Steven Pankow was an American businessman and politician.
21 Facts About Steven Pankow
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Steven Pankow's mother was from Freifeld, a town in Galicia then in the Austrian portion of the Austrian Partition, but now of Kowalowka, Cieszanow, Poland.
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Steven Pankow's parents were of Ukrainian or Ruthenian descent, and the family moved to Freifeld in 1909.
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Steven Pankow was educated in the parochial schools there before returning to Buffalo with his brother John in 1925, so they could live with an aunt.
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Steven Pankow then moved into car sales and traveled to Detroit to attended the Chrysler business school for auto salesmen.
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Steven Pankow was a longtime member and past president of the American Automobile Association of Western New York and the Western New York Automobile Dealers Association.
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Steven Pankow belonged to the Moose, the Elks, and the local chamber of commerce.
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Steven Pankow developed an interest in politics and considered running for a seat in the New York State Senate, but the local Republican organization refused to back him, so Steven Pankow became a Democrat.
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In 1949, Steven Pankow ran for mayor, but lost the Democratic primary to Judge John Hillery.
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In 1950, Steven Pankow was a delegate to the state Democratic Convention.
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In 1951, Steven Pankow was narrowly defeated for reelection as county clerk, but his strong showing in Buffalo indicated his viability as a mayoral candidate.
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Steven Pankow was a delegate to the 1952 Democratic National Convention.
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In 1952, Steven Pankow announced he would be a candidate for mayor in 1953.
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On November 3,1953, Steven Pankow defeated Becker by a vote of 93,206 to 90,490 for Becker and 4,304 for Liberal nominee Richard Lipsitz.
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Steven Pankow began to surmount gender barriers when he named Ann Mikoll as a judge of Buffalo's City Court.
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Steven Pankow was credited with starting paid medical insurance for city workers and construction of seven police and fire stations.
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Steven Pankow owned various businesses including nightclubs and a liquor store.
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Between 1959 and 1963, Steven Pankow was indicted and tried several times for federal and state charges including bribery and tax evasion.
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Steven Pankow was never convicted of any of the charges.
20.
Steven Pankow did not exert the same political influence he had previously, and these campaigns were unsuccessful.
21.
Steven Pankow was buried at Mount Calvary Cemetery in Cheektowaga, New York.