Stewart McKinney
McKinney in 1985
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Connecticut's 4th district
In office
January 3, 1971 – May 7, 1987
Preceded byLowell Weicker
Succeeded byChris Shays
Member of the Connecticut House of Representatives
from the 141st district
In office
January 4, 1967 – January 3, 1971
Succeeded byHarry W. Wenz
Personal details
Born
Stewart Brett McKinney

(1931-01-30)January 30, 1931
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedMay 7, 1987(1987-05-07) (aged 56)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseLucie Cunningham
Children5, including John
EducationPrinceton University
Yale University (BA)

Stewart Brett McKinney (January 30, 1931 – May 7, 1987) was an American politician of the Republican Party who represented Connecticut's 4th congressional district in the House of Representatives from 1971 until his death. He is perhaps best known for coining the phrase "too big to fail" in regard to large American financial institutions, as well as for his struggle with, and eventual death from, AIDS.

Early life

McKinney was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and raised in Fairfield, Connecticut.[1] He attended Kent School and later Princeton University from 1949 to 1951, but dropped out and enlisted in the United States Air Force. He attained the rank of sergeant and completed his enlistment in 1955. McKinney then returned to college and received a B.A. in history from Yale University in 1958.[1]

He raced cars and was involved in several car-related businesses, including Auto Interior Decorators, Inc. and Fairfield Firestone. In addition, he was president of a chain of tire stores called CMF Tires; he also owned Lantern Point Real Estate Development and other ventures.[2][3][4]

Political career

In 1966, McKinney was elected as a Republican to the Connecticut State House of Representatives, where he served two terms between 1967 and 1971. During his second term, he served as minority leader.

In 1970, McKinney ran for the U.S. House and won. The New York Times called him "an independent-minded, liberal Republican".[1] He became known for the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act of 1986, which provides federal money for shelter programs. He served on the Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs Committee,[5] and is credited with coining the phrase "too big to fail", in connection with large banks.[6] He also served on the House Select Committee on Assassinations. During this time, he was a director of Bridgeport Hospital.

Death and legacy

McKinney died at Washington Hospital Center on May 7, 1987, at the age of 56, from AIDS-related complications. His physician speculated that McKinney became infected with HIV in 1979 as the result of blood transfusions during heart surgery. He was diagnosed with AIDS on April 22, 1987, during his final hospitalization.[7] McKinney was known by friends to be bisexual, though his family said this was not the case, which raised the issue of how he had contracted the disease. Anti-gay prejudice at the time of McKinney's death in 1987 may have promoted a disingenuous approach to speculations on the cause of McKinney's HIV infection.[8][9][10][11] Arnold Denson, the man with whom McKinney had been living in Washington, and to whom McKinney left property in his will, said that he had been McKinney's lover, and that he believed McKinney was already infected when Denson met him.[12]

In 1987, Barney Frank became the first U.S. congressman to come out as gay of his own volition, and was inspired to do so in part by the death of McKinney;[13][14] Frank told The Washington Post that after McKinney's death there was, "An unfortunate debate about 'Was he or wasn't he? Didn't he or did he?' I said to myself, I don't want that to happen to me."[13][14]

After McKinney's death, Congress renamed the Salt Meadow National Wildlife Refuge in Connecticut the Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge.[15] Additionally, in 1988, Connecticut's legislature honored McKinney's legacy by naming the Stamford Transportation Center after him.[16]

Family

McKinney married Lucie Cunningham, the daughter of Briggs Cunningham II and Lucie Bedford, the granddaughter of a co-founder of Standard Oil. They had five children.[1] Their son, John McKinney, was minority leader of the Connecticut State Senate until the end of 2014, and was an unsuccessful candidate for the Republican nomination for Governor in the 2014 elections.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 May, Clifford D. (May 8, 1987). "McKinney Dies of Illness Tied to AIDS". The New York Times. p. B1. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
  2. ↑ "R1987: Rep. Stewart B. McKinney dies". Stamford Advocate. May 6, 2012. Retrieved August 8, 2014.
  3. ↑ Bridgeport Post, McKinney, Huebner Are Chairmen For Jets-Patriots Game Aug. 4, February 19, 1967
  4. ↑ U.S. Government Printing Office, Stewart B. McKinney, Late a Representative from Connecticut, 1987, page 244
  5. ↑ Stewart B. McKinney, District of Columbia papers, Special Collections Research Center, Estelle and Melvin Gelman Library, The George Washington University.
  6. ↑ Dash, Eric (June 20, 2009). "If It's Too Big to Fail, Is It Too Big to Exist?". New York Times. Retrieved June 22, 2009.
  7. ↑ "1987: Rep. Stewart B. McKinney Dies". Stamford Advocate. Stamford, CT. May 6, 2012. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
  8. ↑ May, Clifford D. (May 9, 1987). "Friends Say McKinney Had Homosexual Sex". New York Times. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
  9. ↑ "AIDS Makes Another Chilling Advance, Claiming the Life of a Congressman". People magazine. New York, NY: TIME, Inc. May 25, 1987. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
  10. ↑ Houston, Paul (May 8, 1987). "Connecticut's McKinney, GOP Liberal, Dies of AIDS". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, CA. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
  11. ↑ Kimmey, Samantha (December 20, 2012). "Rep. Barney Frank Comments on Scalia, Prostitution, Marijuana and More". The Raw Story. Archived from the original on September 3, 2014. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
  12. ↑ "Congressman Killed by AIDS Led Secret Life, Gay Man Claims". Bangor Daily News. Bangor, ME. Associated Press. August 23, 1989. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
  13. 1 2 Kiritsy, Laura (May 31, 2007). "Happy Anniversary, Barney Frank!". EDGE. Archived from the original on May 12, 2020. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
  14. 1 2 Carlos Santoscoy (September 20, 2009). "Barney Frank's 'Left-Handed Gay Jew' No Tell-All". On Top Magazine. Archived from the original on January 2, 2010. Retrieved January 19, 2010.
  15. ↑ U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. "Home page, Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge". Retrieved August 31, 2014.
  16. ↑ Connecticut General Assembly. "House Bill HB5353". Retrieved November 18, 2022.
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