George Michaels Collection
George Michaels (1910 – 1992) was a Democratic Party politician from New York, who represented Cayuga County, and parts of Oswego and Cortland Counties, in the New York State Assembly from 1961 to 1966 and 1969 to 1970. Although a dedicated public servant who worked tirelessly to promote his district and be of service to his constituents, he cast the deciding vote to liberalize the state’s abortion law in 1970, which ended his political career.
The George Michaels Collection contains material relating to his career, beginning in 1930 and ending with the donation of his papers to the museum in 1989. The bulk of these materials falls between 1961 and 1970, when he represented his district in the New York State Assembly.
You can view fully digitized images of the George Michaels collection in the New York Heritage Digital Collection. You can also download a PDF Finding Aid to view a comprehensive inventory of the entire George Michaels collection. Thank you to volunteer Rebecca Fitzgerald for completing this invaluable tool for future researchers!
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Auburn Board of Education, 1962
Black and white photograph of George Michaels and the other members of the Auburn Board of Education. Michaels is standing second from left. The man standing to the far right is identified on the back as Frank Mastropietro and the four seated are identified left to right as Joe Cuddy, Lecare Hole, Peggy Train Lesch, and Dr. Tom (or Frank) DeFurio. Michaels was elected to the Board of Education in 1960 and served for two years.
Campaign Brochure
Brochure for Michaels reelection campaign in 1970
George Michaels and Connie Cook
Black and white photograph of George Michaels and Connie Cook in the New York State Assembly chamber in mid-March 1970. Handwritten on the back "This is a very significant photo. I am talking with Connie Cook in mid-March 1970 at her desk in the Assembly chamber. She already knew how troubled I was over the abortion issue. What is historic is that [Lucio F.] Russo, the Assemblyman from Staten Island, who cursed me when I switched on April 9, 1970, is also in the photo."
Transcript of George Michaels’ changed vote on abortion
During the 1970 legislative session, the push to liberalize the state’s abortion law came to a head. Auburn, the one Democratic stronghold in an otherwise overwhelmingly Republican district, was also predominantly Catholic, and Michaels had consistently voted against liberalization in deference to his constituents’ views. However, on April 9, at the end of the voting in the Assembly when it became apparent that the bill to legalize abortion would be defeated by a tie vote, Michaels dramatically changed his “no” vote to “yes” in order for the law to pass. He explained that his own views toward abortion had become more liberal over time as a result of his own law practice, the views of his children, and the experiences of his son James, who had worked among desperately impoverished and powerless people while a rabbinical student in the Midwest.
News article from the Ithaca Journal April 11, 1970 “Michaels' Wife Proud of Vote”
Following Michaels’ changed vote, there was much coverage of how his family influenced his decision and how they felt in the aftermath of the historic moment.
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