Former Rep. Amo Houghton dies at home in Corning at 93
He was not on the list.
Amory “Amo” Houghton, the Corning Inc. heir and former executive who served New York’s Southern Tier in Congress for nearly two decades, died Wednesday in his Corning home. He was 93.
A moderate Republican, Houghton was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1987 after serving as president of Corning for 20 years. He served in Congress for 18 years and was a member of the International Relations, Budget and Ways and Means committees.
He is the only former chief executive of a Fortune 500 Company ever elected to the U.S. House.
He is remembered as one of four House Republicans to vote against President Bill Clinton’s impeachment in 1998 and one of six Republicans in the House to vote against the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2002.
Houghton succeeded Rep. Stan Lundine of Jamestown, who went on to be elected lieutenant governor under Gov. Mario Cuomo, and was succeeded by Randy Kuhl of Hammondsport.
He was a founding member of the Republican Main Street Partnership, a group of moderate House Republicans.
He was the son of Amory and Laura Houghton, one of the most influential families in Upstate New York. The family owned Corning Inc.
Houghton served in the U.S. Marines during World War II and served aboard a ship in the Carribean.
Robert Van Wicklin of Elicottville served in Houghton’s Washington, D.C. office for 13 years, working his way up from intern to chief of staff.
Van Wicklin fondly recalled the time when Houghton flew his parents to Washington for a ceremony where Nelson Mandella of South Africa was being awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. Houghton, who sponsored the honor for Mandella, was recognizing Van Wicklin for suggesting it.
Van Wicklin, today the vice president for advancement at St. Bonaventure University, said Houghton was well-liked by nearly everyone — with the exception of those on the far right and the far left. “Ninety percent of those in Congress revered him as a friend.”
Houghton, said Van Wicklin, “was genuinely interested in what people had to say. He could talk to everybody from the president of a country to the janitor.”
As Houghton’s chief of staff, Van Wicklin flew around the world with the congressman. “He never took himself too seriously. He was never afraid to poke fun at himself.”
Houghton was proud of the assault weapons ban that passed Congress during his tenure, Van Wicklin said. After that vote, Houghton accepted an invitation to speak at the Elmira Rod & Gun Club. He went against the advice of staff. That bill expired years later and was not renewed.
Houghton was also a religious man, Van Wicklin said. Together with his great friend and congressional classmate, Rep. John Lewis of Georgia, he served as co-chairman of the Faith and Politics Institute.
Houghton’s greatest passion was his wife, Priscilla, who he married in 1989. She died in 2012. “When she died, a big part of him died, too,” Van Wicklin said. “They always wanted to be together.”
She was in the Capitol on 9/11 and Houghton refused to leave until he knew she was safe. The Capitol Police literally dragged him out of the building, Van Wicklin mused.
Professionally, Houghton’s passion was that “he wanted to know what people thought,” said Van Wicklin. “He always wanted to know what made people tick.”
Most people who knew him would agree he was a gentleman and always civil. “He was always extremely gracious,” Van Wicklin recalled.
“I won the lottery when I got hired by Amo,” he added.
Houghton favored Ohio Gov. John Kasich over Donald Trump in the 2016 Republican primary and was never a Trump supporter, even after he became president.
“One thing that really disturbed him was that Trump was in the White House,” Van Wicklin said.
James J. Snyder of Olean, the former Cattaraugus County Legislature chairman, was saddened to learn of Houghton’s death.
“I’m very sorry to hear it,” Snyder said Thursday afternoon. “Amo and I were a lot alike. We were among a dwindling number of Rockefeller Republicans.”
Snyder, who worked in the White House under President George H.W. Bush, used to have dinner with Houghton at his Washington, D.C. home. “We’d have dinner, then sit in his backyard and solve the world’s problems,” he said.
Snyder recalled that he worked with Houghton on the Seneca Nation of Indians lease in Salamanca in the 1990s.
“He was a masterful human being,” Snyder said of Houghton. “He was a moderate. I remember he was a non-politician. There was a lot more to Amo than just politics. He was concerned about people.”
Snyder said, He was a fun guy to work with. He was a solid citizen. I’ll genuinely miss him.”
Rep. Tom Reed, R-Corning, said, “The Reed and Houghton family relationship goes back generations — as my grandfather bounced Amo on his knee working for the Houghton family more than 90 years ago.”
He added: “However, our relationship with Amo goes even deeper than that. Amo was a classmate of my father and mother, but more importantly, Amo was my mentor and friend.”
Reed said “Washington still has much to learn from his legacy. A legacy of common sense governing through respected bipartisan friendships and political civility. A legacy where our country comes first and our political party a distant second. Our nation has lost a true hero, and our hometown of Corning has lost a great ambassador. He will be missed by all.”
Houghton attended St. Paul’s School in Concord, N.H., Harvard University and the Harvard Business School. He was a private first class in the U.S. Marine Corps during the final year of World War II.
He joined Corning in 1952 as a junior process engineer, became president in 1961 and chairman and chief executive officer in 1964. During his tenure, sales and income increased more than five-fold and employment grew to over 29,000 worldwide.
Passionately committed to research and development, he shepherded such innovations as Corning Ware, Corelle Dinnerware, automotive catalytic converters, specialized flat glass used now on smart phones and panels and optical fiber — which revolutionized the telecommunications industry and ushered in the creation of the Internet.
He was a member of the board of directors of BF Goodrich, Citibank, Genentech, IBM, Owens Corning, New York Telephone and The Procter and Gamble Company. He was a member of The Business Council and co-founded the Labor/Industry Coalition for International Trade.
He served as president of the Board of Trustees at St Paul’s School and The Episcopal Theological Seminary and was a two-time Overseer of Harvard University.
He served as a trustee of the Brookings Institute and the Corning Museum of Glass. He stepped down as CEO of Corning in 1983 and was elected to congress three years later.
He is survived by his brother, Jamie Houghton of Boston; his children, Amory Houghton III of South Salem, N.Y., Robert Houghton of Acton, Mass.; Sarah Houghton of Fairfield, Conn.; and Quincy Houghton of New York City; along with nine grandchildren and one great-grandson.
In 1950, he married the former Ruth West of New York City. In 1989, he was married to Priscilla Dewey of Cohasset, Mass.
A memorial service, to be held in Corning, will be announced at a future date. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests individuals contribute to Christ Episcopal Church, 33 E. First St., Corning, N.Y., 14830.
