James Hanley, 83; Congressman Was Liberal Democrat
Former U.S. Rep. James M. Hanley, 83, a liberal Democrat who represented the Syracuse, N.Y., area during eight terms in the House of Representatives, died Oct. 16 in a rehabilitation center in Geddes, N.Y.
The cause of death was not announced.
A former funeral home owner and director, Hanley was first elected to the House in 1964 from a district in which Republicans far outnumbered Democrats.
As a member of the Democratic majority in the House during the administration of President Johnson, Hanley was an early supporter of Medicare, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the Head Start program and the “war on poverty.” He also supported the Equal Rights Amendment in 1971.
Hanley was chairman of the House Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight and the House Post Office and Civil Service Committee when he announced he would not seek re-election in 1980. He then worked as a consultant in Washington for a decade before moving back to Syracuse.
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