Throughout his life and career, both in public service and beyond, Hugh L. Carey demonstrated the courage to tackle difficult problems, give voice to the victims of social injustice and encourage workable solutions to resolve conflicts. A graduate of St. John's University and St. John's University School of Law, he served for 14 years in the U.S. House of Representatives before being elected Governor of New York in 1974. He inherited a state mired in deep economic trouble, as the financial crisis afflicting New York City threatened to consume the entire state. Governor Carey brought together the bankers, the unions, and the federal and state governments to find a solution. Through his perseverance and willingness to take difficult positions, he saved New York City from bankruptcy, while balancing the state budget and lowering the tax burden on New Yorkers.
But his record of problem-solving initiatives goes beyond his program of economic development that saved New York City. He was one of the first major American officials to sit down with representatives of the Irish and British governments to seek a solution to the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Both as Governor and in private practice, he mediated conflicts between industry and regulators over environmental initiatives, such as the effort to clean PCBs from the Hudson River. And in signing the Willowbrook Consent Decree, he ended the warehousing of the mentally retarded and developmentally disabled, paving the way for a program of community placement that became the national norm.
Governor Carey’s life was a model of successful dispute resolution. The Hugh L. Carey Center for Dispute Resolution carries on this legacy of effective conflict resolution, while maintaining the values of St. John's University.