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Summary
- Abstract:
- The Thomas E. Mulligan Papers document Mulligan's life from 1941 to 1973 including his two unsucessful political campaigns, one for Mayor of Albany and the other for assemblyman.
- Extent:
- 1 cubic ft.
- Language:
- English .
- Preferred citation:
Preferred citation for this material is as follows:
Identification of specific item, series, box, folder, Thomas E. Mulligan Papers, 1941-1973. M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University at Albany, State University of New York (hereafter referred to as the Mulligan Papers).
Background
- Scope and Content:
Included in the collection are: direct correspondence, between Mr. Mulligan and others and also third-party correspondence, between other persons about Mulligan, dated between 1946 and 1971; campaign promotion materials, including scripts of radio programs, political advertisements, leaflets, buttons and photos, which represent a large portion of the papers but are undated; newspaper clippings about Mulligan dating from 1952 to 1967; various subject files composed mainly of investigations conducted by Mulligan into city corruption; and some personal memorabilia. There are also some black and white photos included in the collection.
Series one is made up of correspondence dating from 1946-1971. The series is divided into direct correspondence (November 1946 to May 1973) and third-party correspondence (August 1953 to June 1971). Some of the correspondence is undated. Series two includes campaign materials (undated). The file contains promotional materials about Mulligan and TV and radio address made by Mulligan in 1953. Series three is a collection of newspaper clippings spanning from 1952-1967. Series four is made up of subject files (1941-1973). The folders contain personal memorabilia, candidate lists, Albany Public School Citizens Committee information, Salvation Army promotional materials, information on the Republican Committee, grievances against city agencies, Pine Bush Land Grab Story, sales tax delinquency, snow removal contract deals, Albany Housing Authority, and Andrew M. Pickney Resignation, 1972-1973. Some of these files also contain black and white photographs.
- Biographical / Historical:
Thomas "Ed" Mulligan, Jr. (1918-1985) was an Albany Republican who made two unsuccessful attempts to become elected to political office. He hoped to eventually overthrow the reigning O'Connell/Corning Democratic Political Machine. In his first race, in 1953, he ran for Mayor of Albany against the long-standing Democratic favorite Erastus Corning and surprised the city with a powerful campaign that drew more votes than any previous Republican candidate running for that position against Corning.
Born on March 6, 1918, in Albany, New York, Mulligan attended St. Theresa's Parochial School, Christian Brothers Academy and Siena College where he received the Sigma Omega Achievement Award and was elected night college President as well as night editor of the Siena News. Prior to entering the United States Air Force in 1940, Mulligan worked for radio stations WOKO and WABY and as a staff reporter for the Knickerbocker News. During World War II, he served as a B-17 bomber pilot until he was shot down and taken prisoner by the Germans in 1943. In 1951, Mulligan served as Chairman of the Publicity Committee for the Salvation Army Drive. In 1952, he founded the Albany County Eisenhower Committee and was appointed to the New York State Merit Award Board and the New York State Personnel Relations Board by Gov. Thomas E. Dewey. When nominated by the Republican Party to run for Mayor in 1953, Mulligan was employed as a publicity agent for the New York Department of State. He resigned from this position in order to campaign on July 30, 1953, the day his nomination was announced. The 1953 campaign was filled with accusations of corruption against the Democratic city government in areas such as fire safety in the public schools, traffic and highway department neglect, and understaffing of the city police and fire departments.
He lost the race to Mayor Corning by over thirty-four thousand votes. Mulligan returned to his state publicity job until he was fired by Edward S. Conway, the Republican GOP Chairman, in 1964, at the start of his second political campaign after challenging Conway's leadership of the party. Mulligan lost the 1965 election for assemblyman to Edward Rook, although this campaign was, as was his first, a heated struggle.
Upon his death, on April 22, 1985, the ownership of Thomas Mulligan's personal papers transferred to author William Kennedy pursuant to provisions in Mulligan's will. Mr. Kennedy then donated the collection to the University Libraries, State University of New York at Albany.
- Acquisition information:
- All items in this manuscript group were donated to the University Libraries, M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives, by William Kennedy in 1985.
- Processing information:
Processed in 2001 by Rosann Santos.
- Arrangement:
The collection is organized into the following series:
- Series 1: Correspondence, 1946-1971
- Series 2: Campaign Materials, 1953 and undated
- Series 3: Newspaper Clippings, 1952-1967
- Series 4: Subject Files, 1941-1973
All series are arranged chronologically.
- Physical location:
- The materials are located onsite in the department.
Subjects
- Subjects:
- Public Servants
Albany, New York
Albany (N.Y.)--History
Albany (N.Y.) Office of the Mayor
Albany (N.Y.) Politics and government--20th century
Scripts, Television
Correspondence
Clippings
Promotional Materials
Notes
Minutes
Political Campaigns
Financial Records
Photographs - Names:
- Mulligan, Thomas E., 1918-1985
- Places:
- Albany (N.Y.)
Contents
Access
Using These Materials
- ACCESS:
- The archives are open to the public and anyone is welcome to visit and view the collections.
- RESTRICTIONS:
-
Access to this record group is unrestricted.
- TERMS OF ACCESS:
-
The researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming with the laws of copyright. Whenever possible, the M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives will provide information about copyright owners and other restrictions, but the legal determination ultimately rests with the researcher. Requests for permission to publish material from this collection should be discussed with the Head of Special Collections and Archives.
- PREFERRED CITATION:
-
Preferred citation for this material is as follows:
Identification of specific item, series, box, folder, Thomas E. Mulligan Papers, 1941-1973. M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University at Albany, State University of New York (hereafter referred to as the Mulligan Papers).