Alexander Pirnie

Background

Alexander Pirnie was born on April 16, 1903, in Pulaski, Oswego County, New York, to Roscoe C. Pirnie and Mary R. Price. Pulaski was a village in central New York whose civic life was connected with agriculture, small manufacturing, commerce, and the educational institutions serving Oswego County.

He graduated from Pulaski Academy in 1920 and later built his professional life in Utica, where he practiced law and entered public service. He married Mildred Silvernail on July 7, 1938; they had two sons, Bruce R. and Douglas J. Pirnie.

Education

Pirnie graduated from Pulaski Academy in 1920. The academy provided secondary education in the village where he was raised and prepared students for college and professional careers.

He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Cornell University in 1924 and a law degree from Cornell Law School in 1926. Cornell, founded in 1865 in Ithaca, combined liberal education with professional and scientific instruction, while Cornell Law School, established in 1887, formed part of the university's professional education system. Pirnie's legal education was followed by admission to the bar and practice in Utica.

Career

Pirnie began practicing law in Utica after completing his legal education and admission to the bar in 1926. His legal career was interrupted and reshaped by military service, but he returned to private practice after both the Second World War and his congressional career.

He received a commission as a second lieutenant of infantry in the Officers' Reserve Corps in 1924. He later transferred to the Judge Advocate General's Corps and volunteered for active duty on December 4, 1942. During the Second World War he served in the European Theater, including duty with the Theater Service Forces, and continued in the reserve structure until retiring as a colonel. His military legal service earned him the Bronze Star Medal and the Legion of Merit.

Pirnie was elected as a Republican to the Eighty-sixth Congress in 1958 and took office on January 3, 1959. He served seven consecutive terms, representing New York's 34th Congressional District from 1959 to 1963 and its 32nd District from 1963 to 1973. His congressional work included service on the House Armed Services Committee and the Republican Policy Committee, and his papers covered military personnel, NATO, the Vietnam War, employment, nuclear affairs, and matters affecting New York.

As the ranking Republican member of a House subcommittee on the draft, Pirnie participated in the development of the random-selection system adopted for the 1970 military draft. On December 1, 1969, at Selective Service headquarters, he drew the first of 366 capsules containing calendar dates; the first date drawn was September 14.

Pirnie did not seek reelection in 1972. After leaving Congress, he resumed legal practice in Utica and served as president of a clothing company in Mohawk, New York, from 1977 to 1980. He remained associated with Utica until his death in Canastota on June 12, 1982.

Achievements

• Pirnie served seven consecutive terms in the United States House of Representatives from January 3, 1959, through January 3, 1973, representing New York's 34th and 32nd congressional districts.

• As ranking Republican member of a House subcommittee on the draft, Pirnie drew the first capsule in the national Selective Service lottery on December 1, 1969. The capsule contained September 14, which became the first birth date in the order for the 1970 draft.

• The United States Post Office and Courthouse at 10 Broad Street in Utica was designated the Alexander Pirnie Federal Building by federal law in 1984, honoring his service to the city and to Congress.

Religion

Pirnie was Presbyterian. Presbyterianism is a Reformed Christian tradition shaped by the theology of John Calvin and by systems of representative church government led by elders.

During Pirnie's lifetime, American Presbyterian churches combined confessional Christianity with congregational institutions, organized worship, education, and civic engagement. His documented affiliation places him within that broader Protestant tradition.

Politics

Pirnie was a Republican and represented New York in the United States House of Representatives from 1959 to 1973. His political career developed within the postwar Republican Party, which combined support for constitutional government, national defense, economic growth, and state-level representation with internal differences over federal social and economic policy.

In Congress, Pirnie served during the Cold War and the Vietnam era. He participated in the House Armed Services Committee and became the ranking Republican member of the special subcommittee concerned with the military draft. His public role therefore connected traditional Republican emphasis on defense and military readiness with the contentious debate over conscription and the Vietnam War.

Pirnie's most nationally visible congressional act came on December 1, 1969, when he drew the first capsule in the new Selective Service lottery. The capsule contained September 14, the first birth date in the order established for the 1970 draft.

Membership

Pirnie belonged to the American Legion, the Judge Advocates Association, the Inter-Parliamentary Union, and Cornell-affiliated organizations. His association memberships connected his legal and military background with veterans' affairs, professional military law, international parliamentary cooperation, and the alumni community of his university.

He served as president of the Judge Advocates Association in 1951 and later participated in the board of visitors of the Judge Advocate General's School. His membership in the Inter-Parliamentary Union lasted from 1965 to 1982, during his congressional and post-congressional years.

• American Legion , United States

• Served as president in 1951.

  Judge Advocates Association , United States

  1951

• Served for many years as a member of the board of visitors.

  Board of Visitors, Judge Advocate General's School , United States

• Inter-Parliamentary Union , United States

  1965 - 1982

• Was a member while at Cornell University.

  Quill and Dagger Society , United States

• Served as president before being succeeded in 1951.

  Cornell Law Alumni Association , United States

Connections

Pirnie married Mildred Silvernail on July 7, 1938. They had two sons, Bruce R. Pirnie and Douglas J. Pirnie.

His professional connections included the Judge Advocates Association, Cornell University, and the United States House of Representatives. Sherwood Boehlert served on Pirnie's congressional staff from 1964 until Pirnie's retirement; Boehlert later became Oneida County Executive and represented New York in Congress from 1983 to 2007.

Father:

Roscoe C. Pirnie

Mother:

Mary R. Price

Son:

Bruce R. Pirnie

Son:

Douglas J. Pirnie

Wife:

Mildred Silvernail

Married Alexander Pirnie on July 7, 1938.

References

• Biographical Directory of the United States Congress: Alexander Pirnie Documents Pirnie's birth and death, education, legal practice, military commission and wartime service, congressional terms, Republican affiliation, Inter-Parliamentary Union membership, and post-congressional work.
• The Army Lawyer: A History of the Judge Advocate General's Corps, 1775–1975 Describes Pirnie's Cornell legal education, service in the Judge Advocate General's Corps during the Second World War, military rank, and receipt of the Bronze Star and Legion of Merit.
  1975
• Congressional Record, October 30, 1969 Documents Pirnie's role as ranking minority member of the House Armed Services Committee's Special Subcommittee on the Draft and his support for legislation authorizing a random draft-selection system.
  1969
• Congressional Record, December 2, 1969 Records Pirnie's drawing of the first birth date in the new national draft lottery and identifies September 14 as the first date selected.
  1969
• Alexander Pirnie Federal Building, Utica, New York Provides the history of the Utica federal building named for Pirnie and summarizes his legal practice, congressional service, and role in the 1969 draft lottery.
• Public Law 98-591 Designates the United States Post Office and Courthouse in Utica as the Alexander Pirnie Federal Building.
  1984