In his youth, Erastus Corning 2d was a close friend of Nelson Rockefeller; his father was lieutenant governor of New York (and ran unsuccessfully for the top spot against FDR), and his grandfather was a railroad rival of Cornelius Vanderbilt. With a pedigree like that, Corning might have been expected to make a splash on the national stage. Instead, he seemed content to remain mayor of Albany, New York, for a mind-boggling 42 years, involving himself in the minutia of running the state capital and--incidentally--maintaining one of the best-oiled and longest-running political machines in the country. Paul Grondahl, a reporter for the Albany Times-Union, chronicles Corning's unusual life and times in Mayor Corning: Albany Icon, Albany Enigma.
Even for those readers unfamiliar with either the man or the city he ran, Mayor Corning makes for interesting reading. Not only is Corning himself a fascinating character--his nearly lifelong relationship with a woman not his wife is refreshingly ambiguous in this age of in-your-face political sex scandal--but the inner workings of Albany politics he describes hark back to an earlier era of Tammany Hall-style corruption, fraud, and influence peddling, the likes of which are seldom seen today. Interesting characters, compelling stories, and a healthy dose of shady dealing--Mayor Corning has it all.
The New York Times Book Review, Steven R. Weisman
Grondahl's biggest challenge in writing this biography of Albany's "Mayor for Life" is to drive the indifferent reader through events and personalities that may not have much historic significance. He succeeds because the characters have compelling stories to tell.... His labors have yielded a minor classic.…
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