Brigadier General James Monroe Williams

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Alexander Ferguson "Sandy" Treadwell (born March 25, 1946) is an American politician, journalist, and artist.[1][2][3] He was Secretary of State of New York, as well as New York's representative on the Republican National Committee.[2] He was also a writer for Sports Illustrated.[4]

Early life

Treadwell was born in London, England.[2][5] His father, John F. W. Treadwell, was a Brigadier in the British Army.[6][2] His mother, Susan Vanderpoel Ord, was from Albany, New York, but went to England with the Red Cross during World War II.[2][3] His maternal grandfather was Joseph P. Ord, a founding executive of General Electric.[2][7]

While he was still an infant, his family moved to Albany.[2][5] His father resigned from his commission and worked as vice president of the English Speaking Union in New York City starting in 1949.[2][3] Treadwell grew up on a 385-acre family estate called Bessboro Farm in Westport, New York, overlooking Lake Champlain.[2][3] There, his father raised Holstein cattle.[3] Treadwell had one brother, Thomas Ord Treadwell.[3]

Treadwell went to Groton School.[2] He then attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, graduating in 1968 with a degree in journalism.[4][5] While there, he was a member of the fraternity St. Anthony Hall and was a sports writer for The Daily Tark Heel.[4][2]

Treadwell served in the Army National Guard.[citation needed]

Career

Journalist

After college, Treadwell was a sports journalist for Sports Illustrated.[4][2] He wrote articles about college basketball and football.[5] He stayed in that position for three years, leaving in 1972 to become a freelance writer.[2] In 1973, he wrote articles for New York magazine.[8][9]

He worked for Classic Sports magazine for four years in the late 1970s.[2] Next, he tried to start a movie magazine without success.[2] In 1987, he wrote The World of Marathons (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 1987) a book about 26 races around the world.[2][10][11] In its review, Library Journal wrote, "Essential reading for both the amateur and professional distance runner."[12]

Politics

Treadwell became active in the Republican Party in Essex County, New York.[2] In 1973, he sought the Essex County GOP endorsement for the New York State Assembly but lost badly in the primary.[2] He changed his tactics, aiming lower.[2] He became the Republic Party chairman in Westport.[2] In 1985, he was elected Republican chairman for the county.[2] He was vice chairman of the New York State Republican Party from 1989 to 1994.[2][11]

In 1990, Treadwell campaigned for the Republican Party across the state of New York, sharing the Republican platform at public forums.[2] Along the way, he met George Pataki.[2] In 1994 when Pataki ran for governor in 1994, Treadwell officially endorsed him as a county chairman, becoming one of the first county chairmen in the state to do so.[2]

New York Secretary of State

In 1995, Governor George Pataki appointed Treadwell Secretary of State of New York.[2] In this capacity, Treadwell earned $120,800 a year.[2] The Department of State had 850 employees and an annual budget of $110 million during Treadwell's leadership.[13] As Secretary, Treadwell was active in reorganizing the Department of State in order to streamline operations and improve efficiency. [citation needed] He reduced the agency's workforce without layoffs while holding the line on spending. He was also active in local government issues statewide.[citation needed] He served as the Secretary of State through 2001.[13]

New York State Republican Party chairman

In 2001, Pataki appointed Treadwell as the Chairman of the New York Republican Party, serving through 2004.[1][10] He replaced William D. Powers.[1][11] Treadwell was the host state chairman of the 2004 Republican National Convention that nominated President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney for re-election. [citation needed] Under his tenure, Pataki was elected to a second term and Michael Bloomberg was elected mayor of New York City.[14]

In 2004, Treadwell faced controversy after he supported Assemblyman Howard Mills as the party's nominee for the U.S. Senate against Senator Chuck Schumer over the would-be candidate Michael Benjamin.[15] Benjamin publicly accused Treadwell and Governor George Pataki of trying to muscle him out of the Senate race and undermine the democratic process because he was half Honduran.[15] Mills, who was nominated after numerous other potential candidates turned the race down, lost to incumbent Schumer in the largest landslide in state history.[16]

Treadwell stepped down as state chairman in 2004 to become New York's Republican National Committeeman.[17][14]

2008 Congressional Candidacy

See also: United States House of Representatives elections in New York, 2008 § District 20

In April 2008, Treadwell filed to run for Congress in New York's 20th District against Kirsten Gillibrand.[7] Treadwell signed the Americans For Tax Reform's Taxpayer Protection Pledge and ran on the promise that he will never vote to increase taxes on individuals or businesses.[5] He supported more troops in Iraq, but noted, "We went into Iraq for the wrong reasons. Terrible mistakes were made in the first four years."[5] He also favored a limit of four terms for Congressmen.[5] In addition, he supported expanding broadband and cellular infrastructure.[5] He also stated that he would not accept a salary to serve in Congress, but would donate those funds to charities.[5]

Treadwell was endorsed by Bill Weld, the former Governor of Massachusetts.[18] Former mayor of New York City, Rudy Giuliani, hit the campaign trail on his behalf.[19] However, conservative commentator George Marlin criticized Treadwell, labeling him a "social moderate" and a "liberal elitist trust bab[y]".[18] In fact, during his campaign, Treadwell noted Martin Luther King Jr. and John F. Kennedy as major influences on his life.[5] Another New York Republican operative called him a "Rockefeller Republican".[14]

Treadwell was defeated by Gillibrand, who was re-elected with 62% of the vote.[20][21] Treadwell spent more than $6 million on his campaign; nearly $5 million was his own money.[22] Gillibrand spend $4.49 million.[21] It was the most expensive United States House race in 2008.[22]

Other political issues

In 2011, Treadwell publicly supported gay marriage, and encourage Republican senators to vote for marriage equality.[23] In 2020, Treadwell was a founder of a Bipartisan Committee to Elect Joe Biden; the committee started to support Democrat Amy Klobuchar who later withdrew from the presidential race.[24]

Artist

At 67 years old, Treadwell became an artist, specializing in charcoal portraits.[1] He is affiliated with the Ojai Studio Artists.[1] His gallery is the Ojai Valley Artists at 238 East Ojai Avenue in Ojai, California.[1]

Personal life

Treadwell married Elisabeth "Libby" Ward Krautter on March 21, 1970, in Saints Chapel of Christ Episcopal Church in Winnetka, Illinois.[6][1][10] Krautter was also a writer for Sports Illustrated and was one of the first woman journalists to cover professional football.[6][2] In addition, she is a poet.[14] They had an apartment in Manhattan, but also lived in Essex County, New York near his mother.[2] They moved to Westport in 1972.[5] The couple had two children: Zachary and Caroline.[2][10]

In 1980, he saw runners in the New York City Marathon.[2] The next day, he began training for the 1981 marathon.[2] At the time, Treadwell smoked two and a half packs of cigarettes a day.[2] He ran both the New York City Marathon and the London Marathon two times, as well as running the Moscow Marathon once.[2]

In 2004, he purchased a home in Lake Placid, New York.[5] He spent winters there and summers in Westport on the farm where he spent his childhood.[5] The family also has a house in California.[14]

In 2004, President George W. Bush appointed Treadwell to the board of trustees for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.[14] In 2006, he was the president of the Lake Placid Regional Winter Sports Committee.[10] He has also served as vice president of the Clark Foundation.[10]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "About". Sandy Treadwell Portraits. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah McKinley, James C. Jr. (2001-03-10). "A Nice Guy in a Tough G.O.P. Job; New State Chairman Takes Challenge of Uniting Party in Stride". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "John Treadwell, Brigadier, 67 Dies; Official of English-Speaking Union Here Since 1949". The New York Times. December 11, 1968. p. 47. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
  4. ^ a b c d "SI writers past and present share personal memories of Dean Smith". Sports Illustrated. February 9, 2015. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Brown, Nathan (October 27, 2008). "Treadwell's pledges: No tax hikes for anyone, won't be a career Congressman". Adirondack Daily Enterprise. Retrieved August 3, 2022 – via Vote Smart.
  6. ^ a b c "Miss Krautter Wed in Illinois" (PDF). The New York Times. April 4, 1970. p. 45. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  7. ^ a b Hernandez, Raymond (2007-11-26). "Short of Funds, G.O.P. Recruits the Rich to Run". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
  8. ^ Treadwell, Sandy (January 22, 1973). "And Now for the Good News at TIME Inc". New York. 6 (4): 37–42 – via Google Books.
  9. ^ Treadwell, Sand; Howard, Pamela (May 26, 1973). "Dr. Atkins Says He's Sorry". The New York Weekly. United States Congress Hearings, Reports and Prints of the Senate Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs: 68 – via Google Books.
  10. ^ a b c d e f "Alexander Treadwell's Biography". Vote Smart. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
  11. ^ a b c McKinley, James C. Jr. (2001-02-27). "G.O.P. Leader In New York Steps Down After Decade". The New York Times. p. B5. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
  12. ^ Hoffman W. H. The World of Marathons. Library Journal. 1987;112(10):125. Accessed August 3, 2022. via EBSCO. Accessed August 3, 2022.
  13. ^ a b "Accomplishments". Sandy Treadwell for Congress. webarchive.loc.gov. Archived from the original on 2008-10-08. Retrieved 2022-08-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  14. ^ a b c d e f Hocking, Bree (2007-02-05). "Millionaire Eyes Gillibrand". Roll Call. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
  15. ^ a b Benjamin, Elizbeth (February 25, 2004)"Senate hopeful claims GOP bosses snubbed him". Archived from the original on August 7, 2004. Retrieved 2004-08-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) Albany Times-Union. Accessed August 3, 2022.
  16. ^ Slackman, Michael (2004-11-03). "Schumer Returns to Senate, and With a Record Margin". The New York Times. p. 15. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
  17. ^ "Treadwell out as state Republican chairman". Albany Business Review. November 8, 2004. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
  18. ^ a b Martin, George (2 December 2007). "Sandy Treadwell and Bill Weld: Two Liberal "Peas in a Pod"". Street Corner Conservative. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  19. ^ Giuliani to stump for Treadwell. (2008, October 27). Times Union (Albany, NY). via EBSCO, accessed August 3, 2022.
  20. ^ "Kirsten Gillibrand Will Take Hillary Clinton's Senate Seat". The Adirondack Almanack. January 23, 2009. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
  21. ^ a b Carson, Jamie L, Aldrich, John H, Gomez, Brad T., Merolla, Jennifer L.. Change and Continuity in the 2020 Elections. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2022. p. 245 ISBN 9781538164839 via Google Books.
  22. ^ a b Burrell, Barbara. Gender in Campaigns for the U.S. House of Representatives. United States: University of Michigan Press, 2014. p. 117. ISBN 9780472052318 via Google Books.
  23. ^ Former chair of the New York State Republican Party endorses gay marriage. (2011, June 17). Daily Record (Rochester, NY). via Gale, accessed August 3, 2022
  24. ^ "Opinion | A Pro-Biden Republican". The New York Times. 2020-03-15. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
Political offices
Preceded by Secretary of State of New York
1995–2001 		Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by Chairman of the New York Republican State Committee
2001–2004 		Succeeded by
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Treadwell