Richard E. Schermerhorn
Richard E. Schermerhorn (October 29, 1927 – June 21, 1995) was an American politician from New York.
Life
He was born on October 29, 1927, in Albany, New York. He attended Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk High School and Albany Military Academy. During World War II he served in the U.S. Army.[1] He graduated M.B.A. from Bryant University. He engaged in the insurance business, and entered politics as Republican. He married Connie Edwards, and they had four daughters.
In June 1970, he defeated the incumbent State Senator D. Clinton Dominick III in the Republican primary. Dominick had voted for the 1970 abortion law, and Schermerhorn was a conservative anti-abortionist.[2] He was a member of the New York State Senate from 1971 to 1988, sitting in the 179th, 180th, 181st, 182nd, 183rd, 184th, 185th, 186th and 187th New York State Legislatures.
On July 29, 1987, federal prosecutors accused Schermerhorn of having taken a bribe in 1984 from Dominick Lofaro, an ex-mafioso-turned-informer.[3] The facts were then re-evaluated, and the bribe became a campaign contributions from Lofaro which had not been listed by Schermerhorn in his election campaign financial statement. Therefore, on September 23, 1988, he was indicted by a federal grand jury for fraud.[4] On November 2, 1988, he was also indicted for tax evasion. and obstruction of justice. In 1985, he had sold his interest in a hotel, and did not report the capital gain in his tax statement.[5] On November 8, 1988, he was defeated for re-election by Democrat E. Arthur Gray.[6]
Schermerhorn went to trial in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. On October 26, 1989, Schermerhorn was acquitted on the fraud charges, but was convicted of tax evasion.[7] On December 15, 1989, he was sentenced by Judge Gerard Goettel to a year and a half in jail, and afterwards two years probation.[8]
On July 2, 1991, he was released from Federal Prison Camp, Montgomery, and transferred to the Brooklyn Community Corrections Center.[9] After serving his prison term, he became a lobbyist in Albany.
He died on June 21, 1995, at his home in Newburgh, New York, of throat cancer;[10] and was buried at the Calvary Cemetery in New Windsor.
References
- ↑ New York Red Book (1983–1984; pg. 138)
- ↑ Two Key Backers of Abortion Reform in the Legislature Are Defeated Upstate in the New York Times on June 24, 1970 (subscription required)
- ↑ New York Investigators Say State Senator Took a Bribe in the New York Times on July 30, 1987
- ↑ State Legislator Faces 5 Charges In Fraud Inquiry in the New York Times on September 24, 1988
- ↑ Newburgh Lawmaker Indicted as Tax Dodger in the New York Times on November 3, 1988
- ↑ THE 1988 ELECTIONS in the New York Times on November 9, 1988
- ↑ Ex-New York Senator Guilty of Tax Evasion in the New York Times on October 27, 1989
- ↑ Ex-Senator Sentenced to Prison in Tax Case in the New York Times on December 16, 1989
- ↑ CHRONICLE; RICHARD E. SCHERMERHORN, a former Republican New York State senator from Orange County, has been released... in the New York Times on July 9, 1991
- ↑ Richard E. Schermerhorn, 67, A State Senator for Nine Terms in the New York Times on June 23, 1995
External links
| New York State Senate | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by D. Clinton Dominick III |
New York State Senate 37th District 1971–1972 |
Succeeded by Bernard G. Gordon |
| Preceded by Walter B. Langley |
New York State Senate 40th District 1973–1982 |
Succeeded by Charles D. Cook |
| Preceded by Jay P. Rolison, Jr. |
New York State Senate 39th District 1983–1988 |
Succeeded by E. Arthur Gray |