...she continued, “Mr. Byrne seemed like a kind man who inspired the youngsters in the town of Florida to get a good education and to also lead an honorable life.

Saturday Podcast "36 Minutes" with Jim Kaplan Episode 404-Evacuation Day was November 25, 1783, the day the British left New York City finally ending the American Revolution.  

The Historians on SoundCloud https://soundcloud.com/obudmore

Google https://podcasts.google.com/search/The%20Historians

Bean Hill Congressman corresponded with town of Florida soldier

By Bob Cudmore, Focus on History, Saturday, January 8, 2022

   William T. Byrne, who was elected a State Senator and Congressman representing the Albany area, was born in 1876 on Bean Hill Road near the hamlet of Minaville.  Although Byrne lived in Loudonville in later years, he maintained a summer home in the town of Florida, south of Amsterdam.

   Debbie Miller wrote, “My dad Ronald Hopkins grew up in the town of Florida and from what I understood, Byrne was a wonderful mentor to my father throughout his childhood. While my Dad was serving in the Air Force (1951), Representative Byrne and my Dad corresponded regularly.”

   Miller added, “From a letter I found (1946), Mr. Byrne would mail my Dad magazines and books when he was young to encourage reading. They would also correspond with one another so that my Dad could practice composing letters and good penmanship.”

   She continued, “Mr. Byrne seemed like a kind man who inspired the youngsters in the town of Florida to get a good education and to also lead an honorable life. In his letter, he mentioned that good habits and keeping good company will pay big returns which he knows from experience.  I’m sure Byrne influenced many other youngsters and aside from his political career accomplishments, I believe he should be recognized for his outstanding character.”

   After Air Force service in the military police in the Korean War, Ronald Hopkins, Miller’s father, raised a family and built a career as an engineering designer and manager at Beech Nut-Life Savers.  He died at 81 in 2014.

   Byrne’s parents were Richard Henry Byrne, a carpenter, and Margaret Manifold Byrne, a school teacher.  Both were Irish immigrants.  When William was a youngster, the family moved to Albany where his father operated a tavern on Broadway.

   A graduate of Albany High and Albany Law School, Byrne attended the 1896 Democratic national convention in Chicago where William Jennings Bryan delivered his famous Cross of Gold speech opposing the gold standard.  Byrne also became proficient as a public speaker.

Monday, January 10, 2022- Story Behind the Story podcast is an audio version of Saturday’s column on an Albany Congressman who corresponded with a town of Florida soldier. "6 Minutes"

   Back in Albany Byrne developed a lucrative law practice.  He ran as a Democrat and was elected to the State Senate in 1922.  He was part of the Democratic Party machine headed by Dan O’Connell.

   A liberal and associate of Governors Al Smith and Franklin D. Roosevelt, Byrne was co-sponsor of state legislation that created unemployment insurance.

   Byrne and his wife Josephine lived in Loudonville in a house now on the National Historic Register.  They had a summer home on Bean Hill in the town of Florida.  A devotee of exercise, Byrne sometimes walked to Bean Hill from his Loudonville home.

   The Byrnes’s summer home was adjacent to the Amsterdam YMCA farm called Camp On-A-Nol.  Byrnes struck up a friendship with the family of YMCA physical director Leon “Prof” Huston and his family.

   Byrne knew a breeder of spaniel dogs and arranged for a dog to be shipped by train to the Hustons.  The family named the dog Senator, “Sen” for short.  The Hustons moved for a YMCA assignment in Holyoke, Massachusetts, in 1942 where Senator the dog was struck and killed by a car.

   By then Byrne was serving in Congress, first elected in 1936.  When notified of Senator’s death, Congressman Byrne shipped another spaniel to the Hustons.  They named the new dog Representative, “Rep” for short.

   Byrne’s wife Josephine Diener Byrne was hostess at many gatherings at their summer home.  She died in 1948.  They were married for forty years and had no children.

   Congressman Byrne died of a cerebral hemorrhage in 1952.  He was eulogized as the “genial gentleman from Albany” by future U.S. Senator Jacob Javits.

Mohawk Valley Weekend Weather, Saturday, January 8, 2022

...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 5 AM TO 7 PM
EST SUNDAY...

* WHAT...Freezing rain and sleet along with some snow expected.
Ice accumulation from freezing rain is expected to range from a
light glaze to one tenth of an inch. Total snow and sleet
accumulations are expected to range from a coating up to one
inch.

* WHERE...Southern Vermont, northwestern Connecticut, western
Massachusetts and eastern NY except for Hamilton, northern
Herkimer, northern Warren, and northern Washington counties.

* WHEN...From 5 AM to 7 PM EST Sunday.

* IMPACTS...Plan on slippery road conditions due to ice
accumulation from freezing rain.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Slow down and use caution while traveling.

Mohawk Valley News Headlines, Saturday, January 8, 2022

Daily Gazette

Gloversville boys’ basketball outlasts Glens Falls down the stretch
GLOVERSVILLE — Building on the momentum from their Coach Kobuskie Tournament championship, the Gloversville Dragons returned to Foothills Council action…

https://dailygazette.com/

https://www.recordernews.com/

Leader Herald

‘I was afraid’: Woman alleges she was kidnapped, tortured for 6 days in Fulton County

by Andrew Waite

https://www.leaderherald.com/