Former Congressman Lowey passes away

HARRISON – Former Congresswoman Nita Lowey of Westchester County died at her home in Harrison on Saturday. She was 87.

Governor Kathy Hochul announced flags will be flown at half-staff in her honor through sunset on Monday, March 17.

“As a freshman member of Congress, Nita helped show me the ropes as I was learning how to navigate Washington,” the governor said Sunday. “She was a tireless fighter for the State of New York and never stopped working to deliver for the people of Westchester and Rockland.”

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer said Lowey “was the heart of the Hudson Valley and my friend for over 40 years.” He said she was a “trailblazer who ran the appropriations committee with amazing effectiveness.” She was the first woman to chair that committee and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

Schumer called her a “kindhearted person, always putting others first and caring for their well-being.”

Congressman George Latimer (D, NY-16) said Lowey “was the definition of an excellent public servant: smart, warm. Principled and fearless.”

State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D, Yonkers) said Lowey’s “remarkable career was defined by a steadfast commitment to her constituents and an unyielding fight for justice and equality.”