Alton Waldon

Waldon served in the United States Army from 1956 to 1959. He was appointed as NYS Deputy Commissioner of Human Rights in 1975. He served as counsel in the Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities.

He was a member of the New York State Assembly from 1983 to 1986, sitting in the 185th and 186th New York State Legislatures. Waldon was a delegate to the 1984 and 1988 Democratic National Conventions.

In a special election to fill the New York's 6th congressional district seat in the U.S. House of Representatives vacated by the late Joseph P. Addabbo, Waldon was elected as a Democrat to the 99th United States Congress in 1986 and served from June 10, 1986, to January 3, 1987. Waldon became the first elected African-American member of Congress from Queens, New York.[3]

In September 1986, Waldon ran for a full term, but was defeated in the Democratic primary—the real contest in this heavily Democratic, majority-black district—by Floyd H. Flake. Waldon was then appointed to the New York State Commission of Investigation.

He was a member of the New York State Senate from 1991 to 1999, sitting in the 189th, 190th, 191st, 192nd and 193rd New York State Legislatures. In 1998, he tried to regain his congressional seat after Flake had resigned, but was defeated in the special election by state assemblyman Gregory Meeks.

In June 1999, he was nominated to the New York Court of Claims;[4] and was confirmed by the State Senate in December.[5]