Andrew P. O'Rourke

Andrew Patrick O'Rourke (October 26, 1933 – January 3, 2013)[1][2][3] was a judge and politician from New York State. A Republican, he served as the County Executive of Westchester County, New York from 1982 to 1997.[4]

Andrew P. O'Rourke
O'Rourke in 1986
6th County Executive of Westchester County
In office
January 1, 1982 – December 31, 1997
Preceded byAlfred Benedict Del Bello
Succeeded byAndrew J. Spano
Personal details
Born
Andrew Patrick O'Rourke

(1933-10-26)October 26, 1933
Plainfield, New Jersey
DiedJanuary 3, 2013(2013-01-03) (aged 79)
Bronx, New York
Political partyRepublican
Spouses
  • Alice T. McKenna (divorced, 1998)
  • Flora Lowe (1999-2013, his death)
Children3
ResidenceYorktown, New York
Alma mater

He was the Republican candidate for Governor of New York in 1986. During the course of the campaign, he carried a prop—a cardboard cutout of then-incumbent Democratic Gov. Mario Cuomo, which he used to humorous effect. Nevertheless, Cuomo was re-elected.[2]

After stepping down as county executive, O'Rourke was appointed as a judge of the New York Court of Claims.[5] Thereafter he was elected as a justice of the New York State Supreme Court[5] and served concurrently as both a justice of the Court of Claims and a justice of the Supreme Court. Subsequently, O'Rourke was on the bench in the Putnam County Supreme Court.

Early life and education

Born in Plainfield, New Jersey, O'Rourke grew up in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. His mother was a member of the Sioux Nation and his father was a doctor who died when O'Rourke, the youngest of five children, was just under two years old.[6] He graduated from Fordham University and Fordham University School of Law,[7] and obtained a Master of Laws (LL.M.) at New York University School of Law in 1965.[1][2]

1986 New York State gubernatorial Republican ticket
O'Rourke greeting President Ronald Reagan in 1986
Main article: New York gubernatorial election, 1986

Author

O'Rourke was the author of two adventure novels: The Red Banner Mutiny (1985), about an uprising on a Soviet warship, and Hawkwood (1989), the story of a Vietnam war veteran who tries to escape his involvement with the Mafia.[6]

Personal life

O'Rourke was married to Alice T. McKenna, with whom he had three children: Alice, Aileen, and Andrew Jr. They divorced in 1998 and she died in 2011. He married Flora Lowe, a nurse, in 1999, and they remained married until his death.[6][7] He died at the age of 79 at Calvary Hospital in The Bronx due to complications of cancer.[6]

References
  1. "Andrew O'Rourke bio". Westchester County government archives. Archived from the original on 2013-01-08. Retrieved January 4, 2013.
  2. Ganga, Elizabeth (January 4, 2013). "Andrew P. O'Rourke, former Westchester executive, is dead". The Journal News. Retrieved January 4, 2013.
  3. PIX11 Report (January 4, 2013). "Former Westchester County Executive Andy O'Rourke dies at 79". WPIX-TV. Retrieved January 4, 2013.
  4. "Westchester County Archives, Westchester County Executive". Archived from the original on 2007-07-04. Retrieved 2009-06-28.
  5. "Judicial Directory, Hon. Andrew P. O'Rourke". Archived from the original on 2011-07-14. Retrieved 2009-06-28.
  6. Berger, Joseph (January 4, 2013). "Andrew P. O'Rourke, Longtime Westchester County Leader, Dies at 79". The New York Times. Retrieved January 4, 2013.
  7. Greene, Donna (10 October 1999). "O'Rourke Reflects On Life as Judge, Not Politician". The New York Times. p. 1. Retrieved January 4, 2013.
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