Longtime Queens lawmaker Catherine Nolan dies at 67
/
Former Queens Assemblymember Catherine Nolan passed away this week, she was 67. AP file photo/Hans Pennink
By Ryan Schwach
Catherine Nolan, who represented Queens in the State Assembly for nearly four decades, passed away on Wednesday, one day before what would have been her 68th birthday.
Nolan served the borough for 38 years as the assemblymember for the 37th District, where she lived most of her life. She passed on Tuesday, following a long battle with cancer.
During her decades in office, Nolan was known as a trailblazer in local politics and a champion for education reform and protecting workers rights across the state.
The former rep had been enduring an undisclosed form of cancer, which forced her into retirement in 2022.
Her death was announced Wednesday by Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, under whom she served as deputy speaker from 2019 until her retirement.
“It is with great sadness that I learned of the passing of my friend and former Assemblymember Cathy Nolan,” said Heastie in a statement. “She was a dedicated public servant and a trailblazer.”
“In her 38 years in the People's House, she was a voice for her constituents in Queens and fought for legislation that improved the lives of people across our great state,” he continued. “I was lucky to serve with her and privileged to have her on my leadership team as deputy speaker. My heart goes out to her husband Gerry, her son Nick and to all of her friends and loved ones. She will be missed.”
Nolan was elected to the Assembly in 1985, at just 26-years-old, and became the first woman to chair the Labor Committee.
Even as a representative for the borough of Queens, Nolan fought for the rights of farm workers in New York, leading legislation to extend labor protections.
“It is past time to correct the injustices which prevent farmworkers from collectively bargaining, having a day of rest or being compensated for their overtime work,” Nolan told the Eagle in 2019. “Farmworkers must be afforded the same rights that all other workers receive.”
Closer to home, she was an advocate for class size laws and universal pre-K as chair of the Education Committee.
In 2022, following surgeries related to cancer, Nolan chose to bow out of politics and retire.
“I can’t run for reelection like I used to and be with the voters,” she told Newsday at the time. “I’m a little sad, but 38 years…I always gave it full-out, and won’t be able to do that. I pretty much loved every minute. I never minded a fight for the right thing.”
She was succeeded by Assemblymember Juan Ardila, who was replaced last year by Assemblymember Claire Valdez.
Nolan was remembered for her work and commitment to the borough by her former elected colleagues on Wednesday.
"Cathy Nolan was a true champion and a trailblazer in every sense of those words,” said Borough President Donovan Richards. “She inspired a generation of young people in Western Queens to get involved in their community, but she wasn’t satisfied with just holding office or accumulating political power. Instead, she dedicated every day of her nearly 38-year Assembly career to improving our education system and investing in the futures of countless children across our borough, city and state, regardless of their ZIP code or socioeconomic status.”
“While Cathy is no longer with us physically, her legacy of service and commitment to her constituents in Western Queens and beyond undoubtedly lives on,” Richards added. “My thoughts, and those of all 2.4 million Queens residents, are with the Nolan family and all who knew and loved her.”
