Chester C. Gorski

Chester Charles Gorski (June 22, 1906 – April 25, 1975) was an American politician from Buffalo, New York. A Democrat, he served one term in the United States House of Representatives from 1949 to 1951, and was the longtime president of the Buffalo Common Council.

Chester C. Gorski
Gorski as a U.S. Congressman in 1949
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New York's 44th district
In office
January 3, 1949  January 3, 1951
Preceded byJohn C. Butler
Succeeded byJohn C. Butler
President of the Buffalo Common Council
In office
1960–1974
Preceded byWilliam B. Lawless Jr.
Succeeded byDelmar L. Mitchell
Member of the New York State Building Code Commission
In office
1956–1959
Preceded byWalker S. Lee
Succeeded byNone (commission abolished)
Member of the Buffalo Common Council
In office
1954–1956
Preceded byStephen B. Moskal
Succeeded byPeter A. Zawadzki
ConstituencyLovejoy District
In office
1946–1948
Preceded byJohn S. Rusek
Succeeded byThaddeus S. Balicki
ConstituencyLovejoy District
Member of the Erie County Board of Supervisors from Buffalo's 6th Ward
In office
1941–1945
Preceded byPhilip A. Baczkowski
Succeeded byJulian C. Kozlowski
Personal details
Born
Chester Charles Gorski

(1906-06-22)June 22, 1906
Buffalo, New York, U.S.
DiedApril 25, 1975(1975-04-25) (aged 68)
Buffalo, New York, U.S.
Resting placeSaint Stanislaus Roman Catholic Cemetery, Cheektowaga, New York, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseHelen T. Pieprzny
Children2 (including Dennis Gorski)
OccupationAssistant foreman, Buffalo Streets Department
Liquor store owner

Life and career

Memorial located at Erie Basin Marina near Observation Tower in Buffalo. "Chester C. Gorski, Statesman, Community Leader, Humanitarian. Born June 22, 1906. Died April 25, 1975. President of the Common Council, 1959 to 1973, member of the United States Congress, Erie County Board of Supervisors, Buffalo Common Council Majority Leader, Four Decades of Devoted Public Service."

Gorski was born June 22, 1906, in Buffalo, New York, to a Polish immigrant family.[1] He attended Saints Peter and Paul Parochial School and Technical High School.[1] After his high school graduation, Gorski was employed a laborer and assistant foreman in Buffalo's Streets Department,[2] and also owned a liquor store.[3]

Early political career

Closeup of Gorski memorial located at Erie Basin Marina near Observation Tower, Buffalo, New York.

Gorski became active in politics as a Democrat; he was a member of the Erie County Board of Supervisors from 1941 to 1945, and minority leader beginning in 1942.[1] He served on the Buffalo Common Council from 1946 to 1948.[1] He was a delegate to the Democratic National Conventions of 1948, 1952, 1956, and 1968.[4]

Congress

In 1948 Gorski was elected to the United States House of Representatives as a Democrat.[1] He served one term, January 3, 1949, to January 3, 1951, and was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1950.[1]

Later career and death

After leaving Congress Gorski was employed by the U.S. Department of Commerce as an industrial analyst from 1951 to 1952.[1] He served on the Buffalo Common Council again from 1954 to 1956.[1] From 1956 to 1959 he was a member of the New York State Building Code Commission.[1] In 1960 Gorski returned to the Buffalo Common Council as its president, and he served until resigning in 1974 because of ill health.[4]

He died in Buffalo on April 25, 1975.[4] He was buried at Saint Stanislaus Roman Catholic Cemetery in Cheektowaga, New York.[4]

Family

Gorski was married to Helen T. Pieprzny.[5] They were the parents of two sons, Erie County Executive Dennis Gorski and New York State Supreme Court Justice Jerome Gorski.[5]

References

  1. Joint Committee On Printing, United States Congress (1971). Biographical Directory of the American Congress, 1774-1971. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 1020 via Google Books.
  2. "Boyer, Gorski, Meyer Chosen Supervisors". Buffalo Evening News. Buffalo, NY. December 2, 1940. p. 17 via Newspapers.com.
  3. "Three Kin of Officials to Get Arcade Sites at Broadway Market". Buffalo Evening News. Buffalo, NY. June 13, 1956. p. 25 via Newspapers.com.
  4. Joint Committee On Printing, United States Congress (2005). Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774-2005. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. pp. 1139–1140. ISBN 978-0-1607-3176-1 via Google Books.
  5. "Helen T. Gorski, 93, wife, mother of public servants". Buffalo News. Buffalo, NY. March 30, 2008. p. C5. Retrieved September 9, 2009 via Newspapers.com.


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