This county executive, Oneida's first, served a five-year term. Here's why

1962, 61 years ago

He's the first

For the first time in Oneida County's 164-year history, it has a county executive. Charles T. Lanigan Jr., Republican mayor of Rome, is elected executive by a margin of 11,801 votes over his closest opponent, Thomas J. Welch, the Democratic candidate from Deerfield. The vote: Lanigan 51,474; Welch 39,673, and George W. Rezey, Independent Conservative, 772.

Lanigan wins 25 of the county's 26 towns with Welch winning only his own town of Deerfield. The 37-year-old Lanigan carries Rome, 7,201 to 5,653 for Welch and 21 for Rezey. In Utica, Welch wins 19,129 to 17,964 and 502 for Rezey.

Lanigan — whose salary will be $20,000 a year — is elected to a five-year term in the county's highest office. The term was made five years for this time only so that the office of executive, comptroller, sheriff, district attorney and clerk all will be filled in the 1967 election — five years from now. After 1967, the executive term will be four years.

Lanigan, a native of Rome, graduated from Rome Free Academy in 1943 where he was the center on the school's basketball team and president of the senior class. In 1949, he graduated from Colgate University where he majored in Administration (political science, psychology and economics). He served in the Navy during World War II aboard the USS Aegir (a submarine tender). He was elected mayor of Rome in 1960. Prior to that, he was executive secretary of the Rome Chamber of Commerce and sales promotion manager for Revere Copper and Brass and display advertising salesman for the Rome Daily Sentinel.

(In 1966, during the fourth year of Lanigan's five-year term, state Republicans and Gov. Nalson A. Rockefeller picked him to run for state comptroller against Democrat Arthur Levitt, the incumbent who had held the office since 1954. Lanigan lost, but Rockefeller quickly named him director of the state Office of Planning Coordination. County legislators picked Harry Daniels of New York Mills — the county's purchasing director — as acting county executive to complete Lanigan's five-year term. Daniels was elected county executive in 1967 and served until 1971.)

More: Two weeks in, this college in Clinton welcomes its first president: Mohawk Valley history

1923, 100 years ago

Toy sales high

Area toy dealers anticipate a record holiday season and expect their most popular toys to be electric trains, "Mama" dolls and Teddy bears. Board games also should be big sellers, they say, with Parcheesi and lotto leading the way.

1948, 75 years ago

Chicago Pneumatic Tool

William L. Lewis, president of the Chicago Pneumatic Tool Company, says construction of the company's new plant being built in West Frankfort, just east of the Utica city line on Bleecker Street, is ahead of schedule and should be completed next year. He said this area beat out 85 other sites throughout the Northeast for the plant, which will eventually employ 2,000 workers. "We decided to build here," he says, "because of factors that include available housing for our employees, available labor and the fine civic attitude of the citizens of Oneida and Herkimer counties."

More: Oneida County almost split in two 100 years ago: A look back at Mohawk Valley history

1973, 50 years ago

Hanna appointments

Utica Mayor-elect Edward A. Hanna appoints Joseph Scafarotti as city corporation counsel and George L. Betro as assistant corporation counsel.

Meanwhile, parishioners at the First Baptist Church in New Hartford raise $35,529 (the goal was $30,000) to pay for extensive remodeling at the church. Dick Swarthout is general chairman of the fundraising campaign. His assistants include: Erwin Thompson, advanced gifts chairman; John Brown, general gifts chairman; Betty Thompson, hostess; Linda Deitz publicity, and Laura Walrod, secretary.

1988, 35 years ago

Thanksgiving dinner

More than 800 enjoy a Thanksgiving Day dinner at the First Presbyterian Church in Utica. The meal includes turkey (of course), cranberry sauce, green beans, squash, potatoes, pumpkin pie, rolls, coffee tea and milk. Volunteers include parishioners from First Presbyterian, Zion Lutheran and Our Saviour Lutheran churches. They include Betty Golder, Helen Farrell, Dorothy McElravy, Barbara Alexanderson and Keene Abbott.

The area's Welcome Wagon elects Susan Toukatly as its president. Other officers include: Patricia Frankland, first vice president; Deborah Hays, second vice president, and Beverly Layman, treasurer.

In high school football, Holland Patent defeats Cazenovia, 21-6, to win its second straight Section III, Class B championship. Head coach Dave Langone praises his defensive team led by Chris Mucica, Chris Manuel, John Coleman, Scott Carney and Sean Rhone.

"They are like the junkyard dog," he says. "The more you kick them, the harder they bite you."

2013, 10 years ago

New principals

The Utica City School District has two new elementary school principals. Angela Evans is at Kernan School. She has been assistant principal at Kernan and at Thomas R. Proctor High School. She replaces Henry Frasca, who retired after 25 years in the school district.

Michelle LaGase is at John F. Hughes School. She has been assistant principal at Proctor. She replaces JoAnn Russo, who is leaving after 23 years with the district.

Trivia quiz

When President Abraham Lincoln was a young man, he served in the Army in a war. Name the war. (Answer will appear here next week.)

Answer to last week's question: Four presidents have won the Nobel Peace Prize. Theodore Roosevelt won in 1906 for helping to end the war between Russia and Japan. Woodrow Wilson won in 1919 for attempting a just settlement of World War I and favoring the formation of the League of Nations. Jimmy Carter won in 2002 for his work for many years in trying to find a solution to international conflict and to promote democracy and human rights. Barack Obama won in 2009 for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.

This Week in History is researched and written by Frank Tomaino. E-mail him at ftomaino221@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: Mohawk Valley history: Oneida's first county executive