Al Smith

The mystery has been solved of who the woman is who was sitting between Mayor deBlasio and Governor Cuomo at this year's Al Smith dinner at the Waldorf Astoria.  (See prior postings.) The AP photographer, Julie Jacobson, came within the radius of Tweeting and responded to the inquiry. The woman is Nan Smith, the wife of the master of ceremonies at the dinner, Al Smith IV,

How nice that there is an Al Smith IV, great-grandson of Al Smith, four-time governor of New York and the first Catholic to run for president in 1928. If John F. Kennedy Jr. doesn't go down in the plane he's piloting for a weekend getaway, there might be a JFK III, then maybe paving the way for a IV.

Anyone who knows anything about New York politics knows there are a few dynastic names in state and local politics. There's Al Smith, who after losing the presidential election became the president of the company building the Empire State building. Fitting.

Nelson Rockefeller was a four-time governor of New York, but left office during his fourth term to take the Vice President spot vacated after Gerald Ford ascended to the presidency after Nixon resigned the presidency, and Vice President Spiro Agnew's resignation before that.

The Wagner family was lead by Robert F. Wagner, Sr. a four-term United States Senator for New York, whose son, Robert F. Wagner, Jr. was a three-term mayor of New York City. His son was a Board of Education president for the city, who died at a relatively young age. Come to think of it, where's the Wagner bridge?

There is an Al Smith state office building in Albany, and while the name might not be as familiar to all today, whenever they play the 'Sidewalks of New York,' they are playing his campaign song.

And play that song they did, before the start of every Belmont Stakes race until Frank Sinatra's 'New York, New York' pushed it aside. Al's song is now played on Belmont Day, but before the start of the Manhattan Handicap, a turf race on the same card.

It's not surprising that Sinatra's 'New York, New York' has edged out 'Sidewalks of New York.' Sinatra's song is a little more bombastic than lyrics about kids playing in front of stoops. Anyway, what's a stoop?

I don't know anything about Al Smith IV and his wife Nan: if there's an Al Smith V or not, or even if there are any offspring who might take up a spot at the dias for forthcoming Al Smith dinners. But how nice is a name that gets you into the Waldorf for dinner and gets you a seat between the current arguing lions of New York politics?

Even if they take your picture and don't tell us who you are?

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