Maurice Hinchey, Former Hudson Valley Congressman, Dies At 79

SAUGERTIES, NY — Former Congressman Maurice Hinchey died Wednesday at his home in Saugerties. He was 79. Hinchey announced in June that he had frontotemporal degeneration, a terminal neurological disorder.

Hinchey was born in New York Oct. 27, 1938 and graduated from Saugerties High School in 1956, according to the Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress.

He served in the U.S. Navy from 1956 to 1959.

Hinchey represented the Hudson Valley in the state Assembly from 1975 to 1993, after which he was elected to represent the 103rd Congressional District. He served as a congressman for the Hudson Valley until 2013.

Hinchey’s family issued the following statement on his passing:

Congressman Maurice Hinchey passed away peacefully at his home in Saugerties this afternoon. He was a beloved statesman and cherished for his work in the community and nationwide. The family will announce plans in the coming days and thanks everyone for privacy in this emotional time.

The Hudson Valley Area Labor Federation said its members were saddened by the news of Hinchey’s death.

“However, on this eve of Thanksgiving, we are grateful to have had Maurice as our representative. Maurice led the progressive charge on so many issues — never wavering for what was right for the working man and woman. Our thoughts and prayers and solidarity are with the family of Maurice. The mold was broken when Maurice was born.”

Congressman John Faso, R-Kinderhook, said Hinchey had a distinguished and notable career representing the people of Ulster county in the state Assembly and his constituents in Congress during his 20 years of service in the House of Representatives.

“Maurice was a fierce defender of the environment and left an important mark on New York State from his years as Chairman of the Committee on Environmental Conservation. I served with Maurice in the state Assembly and knew him to be an articulate and dedicated proponent of the causes he believed in and the people he served. My condolences to his wife Ilene and his family. May he rest in peace,” Faso said.

Assemblyman Kevin Cahill, D-103rd District, said he was honored to be part of Hinchey’s staff when he was sworn in to the Assembly for the first time in 1975.

Cahill said Hinchey worked every day to improve the lives of the people he loved and served.

In a Facebook posting, Cahill said, “Maurice inspired generations of political activism and gave voice to those hwo had been disenfranchised for decades. Unapologetically liberal, he became and remained the leader of the emerging progressive movement here in the Hudson Valley. His enduring legacy is the activism he inspired and still does.”

Photo caption: Maurice Hinchey. Photo credit: U.S. Congress.