John Marchi, whose 50 years in the New York Legislature made him that state's longest serving lawmaker and one of the longest serving in the nation, died in April at age 87.

• Position: People & Politics

John Marchi, whose 50 years in the New York Legislature made him that state's longest serving lawmaker and one of the longest serving in the nation, died in April at age 87. Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee for decades, he is credited with helping write the laws that saved New York City from financial collapse in the 1970s. A popular Republican who often ran unopposed at election time, Marchi was best known for trying to let Staten Island secede from New York...