Hochul, Kathy, 1958-

<p>After a long history of political activism and with a background in charity work, Kathleen C. Hochul seized a rare opportunity to launch a short but busy congressional career. Arriving in Congress after winning a special election, she spent much of her single term calling for bipartisanship and for “bettering the lives of middle class families, farmers, small business owners, seniors, and veterans.” Hochul also touted her political independence which, she said, “shows people of all parties will support me, because they trust my judgment and they know I’m a fighter.”</p>

<p>Kathleen C. Hochul was born Kathleen (Kathy) Courtney on August 27, 1958, in Buffalo, New York, one of six children. Her father, Jack Courtney, was president of a technology company, and her mother, Patricia Courtney, was a business owner. Hochul grew up in Erie County near the Bethlehem Steel Plant where her father worked while completing his education. Her politically and socially conscious parents often cared for and hosted underprivileged children and instilled in Hochul the values of public service from a young age. While attending Hamburg High School, Hochul began volunteering for local politicians during summer vacations. She graduated in 1976 and attended Syracuse University. After earning a BA in 1980, she attended Catholic University in Washington, DC, earning a law degree in 1983. A year later, she married William J. Hochul, with whom she had two children: William and Caitlin.</p>

<p>Following law school, Hochul worked briefly as an attorney in Washington, DC, before serving as legal counsel for a pair of prominent New York Democrats, Representative John Joseph LaFalce and Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan. She returned to western New York in 1991 and became a lobbyist for small business groups in the region. She also worked in charity, founding the Kathleen Mary House with her mother and aunt in 2006 to support victims of domestic violence.</p>

<p>Kathleen Courtney Hochul (/ˈhoʊkəl/ HOH-kull; born August 27, 1958) is an American lawyer and politician serving as Lieutenant Governor of New York since 2015. She served as the U.S. Representative for New York's 26th congressional district from June 1, 2011, to January 3, 2013, after winning the four-candidate special election of May 24, 2011, to fill the seat left vacant by the resignation of Republican Chris Lee, and was the first Democrat to represent the district in 40 years.</p>

<p>Hochul served as the County Clerk of Erie County, New York, from 2007 to 2011, when she assumed her seat in Congress. Previously, she was a deputy county clerk, a member of the Hamburg Town Board, a practicing attorney, and a legislative aide. Hochul was defeated for reelection to Congress by former Erie County Executive Chris Collins after the boundaries and demographics of her district were changed in the decennial reapportionment process. She has also worked as a government relations specialist with Buffalo-based M&T Bank.</p>

<p>Hochul was born Kathleen Courtney in Buffalo, New York, the second of the six children of John P. "Jack" Courtney, then a college student and clerical worker, and Pat Courtney, a homemaker. Hochul's family struggled financially during her early years and for a time lived in a trailer near a steel plant. By the time Hochul was in college, however, her father was working for the information technology company he later headed.</p>