Samuel Stratton, 73; Former N.Y. Congressman, Hawk on Defense

Former U.S. Rep. Samuel Stratton (D-N.Y.), an ardent supporter of national defense programs, has died of a heart attack in a nursing home. He was 73.

Stratton, of Schenectady, N.Y., was known for his hawkish views, even as his party backed away from a tough military stance.

He died Thursday of a heart attack, his son-in-law and former chief of staff Roger Mott said.

Stratton had retired in 1988 because of his health, after serving his 15th term.

In office, Stratton pushed for the laws that allowed women to attend military academies and created the now-routine three-day holiday weekends.

As a major figure on the House Armed Services Committee, Stratton had the support of local voters, who benefited from defense contracts awarded to his area’s largest employers: General Electric, the Watervliet Arsenal and the Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory.

Stratton’s support led the Air National Guard to name its Glenville air base after him.

Before entering Congress, Stratton had served as mayor of Schenectady, where he fought against gambling and other crime.

He gained a reputation as a fearless, corruption-fighting reformer at a time when many public officials were believed to be in partnership with those operating rackets.

He won his first bid for Congress in 1958, made an unsuccessful run for governor of New York in 1962, then ran for the U.S. Senate in 1964, observing later that he did well “until Bobby Kennedy decided he was a New Yorker.”

Kennedy, a Massachusetts native, won the party’s nomination and the election.

In Stratton’s last election in 1986, he won 96% of the vote.

Stratton is survived by his wife, Joan, and five children.