Parker Corning (1874-1943) [Section 21 Lot 2]
Owner and Founder of Albany Felt Company (Albany International Corp.), U.S. Congressman, uncle to Erastus Corning II
Parker Corning was born in Albany on January 22, 1874, to Erastus Corning and Mary Parker. One of four children, he attended Albany Academy and later St. Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire, graduating in 1891. He went on to study at Yale where he was a member of the cricket and crew teams, a Psi Upsilon Fraternity, and the Wolf’s Head secret society.
In 1895 he helped incorporate the Albany Felt Company, a paper making company located in Menands. The area between Albany and Troy had significant paper factories, located on the Hudson River, and relatively close to the Adirondack forests. Parker’s family contributed most of the initial startup costs in addition to their prize-winning herd of Southdown sheep which was used for most of the company’s wool.
The company grew tremendously throughout the twentieth century, even during the Great Depression. During World War II the demand for paper increased and the company landed several defense contracts. The Albany Felt Company would eventually change its name to Albany International Corporation, taking over small paper companies but also expanding internationally. Today, they continue to produce felts for use in paper manufacturing and textile processing but also make composites which are used primarily in the aerospace industry.
In October of 1910 Parker Corning married Mary Anna Cassen of Rensselaer, though his family disapproved because she was divorced, had a son, and was Catholic. They took up residence in Bethlehem and had one daughter together.
During the 1920s Parker assisted his brother Edwin Corning and Daniel O’Connell in taking control of the Albany County Democratic Committee and defeating the Republican machine which had been controlled by William Barnes. Parker Corning was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, serving seven terms. He was not nominated for an eighth term as his views were too conservative for the pro-New-Deal supporters of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. However, during his role in congress he sponsored legislation which lead to the construction of a federal office building in Albany, as well as the creation of the Port of Albany.
He and his wife enjoyed horse-racing and owned some champion thourougbreds. Their horse Thanksgiving won the 1938 Travers Stakes, and their horse Attention beat Triple Crown winner Whirlaway to win the 1941 Arlington Classic.
Parker served on a number of boards; principal at Ludlum Steel Company, Vice President at State Bank of Albany, Board of Directors at Mechanics and Farmer’s Saving Bank, and a Trustee at Albany Rural Cemetery. Additionally he was a member of the Fort Orange Club, Albany Country Club, Schuyler Meadows Country Club, Saratoga Golf Course, North Woods Gulf Course, and a Vestryman at Trinity Episcopal Church.
He passed away on May 24, 1943, seven weeks after his wife died of cancer. He and Mary are buried in the Corning family plot.