Throughout his life and career, both in public service and
beyond, Hugh L. Carey has 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 is a model of successful dispute
resolution. With his generous support, 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.