967948260, retrieved 2008-06-15 
  16. ^ "MULROY WON'T RUN", The Syracuse Herald-Journal (Syracuse, New York): A1, 1987-04-10 
  17. ^ "Ex-County Executive Has Stroke", The Syracuse Herald-American (Syracuse, New York): B1, 1999-09-05 
  18. ^ "JOHN MULROY DIES AFTER STROKE; WAS 74", The Syracuse Herald-Journal (Syracuse, New York): A1, 1999-09-07 
  19. ^ "Mulroy Mourned at Funeral", The Syracuse Herald-Journal (Syracuse, New York): B1, 1999-09-14 
  20. ^ "J. Kevin Mulroy, 53, Colorful, Contentious N.Y. Judge", The Boston Globe (Boston, Massachusetts), 2005-09-22, http://www.boston.com/news/globe/obituaries/articles/2005/09/22/j_kevin_mulroy_53_colorful_contentious_ny_judge/, retrieved 2008-06-15 
  21. ^ Office of Court Administration. "5th Judicial District, Onondaga County". New York State Unified Court System. http://www.courts.state.ny.us/courts/5jd/onondaga/index.shtml. Retrieved 2008-06-15. 
Political offices
Preceded by
 Onondaga County, New York Supervisor from Marcellus
January 1, 1957 – December 31, 1961		 Succeeded by
Preceded by
(Office created)		 Onondaga County, New York Executive
January 1, 1962 – December 31, 1987		 Succeeded by
Nicholas J. Pirro