Alton Waldon

American politician (1936–2023)

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Alton Waldon

Judge of the New York Court of Claims
In office
January 10, 2000 – c. 2009[1]
Appointed by| George Pataki
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New York's 6th district
In office
June 10, 1986 – January 3, 1987
Preceded by| Joseph P. Addabbo
Succeeded by| Floyd Flake
Member of the New York Senate
from the 10th district
In office
January 1, 1991 – January 1, 1999
Preceded by| Andrew Jenkins
Succeeded by| Malcolm Smith
Member of the New York State Assembly
from the 33rd district
In office
January 1, 1983 – June 10, 1986
Preceded by| John T. Flack
Succeeded by| Barbara M. Clark
Personal details
Born|

Alton Ronald Waldon Jr.

(1936-12-21)December 21, 1936
Lakeland, Florida, U.S.
Died| June 9, 2023(2023-06-09) (aged 86)
Political party| Democratic
Education| John Jay College (BS)
New York Law School (JD)
Occupation| Judge
Military service
Branch/service| United States Army
Years of service| 1956–1959
Rank| Specialist 4[2]

Alton Ronald Waldon Jr. (December 21, 1936 – June 9, 2023) was an American politician and jurist from New York who served in the United States House of Representatives from 1986 to 1987 in addition to stints in the New York State Assembly from 1983 to 1986 and New York State Senate from 1991 to 2000, as a member of the Democratic Party.

## Early life and education

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Born in Lakeland, Florida, Waldon graduated from Boys High School in Brooklyn, New York in 1954 and went on to earn a B.S. from John Jay College in New York City in 1968 and a J.D. from New York Law School in New York City in 1973.

## Career

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### Military service and city career

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Waldon served in the United States Army from 1956 to 1959. He was appointed NYS Deputy Commissioner of Human Rights in 1975. He served as counsel in the Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities.

### New York State Assembly

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Waldon was a member of the New York State Assembly from 1983 to 1986, sitting in the 185th and 186th New York State Legislatures. Waldon was a delegate to the 1984 and 1988 Democratic National Conventions.

### U.S. House of Representatives

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In a special election to fill the New York's 6th congressional district seat in the U.S. House of Representatives vacated by the late Joseph P. Addabbo, Waldon was elected as a Democrat to the 99th United States Congress in 1986 and served from June 10, 1986, to January 3, 1987. Waldon became the first elected African-American member of Congress from Queens, New York.[3]

In September 1986, Waldon ran for a full term, but was defeated in the Democratic primary—the real contest in this heavily Democratic, majority-black district—by Floyd H. Flake. Waldon was then appointed to the New York State Commission of Investigation.

### New York State Senate

[edit]

Waldon was a member of the New York State Senate from 1991 to 1999, sitting in the 189th, 190th, 191st, 192nd and 193rd New York State Legislatures. In 1998, he tried to regain his congressional seat after Flake had resigned, but was defeated in the special election by state assemblyman Gregory Meeks.

### Judicial career

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In June 1999, he was nominated to the New York Court of Claims;[4] and was confirmed by the State Senate in December.[5]

## Death

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Waldon died on June 9, 2023, at the age of 86.[6]

## See also

[edit]

* List of African-American United States representatives

## Sources

[edit]

* United States Congress. "Alton Waldon (id: W000038)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Gasques v. State
2. ^ Black Americans in Congress, 1870–1989 (1990)
3. ^ "Warmth and work greet Waldon". The New York Times. July 31, 1986. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
4. ^ Pataki Nominates a Democrat for a Judgeship by Jonathan P. Hicks, in The New York Times on June 9, 1999
5. ^ Race Draws Unexpected Attention by Jonathan P. Hicks, in The New York Times on March 26, 2000
6. ^ Alton Waldon, retired Queens judge and former NYC congressman, dies at 86

## External links

[edit]

* Appearances on C-SPAN

New York State Assembly

Preceded by

John T. Flack

|  New York State Assembly
33rd District
1983–1986  | Succeeded by

Barbara M. Clark

U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by

Joseph P. Addabbo

|  Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New York's 6th congressional district
1986–1987  | Succeeded by

Floyd H. Flake

New York State Senate
Preceded by

Andrew Jenkins

|  New York State Senate
10th district
1991–1999  | Succeeded by

Malcolm Smith

* v
* t
* e

New York's delegation(s) to the 99th United States Congress (ordered by seniority)

| 99th |

Senate: ▌P. Moynihan (D) * ▌A. D'Amato (R)

House:

* ▌S. Stratton (D)
* ▌J. Addabbo (D)
* ▌F. Horton (R)
* ▌J. Scheuer (D‑L)
* ▌M. Biaggi (D)
* ▌H. Fish IV (R)
* ▌J. Kemp (R)
* ▌N. Lent (R‑C)
* ▌C. Rangel (D)
* ▌B. Gilman (R)
* ▌T. Downey (D)
* ▌J. LaFalce (D)
* ▌M. McHugh (D)
* ▌H. Nowak (D)
* ▌S. Solarz (D)
* ▌S. Lundine (D)
* ▌T. Weiss (D)
* ▌B. Green (R)
* ▌B. Garcia (D)
* ▌B. Carney (R)
* ▌J. Solomon (R)
* ▌D. Martin (R)
* ▌R. McGrath (R)
* ▌G. Molinari (R)
* ▌C. Schumer (D)
* ▌G. Wortley (R)
* ▌S. Boehlert (R)
* ▌B. Mrazek (D)
* ▌M. Owens (D)
* ▌E. Towns (D)
* ▌G. Ackerman (D)
* ▌J. DioGuardi (R)
* ▌F. Eckert (R)
* ▌T. Manton (D)
* ▌A. Waldon (D)

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