BUFFALO, N.Y. — As Americans head to the polls this election day, we are looking back on the Western New Yorkers who broke new ground on the political scene.
In 1964, for example, the Republican candidate for Vice President was from Lockport. That candidate was William Miller, a former chair of the Republican National Committee, long-time congressman and a trailblazing candidate. Miller was the running mate of Barry Goldwater, and although they were soundly defeated by Lyndon Johnson and Hubert Humphrey, Miller went down in history as the first Catholic Republican nominee for Vice President in history.
Miller is just one figure in a very proud line of political firsts with a Western New York connection. The first female Presidential candidate, also from Niagara County, was Royalton's own Belva Lockwood. She ran on the Equal Rights party line in 1884 and 1888, decades before women were even allowed to vote. Ann Marie Linnabery of the History Center of Niagara stated early memories of this election time.
"She actually recieved votes in both elections, even though men were only allowed to vote at that time, so roughly between 3 and 4 thousand men actually voted for a woman, for President, in the 1880's,"Linnabery said.
in 1969, Shirley Chisholm became the first black woman elected to the U.S. Congress and was re-elected six times. She ran for the Democratic nomination for President in 1972. Her connection to Buffalo would come years later, when she married NYS Assemblyman Arthur Hardwick, Jr. of Williamsville, eventually moving here.
Then, there is this political first. The very first automatic lever voting machine. It was a true example of Western New York teamwork and ingenuity. The machines were invented by James Myers from Rochester, NY. It was manufactured in Jamestown and debuted in 1892 in a building that stood at 7 West Main St. in the City of Lockport.