NEW YORK – Former New York Gov. Hugh Carey, who led the rescue effort that brought New York City back from the brink of bankruptcy during its 1975 fiscal crisis, died Sunday. He was 92.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Carey’s passing, calling him a “true American success story.”
“Declaring that the days of wine and roses were over, Governor Carey looked to statesmanship and compromise, rather than partisanship or parochialism, to get the state’s fiscal house in order,” Cuomo said in a statement. “He called for shared sacrifice and asked all New Yorkers to come together. New Yorkers across the state heard the governor’s call to action, followed his lead, and the ship was righted.”
Carey, a Democrat, served two terms as governor from 1975 to 1982 after seven terms as a congressman from Brooklyn. Hailed for his crisis management during the city’s brush with insolvency, Carey mustered the backing needed to reorganize its shaky finances and restore confidence in both the city and state.
He also campaigned successfully for merit selection of top state judges, and the well-known “I Love New York” campaign started during his years in office.
His accomplishments were sometimes overshadowed by gaffes, however, such as an offer to drink a glass of toxic PCBs to downplay contamination, or an attempt to use the state to block construction next to his summer home.