Research


Biographical Sketch

Harvard educated attorney Harold A. Jerry's career in public service spanned five decades. From 1959 to 1962, Jerry represented Elmira in the New York State Senate. In 1963, he was named director of the Office for Regional Development within the Executive Chamber. He held that position until the Office of Planning Coordination succeeded the Office for Regional Development in 1966. The following year, Governor Nelson Rockefeller named Jerry executive secretary of the Temporary Study Commission on the Future of the Adirondacks. The commission's recommendations led directly to the creation of the Adirondack Park Agency in 1971. From 1970 to 1973, Jerry served as director and counsel of the Temporary Commission on the State Court System. In 1973, he was appointed to the Public Service Commission, on which he served until his retirement in 1997. In the meantime, Jerry also served as a member of the Commission on the Adirondacks in the Twenty-First Century, which was created under Governor Mario Cuomo.