Sheldon Silver | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Silver in 2011 | |
| 119th Speaker of the New York State Assembly | |
| In office February 11, 1994 – February 2, 2015 | |
| Governor | |
| Preceded by | Saul Weprin |
| Succeeded by | Carl Heastie |
| Member of the New York State Assembly from the 65th district | |
| In office January 1, 2013 – November 30, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Micah Kellner |
| Succeeded by | Alice Cancel |
| Constituency | Lower Manhattan, New York City |
| Member of the New York State Assembly from the 64th district | |
| In office January 1, 2003 – December 31, 2012 | |
| Preceded by | Richard N. Gottfried |
| Succeeded by | Nicole Malliotakis |
| Member of the New York State Assembly from the 62nd district | |
| In office January 1, 1983 – December 31, 2002 | |
| Preceded by | Paul M. Viggiano |
| Succeeded by | Robert Straniere |
| Member of the New York State Assembly from the 63rd district | |
| In office January 1, 1977 – December 31, 1982 | |
| Preceded by | Anthony G. DiFalco |
| Succeeded by | Steven Sanders |
| Personal details | |
| Born | February 13, 1944 Manhattan, New York, U.S. |
| Died | January 24, 2022 (aged 77) Ayer, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Rosa Mandelkern |
| Alma mater | |
| Signature |  |
| Website | Archived Assembly website |
Sheldon Silver (February 13, 1944 – January 24, 2022) was an American Democratic Party politician and attorney from New York City who served as Speaker of the New York State Assembly from 1994 to 2015. A native of Manhattan's Lower East Side, Silver served in the New York State Assembly from 1977 to 2015. In 1994, he was elected as Speaker; he held that position for two decades. During this period, Silver was known as one of the most powerful politicians in the state.
Silver was arrested on federal corruption charges in early 2015, and resigned as Speaker of the Assembly shortly afterward. At his trial that November, he was convicted of all charges; the felony convictions triggered his automatic expulsion from the Assembly. Silver's conviction was overturned on appeal, but in May 2018, following a retrial, he was found guilty on the same charges. After another appeal, the Second Circuit Court dismissed the guilty verdicts for three of the charges, but upheld them for four others. Silver was resentenced in July 2020 to 6+1⁄2 years in prison and a $1 million fine. He was incarcerated in the federal prison at Otisville, New York. Silver was released on May 4, 2021, under a provision of the CARES Act, which allows prison bureaus to release those deemed vulnerable to COVID-19, but was recalled to a medical-care specialized federal prison at Devens, Massachusetts two days later on May 6. He died at a hospital in nearby Ayer, Massachusetts, on January 24, 2022, while still serving his sentence.[1]
- ^ Hill, Michael; Balsamo, Michael (January 25, 2022). "Sheldon Silver, NY power broker sent to prison, dead at 77". Associated Press. Retrieved January 25, 2022.