Claire Shulman

Claire K. Shulman (born February 23, 1926) is an American politician. She was the borough president of Queens, New York City from 1986 until 2002; the first woman to have held this position in Queens history.

Claire Shulman
Shulman in 2012
17th Borough President of Queens
In office February 11, 1986[1] – January 1, 2002
Preceded by	Donald Manes
Succeeded by	Helen M. Marshall
Personal details
Born	February 23, 1926 (1926-02-23) (age 94) Brooklyn, New York
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Dr. Melvin Shulman
Children	Dr. Ellen S. Baker, Dr. Lawrence Shulman, and Kim Shulman
Residence	Beechhurst, Queens, New York

Career

Shulman was born in Brooklyn, New York, and was a registered nurse before getting into politics. She met her future husband, Mel Shulman, a doctor, while both were working at Queens Hospital Center. She was active in Queens community affairs and was appointed to a community board in 1966. She became Queens borough president Donald Manes' director of community boards in 1972 and his deputy in 1980. She took office initially as acting Borough President on February 11, 1986 after the scandal-tarred Manes, who later committed suicide, resigned.[1] She was elected Borough President by a unanimous vote of the nine City Council members from Queens on March 12.[2] She was then elected by popular vote to the remaining three years of Manes' term later that year[3] and to four-year terms again in 1989,[4] 1993, and 1997. She was unable to run for re-election in 2001 because of term limits, and was succeeded by Helen Marshall on January 3, 2002.

Affiliations

Shulman currently serves as a member of the boards of directors of New York Hospital Queens and St. Mary's Healthcare System for Children.

She also assisted the Queens Zoo in obtaining its first bald eagle. The zoo's current bald eagles, Mel and Claire II, are named after Shulman and her husband.[5]

Personal life

She and her husband, Dr. Melvin Shulman, reside in Beechhurst, Queens, New York. They have one daughter, Dr. Ellen S. Baker, an astronaut [6] and a veteran of three Space Shuttle voyages, including one that docked with the Russian space station Mir. Their son, Dr. Lawrence Shulman, a renowned medical oncologist, is Chief Medical Officer at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts. Their adopted son, Kim Shulman, who worked as an assistant director on television series including Party of Five and films including Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves, died from a cerebral brain hemorrhage on June 2, 2001.[7]

A breast cancer survivor, Shulman lost both breasts in separate mastectomies.

References

1. Oreskes, Michael (February 12, 1986). "Manes Resigns 2 Queens Posts, Citing 'Burden'". New York Times. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
2. Lynn, Frank (March 13, 1986). "Shulman Elected to Succeed Manes". New York Times. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
3. James, George (November 5, 1986). "The Elections: A Challenge Is Rebuffed, a Comeback Fails; Shulman Victor in Queens Race For Manes Post". New York Times. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
4. Purdum, Todd S. (November 8, 1989). "The 1989 Elections: Board of Estimate — A Generation Of Ex-Critics Gains Power". New York Times. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
5. New York Zoos and Aquarium website Archived 2008-10-15 at Archive.today
6. "A Vision for Education": Speech by New York City Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, The Wharton Club, August 11, 1995
7. http://www.timesledger.com/stories/2001/23/20010607-archive478.html

External links

• City Hall News (03/12/2007)
• New York Times 1996 article

Political offices
Preceded by Donald Manes	Borough President of Queens 1986–2002	Succeeded by Helen Marshall