Hugh Carey
Politician
51st Governor of New York who served the state from 1975 to 1982. While in office he helped keep New York City from bankruptcy.
He came to power in New York when the city was laying off thousands, and Wall Street was refusing to rescue it with bonds; he was reportedly hours away from declaring bankruptcy at one point.
He solved the financial crisis in part by spurning his predecessor's high spending ways, and in part by taking on greater powers than was allotted to him.
He grew up in Park Slope, Brooklyn, the fourth of five sons of Margaret and Denis J. Carey, second-generation Irish immigrants.
Mario Cuomo was another popular New York governor, who thankfully led the state into better financial conditions.