Sheldon Silver, who served as the speaker of the New York State Assembly for over 20 years and was sent to prison following a conviction on corruption charges, died Monday at the age of 77.
The Democrat died at the Nashoba Valley Medical Center near the federal prison facility in Massachusetts where he was incarcerated, a spokesperson for the Bureau of Prisons told the New York Times. A cause of death was not immediately known, but Silver had a known history of cancer and kidney disease.
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“When I look back, I always try to think about the good, the accomplishments we achieved together and there were many — but there could have and show have been more,” former New York Gov. George Pataki said in a statement. “It’s a shame that his career in public service ended in such a tragic way, but it is a lesson that is important today.”
Silver grew up in the Lower East Side. He graduated from Yeshiva University in 1965 and earned his law degree from Brooklyn Law School in 1968.
Silver was first elected to the Assembly in 1976. He was then elected speaker in 1994 and served until 2015 when he was first charged with corruption after accusations that he traded money for influence. He was convicted of the corruption charges later that year but successfully appealed them in 2017. He was then tried and convicted again in 2018. In 2020, he was sentenced to six and a half years in prison.
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Former President Donald Trump considered granting Silver clemency last January prior to leaving office, sources told Reuters. Last January, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to take up an appeal to his conviction.
Silver is survived by his wife, Rosa, and four children, Edward, Esther, Janine, and Michelle.
