Hugh T. Farley

Hugh T. Farley (born November 26, 1932) is an American lawyer, schoolteacher, professor and Republican politician from Schenectady County, New York. He served as a member of the New York Senate from 1977 until he retired in 2017.

Early life

Farley was born and raised in New York City, Indian Lake, New York, and Watertown, New York. He is the fifth of six boys. Farley served in the U.S. Army and then was a high school teacher in Syracuse, New York and Maryland. Prior to attending college, he also worked as a lineman for the New York Central Railroad.^[1] Hugh Farley holds a Juris Doctorate from American University School of Law, as well as a Bachelor of Science from the SUNY Albany. He is also a graduate of Mohawk Valley Community College.

In 1965, he became a member of the faculty at the School of Business of the SUNY Albany, and since 2000, has been Professor Emeritus of Business Law at the college.^[2]

Farley, and his wife Sharon have been married for over 55 years and have three children.

Career

Farley has been a member of New York State Senate since 1977, representing parts of Schenectady and Saratoga Counties, and Herkimer, Hamilton, and Counties.

In 1979, Farley was chosen as the first Chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Aging. As chairman, Farley authored laws creating New York's hospice care system and a law prohibiting mandatory medical intervention/treatment for terminally ill patients. In 1989, Farley was appointed to the Chairmanship of the Senate Committee on Banks. In this capacity, he has authored or sponsored numerous laws dealing with banking regulations, including a law enacted in 1994 aimed at making New York's interest rate deregulation laws permanent.

Farley has been a member of the Governor's Commission on Libraries, and an elected delegate to the White House's Conference on Libraries in both 1979 and 1991. He is also Chair of the State Senate's Select Committee on Libraries, and in that role he has become known as a national leader and advocate for libraries and reading programs.

Farley voted against same-sex marriage legislation on December 2, 2009; and the bill was defeated. After announcing his intention to vote against a same-sex marriage bill before the Senate, his opponent in the 2010 election, Democrat Susan Savage, denounced Farley's position at a rally on the steps of the New York State Capitol.^[3] Despite her repeated attacks, Farley defeated Savage in a landslide, and was again re-elected with one of the largest pluralities in the state.^[4] In 2011, the New York State Legislature enacted a law legalizing same-sex marriage, with Senator Farley again voting no, citing that most of his constituents had expressed opposition to the measure.

In 2016, Farley announced that he would not seek re-election in 2016.^[5]

References

External links

• New York State Senate: Hugh T. Farley
• Official Biography of Senator Hugh Farley
• Fourth Branch of America - New York State Senator Hugh Farley
• Project Vote Smart: Interest Group Ratings